Residents on a Bermondsey Estate say they have been plagued by mould ever since Southwark Council installed new windows as part of a £1.3 million refurbishment.
Tenants and leaseholders on the Kirby Estate claim the windows, fitted in 2020, have created draughts that cause black fungal growth.
After years of fighting for a review of the installation, residents have finally convinced Southwark Council to reinspect the works.
However, while the council accepts there could be issues “relating to the quality” of window fittings, it said there’s no evidence they’re causing the damp and mould.
Reacting to news of an imminent window re-inspection, Marta Prieto, a member of the Kirby’s Tenants’ and Residents’ Association (TRA), said residents were “thankful”.
Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Rachel Bentley said news of a re-inspection was “a huge win for the community”.
But she added that the council should be “ashamed that it took this long to recognise the scale of the problem”.
The council installed new windows in almost all of the Kirby Estate’s 118 flats, via a contractor, in 2020.
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The estate – which is famous for covering itself in England flags during international football tournaments – received the funding through the council’s Quality Homes Investment Programme (QHIP).
QHIP is an ongoing project bringing Southwark’s council homes up to standard through repairs.
But according to Marta, the contractor installed the windows incorrectly.
“They ordered one-size-fits-all windows instead of measuring each gap individually,” she claimed. “But the Kirby Estate is 100 years old so no two gaps are the same.”
Southwark Council has disputed this, saying the windows were measured.
According to the TRA, every single flat which had its windows replaced suffers severe damp and mould every winter.
At Council Assembly on July 12, Marta told councillors: “Winter is only five months away. It’s not fair that our residents, that include babies, elderly residents, and people with vulnerable pre-existing conditions, have to choose between being warm or being able to breathe.”
Kirby Estate resident Sarah Dollard said: “Don’t get me wrong, we had mould before but it got a lot worse when the windows came in so it’s definitely got something to do with the windows.”
In 2020, a contractor authorised by FENSA – the regulatory body for window fittings – approved the installation.
But in 2022, an inspection by International Glass Associates found various problems with the windows, including locks not engaging, missing fixings and sashes not fitting frames.
It also identified damp and mould issues but blamed tenants. It found that some residents’ rooms were “ extremely cluttered” and another had put their “bed against the window”.
Southwark Council maintains that residents were complaining about damp and mould before the new windows were fitted in 2020.
At Council Assembly earlier this month, Southwark Council housing boss Darren Merrill said: “I am pleased to announce that building control are doing an inspection on your estate and I’m expecting the report at the end of July…beginning of August.
“Once we’ve got those recommendations brought forward for remedial works to be done, we will obviously come to your TRA, have that discussion with you, and obviously hold the contractor to account and make sure those works are done.”
North Bermondsey Liberal Democrat Councillor Rachel Bentley said: “Kirby Estate residents should be proud of the courage and resilience they have shown in pressuring the council to take responsibility for their negligence and oversight. I’m so pleased to have been able to support them through this process.
“This is a huge win for the community and shows what happens when local people come together.
“Southwark Labour should be ashamed that it took this long to recognise the scale of the problem, and should be prepared to restore trust that has been totally eroded by this ordeal.”