After years of  having to put up with a ongoing rat infestation and serious disrepair in the 4 bed property we rented from a housing association we had no choice but to take matters into our own hands. We had tried all angles to get the problems sorted, we ether were ignored, or the repairs we done poorly and even put physical risks on our children. Enough was enough when our 2 year old daughter caught an eye and thumb infection from the pests and our 4 year old son at the time fell down the unsafe stairs case we recently allowed them to renew! And a newly fitted kitchen cupboard fell on my eldest son after they fitted us with a new bodge job kitchen and didn’t use the correct screws!! 

We contacted previously help from the local council with them saying “we had a roof over our heads” so they couldn’t help us. The local mp was aware ,the doctors were aware but no one could help us…We also had by now started a disrepair claim against the landlord and they now all of a sudden wanted to do the repairs most being the ones they had already messed up and still continue the over 3 year pest control program that we never got anywhere with, this caused dead rats all over our house after them taking the bait and of course breathing in rotting corpses from them dying under are floor boards it was very distressing. I even had to move my children out of there room so many times as the smell of death was overwhelming , we also lost access to our living room and bedroom on an occasion where the pests had built nests in there. They were all around the house and the garden  peeing and pooing and breeding more and more and unfortunately had been living in the walls and under the floor boards before we exchanged there, the house was a 18th century town house and was never maintained correctly so they made more holes and tunnels the problem was out of control. I also made a point of telling the landlord we have been pleading for help for years  with the infestationwith very little being done and the risks they had caused his response was you live close to a river so the rat problem not much we can do!!!! I also had made a decision they could now do the repairs they finally wanted to do to (this was only because I now had a disrepair claim on them) on  the property when we had left  and ended the tenancy as I wouldn’t risk no more further danger on my family caused by there poor workman ship in the past .

we even had a independent surveyor report which stated our landlord had breached the tenancy on 4 sections 9a 10 , 11 and section 4 of the housing act.  We were also promised a decant but this was never mentioned again.. 

After my daughters eye and thumb became infected i reaching my boiling point We was not going to put up with this anymore!! so we decided to take matters into our own hands and buy a 12 man tent and camp in a camp site out of the city  in hope someone would help our family. Anywhere was better than a risk of our children being hurt any further and even if I did allow them to do any recent  further repairs they wouldn’t of been done properly there was a past history of this  the stair case , the kitchen cupboard, the newly fitted windows that left us with exposed brickwork the new toilet they fitted that didn’t flush correctly the few repairs they had done was always poor workmanship and by now the rat infestation had worsened. 

I ended the tenancy handed them the keys we were in the tent for 2 weeks with our 5 children and even hit the national news papers. We applied as homeless to the local council in the area we were staying I also had a local connection in this area, but as I don’t have much to do with my family there was no help there.  After approaching the local council with all the evidence I possibly had they deemed us not homeless which was hard to believe. Of course I appealed this decision and not long after I received a phone call to say that they now believed we were homeless after further investigation. That same day we were put into a travel lodge for the night. The day after we put into are temporarily accommodation which was a 2 bed bungalow , of course being 7 of us it was overcrowded but anything was better than where we were before. We had been here for 4 weeks and I noticed concerning damp and mould appearing here. My youngest daughters mattress we had to throw out as  large patches of mould had appeared and spotted all over it. Yes we was grateful for a roof but a similar thing was happening again!  There was rising damp all over the place and I kept bleaching but it kept coming back. I contacted the local council here and sent them some pictures of all the damp and mould appearing in the bungalow a housing officer informed me that she was aware of the problems here as a few other people in the block had the same problem and  a inspector is due to come out next month. I also don’t believe this is good enough ! Then within a few hours I had a letter handed to me at my front door from the housing officer I complained to. This letter was our decision of homelessness, I knew something wasn’t right as usually you have a 56 day relief period when in temporary accommodation, once I opened the letter my worse fear was staring back at me. That we had made ourselves intentionally homeless , I read the letter in disbelief on how much my ex landlord had lied , how this local council hadn’t even waited for all the evidence before making this decision. We now have 5 weeks to find somewhere else to live , Of course I will appeal this decision also. As I didn’t have it in black and white my house was uninhabitable (even with the surveyor report) they had said the house was perfectly fine to have stayed in! And i voluntarily left a perfectly fine house to live in !!?  Even with photo evidence and a over 3 year pest control!! Emails I had sent the landlord begging them to help with the pests, Medical notes on how this had impacted my mental health , mps supporting letters and my solicitors emails this wasn’t good enough apparently? I keep strong for my children but mentally this has caused a impact on me. I still lay here at night thinking I can hear the pests. I wouldn’t wish what me and my family have been through on anyone.
I have told my story in hope I can reach enough signatures to stop corrupt landlords getting away with renting out properties that are not fit for humans to live in. As you noticed even this council are doing it. To much of this is happening and to many people are living in this type of situation and I believe more has to be done to stop this. Any house that is infested with pests or damp or mould or any sign of dangerous disrepair and after weeks or months or years of complaining with evidence with little being done  , the law should be , shut down these houses or be a law that it shouldn’t get to a point the tenant has no choice but to leave ! these landlords shouldn’t keep getting away with it  and the tenants shouldn’t have to worry they have made them selfs intentionally homeless by standing by what is right !! the risks this can cause on tenants and family members is scary. More should be done on approaching the council for help on homelessness in these situations.
landlords should not keep getting away with renting out unfit properties and tenants should not have to put up with it! So please take a second of your time to sign our petition today my family have already been spoken about in the house of parliament following the newspaper publication. If we can reach enough signatures our story can be heard by the people in power to change this and could possibly help thousands of people that are suffering.

I believe we can make a change and put a stop to these corrupt landlords who care for money more than there suffering tenants. 
Together we can make a change and put a stop to this once and for all. We all have a right to rent properties that are safe for our families to live in. 

Please sign and share and thank you for reading.