'This is not humane': Luqa home plagued by mould years after purchase

A man who bought a maisonette in Luqa in 2018 says he has been battling damp walls and mould ever since moving in five years ago.

Christian Bonnici told Times of Malta he had grown increasingly frustrated after buying his home at Polidano Group’s Cape Residences, saying it has been plagued by a recurring problem that he believes has affected his health.

Bonnici bought the two-bedroom maisonette in shell form, along with a garage, in 2018 for €190,000. He said he spent an additional €50,000 on finishing works and furniture before officially moving in at the end of 2020.

Two months after moving in, he noticed patches on the walls where paint and plaster were peeling. At first, he did not think much of it, but the problem soon spread across the entire internal perimeter of the apartment.

“Mould began emerging – there were brown patches,” he said. “I never used to get sick, but ever since I’ve been living here, I’ve been falling ill more often, probably because of the poor air quality.”

Photos of Christian Bonnici’s damp walls in 2023.

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Bonnici said Polidano told him the issue was plumbing-related and had been resolved, and that repairs on Bonnici’s flat would be carried out after the walls dried.

After nearly two years, e-mails show that Polidano carried out intervention works in September 2022, “plastering and painting” the maisonette and repairing “door jambs, which had become rotten due to humidity caused by water ingress”.

Repairs to no avail

Despite this, the problem resurfaced just three months later. In December 2022, Bonnici wrote to Polidano: “Plaster is falling once again roughly three months after it was redone, and there is mould in most places. This is not a humane way of living.”

Further repairs were carried out in April 2023, Bonnici said, but a month later he e-mailed Polidano photographs showing cracks had reappeared in the walls. He later sent a letter to Polidano, stating that after living with what he considers a “health hazard,” he was seeking either reimbursement or relocation.

Bonnici said Polidano offered to move him to a one-bedroom apartment with a balcony within the same complex. Bonnici rejected the proposal, noting that his current property is a two-bedroom apartment with a yard.

Photos taken in February show that the issue is emerging again months after repair works were carried out by Christian Bonnici: Photos: Matthew Mirabelli

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Several meetings followed between Bonnici, his lawyer, and Polidano to negotiate a buy-back price. Bonnici asked for €205,000, ready to move out immediately, while Polidano offered €180,000.

No resolution was reached, so Bonnici continues to reside at the premises, carrying out constant repairs.

“Every year, I end up having to fix it. I have to spend a week where I cannot use my bed, kitchen or sofa because everything is covered in plastic,” he said.

“I just have accepted that I must continue living like this. I have nowhere else to go. I spent all this money on this place for nothing,” he said.

Ever since I’ve been living here, I’ve been falling ill more often

In response to questions sent by Times of Malta, Polidano noted how water leakage problems can be notoriously difficult to identify and resolve.

“When Polidano became aware of the issues affecting Mr Bonnici, as a responsible developer it sought to resolve the problems related to his apartment,” the company said.

Polidano confirmed that Bonnici asked for €205,000 but added this was on the “condition that he was permitted to inhabit the property – which he had been complaining about – for another year”.

The company said it has not heard back from him since 2024 and remains “open to finding an amicable solution”.