Delacombe mum invites minister to live in rotting, mouldy home

And the Victorian Public Tenants Association says her story is part of a trend.

Lisa Tester's dehumidifier is picking up seven litres of water a day - and some of the walls of her 1980s brick-veneer home are caving in as the framework deteriorates.

On top of that husband, Andrew has a lung disease and she is caring for three children aged 23,13 and six with autism. Another child aged 11 has Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes - and an eight-year-old girl has asthma, which she said was worsened by the constant damp.

"I would like to invite the Minister for Housing to live in my home," Mrs Tester said.

"My question is: Would he (Colin Brooks) put up with this?"

The VPTA said it had advocated for 500 social housing applicants so far this year - and with six weeks to go until the end of the financial year, their workload had jumped by 75 per cent.

"Almost one-third of these issues have been about maintenance, so it's an issue we're very familiar with," chief Katelyn Butterss said.

"Across Victoria we are aware that there've been delays in accessing maintenance, as well as complaints about the quality of work some contractors are delivering - and a lack of respect in dealing with renters.

"(Tuesday's state) budget reported a substantial drop in renter satisfaction with the quality of non-urgent maintenance works.

"Housing is a human right, and all Victorians deserve to live with dignity in a home that is safe, secure and affordable.

"Our homes should not be making us sick, or exacerbating other illnesses."

Ms Butterss said mould complaints increased as the temperature dropped.

"The presence of mould can have very serious impacts on the health of the people living in a home if it's not dealt with appropriately," she said.

Meanwhile, Mrs Tester said her family did not know the severity of the problem until mouldy carpet was removed last Friday.

"The carpet tack strips had rotted away and the underlay was mouldy," she said, holding back tears.

"The bottoms of some of the plaster walls have developed holes from the damp and the interior of the walls is covered with mould. The timber framework has also been eaten by termites and has just disintegrated with all the water."

Mrs Tester said on cold mornings she woke up to hear the drip of water inside the home from her aluminium frame windows.

Mould-proof paint, bleach and cleaning products have also been ineffective, long-term.

"Housing Victoria just tells me to turn the fan on or open all the windows and doors," Mrs Tester said.

"I've tried all that.

"This is something much worse.

"I can't leave all the doors open when I have children with autism. They run away."

The door-handle of the master bedroom has been removed and she said this was to keep snacks hidden from the child with diabetes and the others with autism.

The shower had recently been replaced, but a leak in the wall has taken its toll.

"We called Housing Victoria about urgently getting a plumber, but it took three weeks," Mrs Tester claimed.

"One guy who came suggested fixing the problem with silicone; another just wanted to put boards over the holes - but the whole structure is affected."

Mrs Tester said the framework under the bathtub was also becoming unsafe.

"The bath moves when we use it," she said.

"We can't even hang pictures on some of the walls because we're worried the hooks will come out of the damp (plaster) wall and the glass will shatter.

"This house is just uninhabitable."

The Delacombe home smells damp and feels sweaty - and while it is crowded, items are colour-coded and stored in tubs and shelves where there is a Bible open to the book of Psalms.

"We always pay our rent and our bills. I don't smoke or drink. We don't do drugs," Mrs Tester said.

"I'm trying to do the best for my kids. When you're a parent, the kids are your priority. My needs are not as important. I'm happy to just have a piece of toast.

"I just want the world to realise that we need to be listened to and we want these properties to be taken care of."

Mrs Tester said she had stayed at the same home for eight years to create routine for the children and stable schooling.

"The strain of all this is really affecting me," she said. "I can't take it anymore."

This week alone the time-poor mum took her family to nine medical appointments.

"Just because we live in public housing, stop treating us like crap - especially when we are fighting so many health issues. We are human beings."

A spokesperson from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing said that under legislation, any urgent repairs, including the removal of mould, were to be assessed and remedied as soon as possible.

"We are following up with contractors on all outstanding work," they said.

"An inspection will also be scheduled to determine the extent of any termite damage present and the required action.

"We know how serious the effects of water damage can be and are working to address all related maintenance issues as quickly as possible."

Mrs Tester said every room of the slab-foundation home was affected by damp in some way.

Taking away the carpet in her son's room had also revealed crumbling cracks in the slab - the kind of damage you would expect from a semi-trailer.

"I suspect those cracks were there from day one, but what on earth caused it? And what other problems do we have hiding in this house?" Mrs Tester said.

"It needs a thorough engineer's report - the sort of thing you get when you buy a house."

The single-storey home has rusted gutters and sits on poorly-drained soil at a low point in the street.

Mrs Tester said she was sick of throwing out good clothes, shoes, beds and mattresses that had become infested with mildew.

"The department puts in new Holland blinds each year but it doesn't solve the problem with the damp and they get replaced over and over," she said.

"I can't believe they waste so much money.

"I'm trying to save the department some money by telling them all this stuff early - and it just doesn't get done."

Mrs Tester said she felt like she had been branded a serial pest for bringing up issues with the department - and was being given unrealistic advice.

"They put in split-system heaters and told us to keep them on most of the time, but I just can't afford to do that," she said, again holding back tears.

"Heating costs so much."

She said she knew of other social housing tenants in Ballarat leaving homes in similar condition.

"Any work that needs to be done on these homes seems to be done with the cheapest and quickest solution. That's not always the answer. You need to fix the source of the problem."

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