Do I have a case to claim compensation from my former landlord, for failure to maintain their property, thereby subjecting us to living in damp mould infested conditions that affected my health, finally putting me in hospital?
Would a "No Win No Fee," solicitor take this on?
No not lifestyle. Rising damp, rotted skirting boards, damp smells from behind kitchen unit where a brand new unit had been fitted against a soaking wet wall. All reported. Told they had no money to fix. All photographed.
Damp can be caused by lots of things. Usually broken pipes or damaged external walls and roofs. I think lifestyle very rarely affects a house to that extent.
You'd be surprised. A friend let her perfectly dry flat out to two girls. Three months later there was black mould all over the bedrooms, hallway and living room walls. They seemed to have the washing machine on 24/7 and all the windows closed, no air flow. Cured by a dehumidifier and a couple of weeks with the windows open. Simplified but you get my drift.
Granted, ladybirder. I suppose I’m a bit biased from having been in the situation Theland is in, and through my own house now currently being a mass of mould from dodgy plumbing.
I know somewone who went the no win no fee route over her husband's death. In the end she did win and won fairly big BUT she said that she would say to anyone thinking of doing it that you have to regard it as starting a new hobby. There will be a lot that you have to do, there will be time limits for getting stuff done, appointments that you have to attend and so on. She reckoned it took over quite a lot of her life for 2 years. She said that it had been worth it, not just for the money, but she wished she had known at the beginning how much work she would have to do.....and she is a sharp cookie who had support from close family members.
No it wont "cure" the health issues.
May well help living and coping with the symptoms though, medication, specialist care, transport, nursing, cleaning, gardening, etc. etc.