Open letter from a Dalmarnock Village resident

I am writing as a resident of Dalmarnock Village in Glasgow, to share my family’s experience of living in social housing here. This is not an attempt to speak for everyone, and we are by far not dealing with the worst of it within this area. It is simply our experience.

I have lived in Dalmarnock Village since these homes were opened to long-term tenants in February 2015. Over the years, I have repeatedly encountered a culture of victim-blaming, where serious housing failures are dismissed as so-called ‘lifestyle issues’ rather than being addressed as structural, maintenance, or build-quality problems.

Before moving here, I lived in a four-in-a-block home that flooded due to negligence by the same housing association I currently rent from. An elderly tenant above me was moved into sheltered care without my knowledge during the winter of 2010–2011, when temperatures dropped to -15 degrees Celsius. Their water tank burst, my roof collapsed, and I lost everything. Myself and my two young children, one with additional support needs (ASN), were forced to leave the property. We were later told to move back in once it had ‘dried out’, despite visible black mould growing through the walls. It was only after a very severe incident, which made the house physically unsafe to live in, that we were rehoused. 

Almost immediately after moving into my current home in Dalmarnock Village, the problems began again. We have experienced repeated flooding, black mould, subsidence, rotting windows and doors, sewage issues, and persistent rodents across the neighbourhood. None of these issues can reasonably be blamed on tenants. Each was reported, yet minimal effort was made to take them seriously. Instead, responsibility was pushed back onto residents who were already struggling to live safely in poor conditions.

We were told to wipe our walls down after every prepared meal, to leave bathroom doors open while showering — the list goes on — but this advice is not what you would expect when living normally, hygienically, and with a fair level of privacy in a household.

Just one month after moving in, we experienced a major flood caused by poorly designed windows — an issue widespread across the development.

Between tenants and owners, we have been passed from pillar to post. The housing association claimed to bear no responsibility, as this was ‘apparently’ a builder’s issue, and we were told to take it up with them. After numerous emails and zero response, some of us tried to rectify this ourselves. More than ten years on, those windows are now decaying and still allowing significant water ingress, if not complete structural failure. Yet this has been the least of our issues during our time here.

We have also endured multiple serious plumbing failures, two of which were devastating. Water leaked from the top floor to the bottom, destroying everything in its path. The housing association provided dehumidifiers at my own expense After complaining, I received a £50 energy voucher. Given that these ran for almost three weeks each time, this barely covered two days’ worth of electricity. These floods were caused by poor-quality materials not fit for long-term use, even though the builders received Scottish Government funding for permanent fixtures.

Black mould has been a constant issue. I was advised by the landlord to ‘bleach it’ and call back if it returned. When it did, oil-based paint was applied, which failed. I eventually paid for specialist treatments myself because the risk to my children’s and my own health was too great. The mental, physical, and financial cost has been enormous, and there has never been a proper resolution. Like many others in the village, we were simply ignored.

Repairs that were eventually carried out were often substandard. After five years, leaks remain in the same areas. I later discovered that complaints had been withheld from senior management. Recently, mould appeared again in a high-traffic living area, which I treated myself because previous attempts to resolve it through the landlord failed. If anything, our so-called ‘lifestyle issues’ have prevented these hazards from becoming even worse.

For clarity, our ‘lifestyle’ includes a clean, well-heated, well-ventilated home. We do not smoke or drink. We do not live in squalor. Our home is our sanctuary, especially for children with ASN who already face enough barriers elsewhere.

Despite this, both my children and I have developed lung conditions following prolonged exposure to damp and mould, alongside serious mental health impacts. This is the reality for many tenants living in homes that are unsafe through no fault of their own.

The only reason many of us continue to fight is because of the support provided by Bridgeton Citizens Advice and the Dalmarnock Village Housing Campaign. They have helped ensure these issues are recognised as land, maintenance, and build-quality failures, rather than individual blame. Without this support, many residents would have given up entirely.

This letter is still only a brief account of what we have experienced. But it stands as a challenge to the narrative that tenants are to blame for conditions created by neglect, poor construction, and systemic failure.