Pierette Tchialu and her family were served with an eviction notice after complaining of black mould at their Glasgow residence (Picture: Living Rent Scotland/Media Scotland)
A mum-of-four is being evicted from her home after she started complaining about its mould-infested walls.
Pierette Tchialu’s children are aged between 10 and 20, and all live with her at their three-bedroom flat in Glasgow, which they’ve called home for 11 years.
She claims she was served with an eviction notice after raising the issue of rampant mould with her letting agency, the Dennistoun-based 1-2-Let.
The family have been given until September to vacate the premises.
Pierette, 46, said: ‘The conditions I have lived in with my family were inhuman. I have been in this house for eleven years, and until very recently 1-2-Let never came to fix the house.
‘Me and my family, we’ve been living with mould, cold and damp since 2020. In 2021 I was complaining to 1-2-Let.
‘The condition of my house affects my health, because I had Covid in April and May 2020. Since then, I have suffered from symptoms of long Covid and have had to spend long periods in bed.
‘I was depressed. All of us have skin problems because of the condition of my house.
‘The family home was cold and damp and overcrowded, the walls have been damaged badly by damp. After contacting the landlord various times, the support I received has been insufficient and very late.’
Pierette said persistent damp and a lack of ventilation has seen the ceilings ridden with black mould (Picture: Living Rent Scotland/Media Scotland
Pierette added she’s had to throw away clothes that the mould had gotten to (Picture: Living Rent Scotland/Media Scotland)
Pierette Tchialu and her four kids aged 20, 17, 14, and 10 (Picture: Living Rent Scotland/Media Scotland)
Photos from the residence show the ceilings covered in black mould, with flaking walls, and a bathroom floor beginning to cave in.
Pierette said the mould has been a problem for over three years, with damp worsened by a lack of heating and no vents in the windows.
The family have been supported by housing action union Living Rent, who helped get the letting agent to agree to installing gas heaters and an extractor fan at the property.
But Pierette says replacing the mould-eaten carpet came at her own expense, and that many of the family’s clothes have had to be thrown out because they were ruined by the damp.
While 1-2-Let has since fitted an extractor fan and painted over the mould, Living Rent says the letting agency has not compensated Pierette, even despite her poor health.
The union organised a protest outside the letting agency’s offices in Dennistoun on Saturday, demanding Pierette’s home be made livable and that 1-2-Let withdraw the eviction notice.
Living Rent said they have tried to negotiate with 1-2-Let on Pierette’s behalf, but they allegedly stopped responding after saying the family ‘need to take more care when having showers or baths.’
A spokesperson for the housing union said: ‘1-2-Let’s response to the letter sent by the union has shown the total contempt they have for our member.
‘The fact that Pierrette and her children have been forced to live in unsafe housing for such a long period of time shows the sorry state of housing in Scotland at this time.’
Stats cited by the housing union suggest reports of mould in properties across Scotland jumped by over 20%.
The union added: ‘They have a responsibility to provide safe and liveable housing and have consistently failed to do so. The union will continue to stand with Pierrette in demanding justice for her and her family.’
Pierette holds out hope of securing social housing. As a mother-of-four, it may take years before a viable property becomes available, with local housing associations saying they have nothing at present that would allow her and her children to live with any degree of comfort.
