Northumberland pensioners Jimmy and Susan Robson have told how their move for an easier life 'has caused them nothing but stress, worry and anger'.
The couple moved into their dream retirement home in The Old Registry, Morpeth, in November 2021, paying £165,000 in cash for their one bedroom apartment, one of 12 homes which had been created from the Grade II former council building and school rooms formerly known as Wansbeck House.
The couple, who are both 70, sold their large home in Ashington to move into the development, which was described by estate agent Sanderson Young in the sales brochure as: "Sympathetically restored ... beautiful, spacious modern apartments".
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The couple hoped the apartment would be easier to manage than their former home as they both have health issues. However, they say that within two weeks of moving in, they noticed stains on the carpet under the furniture in their bedroom, and when they lifted a corner of the carpet it was black with mould and the carpet grippers had rotted. They also complained that the 'windows ran with water day and night'.
The development was sold by Morpeth-based builders Northumberland Ltd, whose office is also in The Old Registry. The couple reported the issues to director Gary Herron before Christmas 2021 and again after the festive break, when they say they discovered mould on clothes in a drawer, the bed base and mattress, and mould mites crawling around the floor.
"Due to the carpet being black with mould and smelly we cut a large piece out to discover a leaking pipe running under our bedroom floor, which we think is the cause of the issues," said Mrs Robson. "We accessed the plumbing floor plans and it appears that the waste water from the toilets, bath water etc from five other apartments goes through the pipe under our floor."
However Mr Herron says that the pipe was not leaking and his company has carried out exhaustive checks to find the root cause of the mould and damp problems the couple were living with, including damp surveys, checking the guttering and downpipes, repairing the windows and reworking a patch of pavement outside their bedroom window. An environmental health officer from Northumberland County Council also visited the property and recommended steps were taken to resolve the issues, stating that the damp and mould growth was a risk to Mr and Mrs Robson's health.
However, more than a year later, although Mr Herron says that all of environmental health's steps were actioned, the issues have still not been resolved. Mr Herron says checks have shown the pipe is not leaking, but Northumberland Ltd has arranged for the floor to be fitted with a damp-proof barrier membrane to eliminate any condensation that might be caused by the pipe.
But Mr and Mrs Robson are angry that the problem has taken so long to resolve and that they will not be compensated for the mouldy furniture, as Northumberland Ltd has only agreed to replace the carpet and underlay and redecorate the bedroom.
"It is absolutely disgusting that we have had to put up with this for so long," said Mrs Robson. "The whole house smells of damp and we really should not be sleeping in the bedroom, but as this is only a one-bedroom apartment, we haven't got a choice. We felt that once Northumberland Group took our money, they were not interested in the problems at all. We feel they are laughing at us and the fact their office is just opposite our door makes things 10 times worse."
Mr Herron says he feels that his company has acted properly to address the complaints, which he said should have come to light if the couple had paid for a building survey before they bought the property. "This building is hundreds of years old, with some parts going back to the 18th century," he said. "Buildings of this age can have built-in issues, but we feel that we have done everything we can to support the Robsons.
"We are not aware of any other damp problems in the other apartments. But the issue does need resolved and it has taken longer than I would have liked. I think we are a couple of weeks away from resolving it. If we could have sorted it earlier, we would have done, but there was no point in rushing in before we eliminated other potential causes.
"I know Mr and Mrs Robson are very frustrated but I don't want to fall out with them over this. I am frustrated too, although I acknowledge that it's not me having to live there. It has not been a quick job, because we have had to eliminate potential causes one by one, but we have arranged for a contractor to come into the property next week to hopefully solve the problems once and for all."
Mrs Robson said: "My husband has a number of physical and mental health problems and I have suffered a mild heart attack and a stroke. This place has turned into a nightmare for us. We are trapped as we can’t move or sell due to the conditions within this apartment."
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