Darlington mum had 18 months of "hell" living in mouldy home

Melissa Briggs, her husband James and their four children moved into the rented home in Clifton Road in May last year. 

But after just four weeks they were plagued with problems as rain poured through windows “like taking a shower” and walls became ridden with damp and mould. 

After months of battling with letting agents and landlords to repair the damp, they claim their daughter was struck down with pneumonia due to the awful conditions in the house.

And after they were advised to stop paying their rent, they were issued with an eviction notice and ordered to leave the home.

James, 46, described how it had been a "non-stop nightmare" with water leaking into the kitchen through the ceiling and mould growing everywhere in the house.

He said: "About four weeks after we moved in it rained for the first time.

"I realised that the windows were leaking and there was water going everywhere. It wasn't even raining very hard.

"It was like stepping into a shower and going near the windows when it was coming down a lot. It was that bad. It's been hell."

They reported the problem to their letting agent and landlord throughout the following months and despite a handyman visiting, there were no permanent fixes.

In November 2023, their youngest daughter Sofia, aged three, was hospitalised with pneumonia for nearly two weeks until she had to return to the mouldy property.

Melissa described the stress and worry of the experience and said that "it was touch and go" at one stage whether Sofia would pull through.

(Image: Melissa Ann) (Image: Melissa Ann) She said: "The pictures show how bad she was. 

"She was struggling to maintain her oxygen and at one point it was really touch and go. She was in hospital for nearly two weeks.

"The damp and the mould affected all of our health."

One month later, Melissa had the awful experience of finding a lump on her groin.

In January the family were served a Section 21 eviction notice that told them they had to leave by March 12. 

Darlington Borough Council advised them not to leave the property as it would make them deliberately homeless.

James recalled how there was "nothing they could do" to stop the eviction order on top of all of the other problems they were facing.

(Image: Melissa Ann) In February, things went from bad to worse, Melissa was diagnosed with Lymphoma (blood cancer) and still nothing was being fixed in the damp and mouldy home.

She is now having regular blood scans and awaits the date of her surgery.

The family had to endure the stress of the courts process following their eviction notice and in August they were again told that they had 42 days to leave the property.

James took to social media to vent his frustration with their nightmarish situation and caught the attention of a local councillor who managed to find them emergency accommodation.

On Tuesday, November 26, the bailiffs were sent to Clifton Road to make sure the family had left the property.

When asked why they did not choose to leave the property Melissa explained how they were locked into a one-year tenancy and after paying a six month deposit could not afford it.

She said: "We were in a tenancy for one year and we didn’t have the funds to move as he took everything by wanting six months rent upfront.

"We had no savings and literally living month by month."

(Image: Stuart Boulton) They have now been placed in temporary accommodation in Darlington which they are "incredibly grateful" for.

The family are hoping to move into a council home soon and for the nightmare to end.

The property was managed by Bridgfords letting agents, acting on behalf of the landlord, who say they "worked hard" to remedy the situation.

A spokesperson said: "We took action as soon as the issue was reported and actively liaised with the tenant on behalf of the landlord to arrange remedial works.

"As an agent, we act on behalf of the landlord, the repairs were delayed on several occasions and we worked hard with all parties to remedy the issue."

(Image: Stuart Boulton) A Darlington Borough Council spokesperson said: "If tenants of a private sector house have concerns about the condition of their home they should collect evidence and inform the landlord, and allow access for any repairs. If a landlord takes no action they can report this to the council's private-sector housing team.

“There is more advice and information available online for tenants in private rented accommodation, and for landlords, including how to deal with mould and condensation.

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"If you are being evicted or you are worried that you might become homeless, contact our housing options team as soon as possible on 01325 405333.

"We will arrange an appointment, or you can call in to the Town Hall if you are homeless tonight.  Full details can be found on our website, visit www.darlington.gov.uk/homelesness then click on ‘Threatened with homelessness’. 

"We acknowledge that there are many national issues relating to housing and Darlington is unfortunately no exception. The government is bringing no fault evictions to an end and is seeking ways to improve private sector housing and build more social housing. 

“Locally we are working with private landlords to improve standards, and we are working on a range of initiatives to address the wider housing situation, including building more council homes.”