Cardiff student told by doctor to move out of mouldy uni house after she was hospitalised

A Cardiff University student has been told to move out of her student home in Cathays by a GP after the doctor said the mould in the house could be causing her ongoing health issues.

Sophia, who is currently studying for her Master’s degree, rang 111 after suffering from breathing problems and was eventually admitted to Cardiff Royal Infirmary.

The cultural and creative industries student was advised by the doctor to not return to the property due to her health concerns leaving her seeking damages from the property manager.

Sophia moved into her student home in Cathays in September which was later than her housemates due to her Master’s course starting later in the year and immediately noticed damp in her room, shortly after mould began to grow.

She told The Tab Cardiff: “When I moved in it smelt damp but I didn’t think much of it as no one had been there for three months.

“Then I noticed a bit of mould on the wall so I treated it myself, however it got worse and spread all over my clothes and all around my room.”

The mould eventually spread to such an extent that her housemate was left sleeping on a “wet mattress”, mushrooms began growing from the ceiling of the house, although these have now been removed, and “the gutters had literal trees growing out of them.”

Sophia claims that the property manager, Kingstons, sent out a contractor to look at the mould but a report or update is still yet to be given to the tenants.

It was then that Sophia and her housemates began suffering from poor health, with one tenant reporting a rash, another a chest infection whilst Sophia herself began experiencing breathing problems.

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“[The mould] led to me being admitted to Cardiff Royal Infirmary by 111 where a GP told told me the mould and damp has been so bad for my health and caused a lot of issues which I am awaiting further tests for.

“He has advised I don’t return to the property or live there as it could cause more issues,” Sophia told The Tab Cardiff.

Exasperated with the handling of the issues by Kingstons, Sophia and her housemates got in touch with the previous tenants of the property who allegedly had experienced similar problems. The previous tenants said they raised the mould and damp issues with Kingstons in October last year but claim they were completely ignored.

The current tenants have also contacted the agency due to various other issues regarding the property over their tenancy including a broken front door, broken bath panels and windows that didn’t shut but claim Kingstons took almost three months to reply to fix the problem.

The Tab Cardiff has contacted Kingstons Residential for comment but received no reply by time of publication. 

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