A woman and her partner in High Wycombe have waited for mould repairs, and watched as their furniture was destroyed by mildew. 

Tina Burvill and her partner- who has arthritis and pleurisy - live in their rental home on Temple End, High Wycombe owned by L&Q, one of the largest housing associations in England.

For the past two years, they have fought off mould in the property, but the fight seems like a lost cause, as the mildew spread to their furniture.

Tina said: “We lost a sofa, a wardrobe, a carpet.

READ MORE: Marlow crash: Motorcyclist suffers life-changing injury

“We’ve used everything – mould resistant paint, bleach and scrubbed it off.

“But within a week the mould is back.”

Bleach makes her partners lung issues worse, Tina said.

Bucks Free Press: Mould in the bedroom window (left) and around the living room door. Mould in the bedroom window (left) and around the living room door.

“I’ve rung L&Q so many times over last two years, and get told every time to keep door and windows open, and put towels on floor by patio windows to try keep damp away.

“It's disgusting the way L&Q know that the main tenant has arthritis and pleurisy but she's made worse by the damp." 

Tina has also tried to get Bucks Council to move them out of their mould riddled home to more suitable accommodation.

To try banish the mould, the housing association told Tina and her partner to keep their windows and doors open.

Tina said: “I haven’t got money to keep putting into.

“It’s hard enough with the rising costs let alone paying for mould.

“They say open your doors and windows, but that’s expensive with the electricity and heating going up.

“Their response was “that’s not our problem”." 

She reportedly alerted L&Q about the mould six months ago, and was told a surveyor would come in 20 working days.

L&Q said the mould and damp was first reported to them on April 6 and "this was passed straight to our Healthy Homes contractors, who assess and treat the root cause of mould and damp" and who will arrange an appointment with Tina. 

An L&Q spokesperson said: “In the meantime, we’ve arranged to visit the property next week, to carry out an inspection and any remedial works required.

Bucks Free Press: A mould covered floor and carpet. A mould covered floor and carpet.

“We’re sorry that the resident has mould in her home. The safety and welfare of residents is very important to us.

READ MORE: Slough men fined for fly-tipping in Crow Piece Lane in Burnham

This isn’t the first time there are health and safety concerns at the Temple End property. 

In 2020, Bucks Free Press told about a collapsed retainer wall in Temple End.

After the buckled wall was found unsafe, Tina, her partner and tenants of two other flats were evacuated to a hotel temporarily.

While L&Q said they have put “robust security fencing and warnings signs along the length of the wall” after it collapsed, to this date no repair works have been done, Tina said.

Tina said: “Work was meant to start in February.

“All they have done is to put scaffolding up, and the bolts from the scaffolding keep coming lose.”

“It will take a death for L&Q to take things seriously, because they're the worst landlord to be with.”

The L&Q spokesperson commented: “Work to repair the wall will start in the summer. We’re sorry this has taken so long, but the pandemic led to delays establishing ownership of the wall.

 “We now know it is our responsibility, so specialist engineers are preparing a specification of works to fix this permanently.

"The wall has been made safe in the meantime.”