Mum's anger over 'faulty' house

Russell Steele • Published 26 Jun 2009 14:00

A SINGLE mum has accused River Clyde Homes of allocating her a flat which is not ready to live in.

Diane Tipping, 28, was given a tenancy in Mackie Avenue, Port Glasgow, in May - but claims it is riddled with a string of faults, including unsafe electrical sockets and exposed piping.

The mum-of-one says the property is not up to scratch and believes her complaints have not been properly dealt with.

River Clyde Homes today said it "recognised some remedial works are required" - but said there was no damp in the house.

Ms Tipping said: 'It"s an absolute mess and I want to know who passed the house as ready.

'I have uneven walls and bare pipes in the bathroom needing boxed in. There are damp marks and bubbling on the ceiling, which I have painted four times and it still shows through. I took a kitchen drawer out and found bare wires down the back.'

Councillor Jim Grieve, a tenants" campaigner for 25 years, is backing Ms Tipping.

Mr Grieve said: 'The house is not ready. The living room has been painted several times and marks are still visible. There are pipes sticking out of the walls and big spaces between electrical sockets in the kitchen.

'It falls badly short and these things should all have been fixed while the house was empty. I want to see the house brought up to standard.'

A River Clyde Homes spokesman said: 'We are planning to replace the electrical sockets and are discussing with our contractor the possibility of removing the piping in the kitchen.

'The wiring in the kitchen is the earth wire, which needs to be accessible for testing and inspection, but is hidden safely behind a hatch.

'On other points, we have explained to Ms Tipping and the councillor there is no damp in the house. It has been surveyed twice by separate inspectors who have said the marks are from previous repairs to damp works.

'These should paint over, or could be papered and Ms Tipping was given a redecoration allowance to allow such works.'

RCH said "little could be done" about the uneven walls and bare pipes, which are from redundant gas piping.

The spokesman added: 'These are both the result of original systems installed when the houses were built. It is a common occurrence in this style of housing. Neither poses a safety hazard to the family.'

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This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 26 Jun 09

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