A mother and her three children are sleeping on mattresses on the floor of a bedroom because their family home is infested with mould, which she says is due to “failed” cavity wall insulation.
Zoe Godrich says her home in Swansea feels like a busy house and she has to clean black mold from the walls every two weeks.
He has thrown away all the beds and wardrobes and his six-year-old daughter’s doll was also thrown away when it was covered in fungus.
The heartbroken mother says the problems began three years ago, when contractors fitted the house with cavity wall insulation through a government “green” scheme.
The company that carried out the work in 2021, InstallersUK, insisted insulation is not to blame and says it was caused by a hole in the roof. The company has since gone bankrupt.
Do you live in a house with mold? Email matt.strudwick@mailonline.co.uk
Zoe Godrich says her Swansea home looks like a busy house and she has to remove black mold from the walls every two weeks
The heartbroken mother says the problems began three years ago when contractors fitted the house with cavity wall insulation through a government “green” scheme.
Weeks after the work was carried out, Mrs Godrich says water began to fall down the walls “like a waterfall”.
One of her daughters is now taking asthma medication and her son’s eczema is so severe that he bleeds into cracked skin. She says neither of them had to receive treatment for these conditions before isolation.
The desperate mother was advised to remove the isolation and took out a £7,000 bank loan to pay for the work. But now the house has no insulation and can’t afford to put up the heat, which has caused more damp and mold problems.
Mrs. Godrich told the bbc: “It’s absolutely heartbreaking because I can’t provide my children’s basic needs for a warm and safe home.”
A building inspector with 25 years’ experience inspected Ms. Godrich’s home in April and destroyed the “failed” insulation and said the removal work had also not been done properly.
David Walter said that the industry is motivated by money as They receive government subsidies to do the work.
“So there’s an incentive for contractors to just sign people up, do the work and get the grant money,” he said.
He has thrown away all the beds and wardrobes and his six-year-old daughter’s doll was also thrown away when it was covered in fungus.
The desperate mother was advised to be removed from isolation and took out a £7,000 bank loan to pay for the work.
Mrs. Godrich says, “My life has just been taken.” For the last few years all I have done is fight company after company after company.
Black mold on the walls of Mrs. Godrich’s home, which has been infested with fungus since her home was fitted with cavity wall insulation.
City Network Limited assisted Ms Godrich in securing funding for the work to be carried out and the company was appointed as guarantor for the work.
But the company says this was done in error and should not have been written on the form.
Although it sympathizes with Ms. Godrich’s situation and has tried to help her, City Network says it has no obligation to help.
Mrs Godrich added: “My life has just been taken. For the last few years all I have done is fight company after company after company.
In 2019, the government commissioned independent company Trustmark to establish a quality plan to ensure the work was done correctly.
The company said: ‘The issues at Ms Godrich’s property are complex. The work was carried out to a previous standard and did not take the “whole house” approach that current standards use, which avoided some of the problems seen here.
‘However, the situation Mrs Godrich finds herself in is completely unacceptable and must be corrected. ‘We will work with the British Assessment Office and City Energy to achieve a suitable solution that makes Mrs Godrich’s property a warm, comfortable and healthy home for her and her family.’
Mrs. Godrich and her three children sleep on mattresses on the floor of a room because their family home is infested with mold.
Godrich wears a mask as he cleans mold from the walls covering his house.
The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero told MailOnline it could not comment on individual cases and instead referred us to a ministerial statement from Lord Callanan in February.
He said: ‘The Government recognizes the findings on consumer experience, where some consumers may face difficulties when carrying out modernization work, and on regulations, where the landscape offering protection to consumers can be seen as complex and confusing to navigate.
“The Government is committed to protecting all consumers carrying out home renovation work, as well as improving the overall consumer journey.”
MailOnline has contacted City Network and Trustmark for further comment.
