Trafalgar blatantly ignores health and safety violations in rental properties!

I am living in a mould infested bedroom due to a botched plumbing job. I have been reporting the botched plumbing job to the Trafalgar maintenance manager and other Trafalgar employees since April this year. I have been repeatedly ignored.

Now this botched plumbing job has caused a water logged wall between my bedroom and the bathroom, the damp is so bad that the floor is buckling, lifting and breaking and the back of the built in cupboard is rotting away and mould grows at a rapid rate, despite me wiping it away with mould specific chemicals regularly and keeping the affected parts of the cupboard empty and ensuring the windows and cupboard doors are wide open and well ventilated all day.

I have a persistent cough that has come up in the last few weeks that is very stubborn even against antibiotics. I do not have a history of chest infections and the cough gets especially bad when I sleep in my room at night.

The maintenance managment at Trafalgar in Cape Town refuses to send a mould specialist to asses this risk to health and safely caused by their negligence.

I need a mould inspector to asses the mould this week! I have been emailing and requesting this from Trafalgar for 20 days now, since 01 September.

Instead they sent a building contractor to asses the damage caused by the damp. Trafalgar blatantly **** to me and said this contractor was a mould specialist, but the contractor told me themselves that they do not asses or test mould levels, they instead fix damage caused by leaks and damp. This is an entirely different specialization. When I brought this to the attention of the Trafalgar maintenance manager he continues to lie and insist that the contractor is a mould specialist. If this does not prove the lack of integrity and or aptitude of Trafalgar employees, then I’m not sure what does.

Upon inspection 5 days ago this damp contractor did however confirm that the floors and built in cupboard in my bedroom need to be ripped out in order to dry out the walls and floors from the water damage and leak from the bathroom. Then the cupboard and floors need to be replaced as the damage is too severe.

In 5 days since the damp contractor made his inspection (and told me it will be impossible for them to do these repairs while I live here), I have not heard back from Trafalgar as to what their plan is. Each day I continue to breath in more mould and each day we get closer to the end of the month without discussions about when or how this work will be done. Everyday that passes the flooring lifts and buckles higher and higher. There are now holes in the flooring and one trips over the uneven, broken and bucked floor which hurts ones feet as one walks in and out of the bedroom.

I have lived here for 8 years and Trafalger needs to take responsibility for relocating me as this damage and risk to health and safely is a result of their very own negligence which is in keeping with the Trafalgar mandate of incompetence and inaction.

I have found a flat that is available from 01 October but that is in 9 days and I need to urgently finalize the details and secure the premises but Trafalgar does not communicate with me so I am at risk of losing this other flat which is managed by Pam Golding.

It has been 20 days since I reported the mould buildup in the wardrobe and the buckling floors. It took 2 weeks for them to send a damp contractor. I have been waiting 5 days since the contractor was here to find out what the plan is regarding repairs. In these 20 days since I first reported the issue and continued to update Trafalgar about the severity of the problem they have still not sent a mould inspector to assess the health and safely implications.

If I need to relocate that is a huge expense but staying in these conditions could be a greater expense to my health.

However I am unable to make any decisions or finalize any plans as Trafalgar does not communicate with me.

Today on 21 September, 21 days since I have been asking Trafalgar for help with this problem and 5 months since I first reported the botched plumbing job that has caused this situation, I demand the following:

1) a mould specialist is sent to inspect these premises

2) Trafalgar finalizes what the plan is regarding fixing this solution or relocating me.

Both of these things need to happen today on 21 September! This situation cannot be put on pause any longer.

Trafalgar is not above the law and they are required by the Rental Housing Act to ensure a safe and habitable living environment for all tenants.

Trafalgar needs to stop violating the rights of their tenants and start taking health and safety violations seriously! That is after all, their job!