LadyDay, I am a housing expert. There is a difference between condensation and damp. If you are in private rented accommodation and you think you're not living in suitable conditions, then you can get your council's private sector team to come in and assess the situation. If there is a case to answer, they will serve a notice on the landlord to sort it out. This team may be located within the Housing Service or Environmental Health. You might start with these services to begin with.

In terms of rehousing by the Council, it is true to say that if you are made homeless they will have to assess your needs, however, there are other circumstances where they will consider you e.g. medical priority.

I get the bottle of wine and sharing with friends, however, there is also a place for socialising beyond the white picket fence. I love meeting new people and sharing an experience with the collective. I guess like Kunjufu aluded to, ours are more organised dances and so forth.

I went out on Saturday to a well known bar in Camden that plays old and new school roots and culture music all night (my numero uno choice of music) and for the first time in a long time I witnessed a spate of girl on girl nearly fighting over man (I think he was out with a woman and his other woman came to hold him to account). Glass and bottles flying on the bar counter and she got manhandled out of the club by the guy.

The other gripe I want to have is this. No matter what you thought of it, Night Moves was one of the earliest owned black clubs and now no sign of it - another legacy gone. Some might say good riddance but I feel it could have been successful when they moved a couple of doors down - what went wrong???

Outrageous. What ever happened to the care and duty to the mum?? I think you should get your picture done and as for banning other children from the ward whatsupwiththat?? That discriminates against the whole concept of extended familites - I have a big extended family and there was no question of our tribe getting up to the hospital to welcome the newcomer to the mad house!! People came up to pour libation and start the celebrations. Mind you, these days they want to fling you out as soon as the baby is born! When my sister-in-law gave birth in the morning, it went so well (physically) they wanted her to leave that day! No consideration for the emotional/mental needs. She came out the next day and with a first baby felt abandoned. No children born on her side and a small family. I became surrogate ante-natal advisor and that's ok but still a new mum feels so vulnerable and that wasn't catered for.

Did you get the gender of the baby in the end?

Fem

well we did have the council enviromental health come out. and they couldnt see where any leaks etc would lead to damp. the cupboards in the kitchen smell of damp and you have to re-wash stuff in the cupboards prior to use. my wooden spoons went mouldy and had to be dashed.

there was damp on the walls and they said just bleach it off etc

the letting agent has the house checked quarterly. and the lady said its damp and needs looking into. but still no. i will raise the issue with them again

im trying to find these crystal things that suck up moisture out the air to combat damp.

Another alternative is to have an independent surveyor come out and have a look. If it is affecting your personal effects (more than wooden spoons mind you!) and you have personal contents insurance, you might try raising it with your insurers (although this is a long short) and they may undertake an assessment to see if there is a case for damages. My grandmother had this rubbish and my mum took it to news at 6 (back in the day).. Hackney council then got off their backsides and rehoused her but that's how far we had to take it. You could go public like that with the name and shame, bad landlords have to be exposed and held to account. You have a new baby coming and all kinds of illnesses can be aroused as a result of damp conditions.

Go for it, your family deserves the best !

@ Ladyday

Fermergy is right you can get onto the council about the condition of private accomodation (you have legal rights and the LA's are the guardians so to speak)

Failing that find one of those Housing Rights solitictors or Charitable Housing groups.

I have taken this from the Shelter Web site

How does the HHSRS work?
If conditions in your home are bad, they could put your health at risk or cause a serious nuisance to neighbours or the public. In situations like these, the environmental health department of your local council may be able to help. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) aims to ensure that your home doesn't have any serious hazards, and enables a council to take action against landlords whose properties are dangerous.

The HHSRS assess faults in your house and how they might affect your health and safety. The HHSRS considers how likely it is that a hazard would occur and how serious the outcome would be.

The HHSRS takes lots of different potentially dangerous things into account, including:

dampness, condensation, and mould growth

Shelter: Is the place fit to live in?

BTW


Condensation causes damp eventually.

Do you use calor gas heaters?

All Nations....