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Mum's plea to council over 'damp' home

Thursday, 29 April 2010

A FINGLAS woman says she can no longer cope with living in her “completely unsuitable and damp-ridden” council home. Karina Burke of Berryfield Drive suffers from prolapsed disks in her back and sciatica in both of her legs, which confines her to the bottom floor of her two storey house. “I have to use crutches to walk which makes going up stairs to use the bathroom almost impossible,” she told Northside People. “I’m pretty much confined to the bottom floor of a house that has the bedrooms and bathroom upstairs. “I put in for a transfer about eight years ago and I put in my additional medical records to prove my condition about five years ago. But I’m still not likely to get more suitable accommodation until I build up more points through the council’s re-housing system.” Despite her mobility difficulties, the single mother says the severe damp in her kitchen is her biggest cause of concern. “The walls in my kitchen are all black with damp and fungus,” she explained. “The problem is going on for years and no amount of cleaning and damp prevention paint makes any difference because it keeps coming back. “The council have come out a few times to assess the problem but they keep saying it’s condensation. “How could it be condensation when I have an open air vent in the kitchen? “I think the damp is starting to affect our health because I have trouble breathing and my 17-year-old son is also having chest pains and breathing difficulties. “While I can’t say for sure that it’s related to the problem, there’s no question that the level of dampness in our kitchen is not good for our health.” A spokesperson for Dublin City Council said that three separate inspections were carried out to examine the problem in Ms Burke’s accommodation. “The tenant was advised on each occasion that the problem was not damp but condensation and was advised to uncover the vents to allow proper air circulation in the kitchen,” she told Northside People. “This tenant is also currently on the transfer list with low points and would not be eligible for an offer of accommodation. “The tenant has previously sent in medical details which were assessed by the Chief Medical Officer who decides if medical priority for a transfer is warranted. No priority was awarded on the basis of the documentation submitted. “The tenant should send in an up-to-date medical submission which clearly outlines from her health professionals how her current accommodation is not suitable for her medically.” The spokesperson added: “Any further submission can then be referred to the Medical Referee for assessment.”