Damp and disrepair in Dundee’s council houses have cost taxpayers more than £7 million in the last year.
New data obtained by Legal Expert shows the local authority has footed the huge bill to address problems in the 12,500 homes it manages over the past 12 months.
The council received nearly 44,000 complaints between October 2023 and 2024.
Of those, 357 related to problems with mould and damp.
The cost of tackling mould and damp was nearly £900,000 while more than £6.2m was spent on other repairs.
Among those who had problems in their Dundee homes in the past year was Sarah Jane Bentham, who feared her ceiling would cave in after years of leaks.
Meanwhile, in November last year – during the complaint period – Dundee gran Angela Wright said “hairy mould” on the wall of her council flat was giving her the “heebie-jeebies”.
A spokesperson for Legal Expert said: “Issues of damp, mould and disrepair are in sharp focus across the UK following a report from the Housing Ombudsman released in October which details over 100 severe maladministration cases of damp and mould, saying the issue now ‘dominates half of our casework’.”
A spokesperson for Dundee City Council said: “We take our duty to maintain more than 12,500 properties in our housing stock seriously.
Council investing in energy efficiency measures, new heating and windows
“Our housing asset management strategy sets out the direction ensuring that our properties are managed efficiently, provide safe and secure accommodation for tenants and service users, comply with regulatory requirements and support current and future service needs.
“This includes maintaining a focus on meeting and exceeding targets set for reactive repairs and continued improvement in customer satisfaction as well as delivering capital and planned maintenance programmes.
“In 2024/25 the council’s capital budget for housing is £22.4m which will help deliver investment including energy efficiency measures, new heating, kitchens and bathrooms and window replacement.
“Further investment includes the reactive repairs service that carries out repairs, maintenance and specialist works such as damp and condensation which can lead to mould growth.
“When such cases are reported to us, we work with tenants to do everything possible to tackle and prevent it.”
Conversation