Fionn O’Shea, 31, has been complaining of damp at his flat in Kelvinbridge for the past eleven months — and says he has now been told to get out so his landlord’s son can move in after ‘major works’ are carried out.
NHS worker Fionn O’Shea says he has been reporting the ‘dripping wet’ wall for almost a year. (Image: Living Rent)
A Scots NHS worker could lose their home after the landlord left a wall ‘dripping wet’ for 11 months.
Fionn O’Shea has been complaining of damp at his Glasgow flat for nearly a year. The wall was painted after the landlord was notified, but the issue, thought to have been caused by a leak at the top-floor tenement flat, has persisted.
The 31-year-old says that, after he followed up on his request for repairs, he was told he would be handed an eviction notice so that the landlord could carry out ‘major works’ to improve the property’s standard before the landlord’s son moves in.
Fionn, who works to support people with mental health issues, said he assumed the leak could be quickly and easily fixed when he first found it in November 2024.
He told Glasgow Live: “My disappointment mounted as weeks went by with water seeping into the entire wall, paint bubbling and wallpaper peeling off.
“The water in the wall through the harsh winter made the room freezing and damp.
“I have severe asthma, as well as chronic joint pain, and sleeping in a room with a freezing, wet wall worsens my symptoms.
“I reported this to my letting agency, and bought a dehumidifier at my own cost to try and reduce the pervasive dampness, but the water was still coming.
“I have felt hopeless and despondent as my beautiful home became so inhospitable. I couldn’t believe I was paying over £1000 per month while this wall was making my home cold and damp.”
The letting agent for the flat, Property Bureau Bearsden, described the issue as a “work in progress”, adding that “Fionn is well aware of the situation”.
The Repairing Standard charter of the Housing (Scotland) Act of 2006, which places private landlords under a legal obligation to provide housing that is ‘wind and watertight’ and states that any issues must be fixed within a ‘reasonable time’.
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Tenant’s union Living Rent claims that the letting agent’s decision to evict the tenant punishes him for asking for liveable housing. Living Rent is demanding a 75% rent reduction for Fionn for the period the property has not been water-tight.
The landlord agreed to address a long-term rodent infestation in Fionn’s flat earlier in the year, following pressure from the tenants’ union.
Cat Scothorne, a member of Living Rent, said: “Forcing people to stay in damp housing is a choice. It’s time to hold private landlords to account for the way they ruin lives when properties are not maintained to a liveable standard.”