My house is infested with woodlice & covered in mould – I can’t let the kids play in our garden because of dirty needles
A MUM of two claims her home is hell after being infested with wood lice and covered in mould.
Chanelle Parker, 22, has had non-stop problems at her home in Teesside and slammed the conditions as "disgusting".
The mum, who moved in in 2019, is now desperate to move out of the housing association property in Skelton, North Yorks.
As well mould and creepy crawlies, Chanelle has also put up with drug-using and fly tipping neighbors, she told.
She claimed local drug users throw used syringes over her garden fence, stopping her from being able to cut her grass and her children from playing outside.
"The kids can't even play out in the back garden in case there's dirty needles, it's disgusting.
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"People in the street are always setting fires and smoking cannabis too, which gives off an awful smell and can really affect my three-year-old, who has asthma."
The Teesside mum also complained over local kids pulling apart her garden fence and locals fly-tipping in the garden, adding "it's just not a good home for me and my kids to live in."
Inside the home, Chanelle has had trouble finding help for the damp and mould problem - as she said maintenance workers told her to just "paint over it."
Claiming that "nothing has been done to help" with the house since it became overran with mould and woodlouse, the mum of two said: "I noticed damp on the walls when I moved in and reported it to Beyond Housing, but maintenance workers just told me to put bleach over it or paint over it, which hasn't helped at all."
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A spokesperson for Beyond Housing has said the company are "working closely with Ms Parker to quickly address any immediate concerns about her property and to support her in her tenancy."
Chanelle is just one of 1.9million renters battling their landlord against homes which pose a serious risk to their health and safety, according to research from charity Shelter.
It estimates 26% of all renters are affected by damp and mould.
Poor housing conditions are most commonly found in the North of England and the Midlands, according to latest government figures.
Around 34% of private rented homes are classed as "non-decent", compared to 17% in the South East.
What your rights are
If your home is not fit to live in, or is mouldy, you can take action against your landlord.
Renters might be able to
It means renters in England and Wales can now take their landlords to court over problems including cold, damp and mouldy homes.
The rules apply to new tenancies under seven years; new secure, assured and introductory tenancies; and to tenancies renewed for a fixed term.
Landlords must carry out repairs or fix problems under this law. If they don’t, renters can take them to court.
If the court rules in your favour, it can grant an injunction to force the landlord to carry out work or even award compensation to the tenant.
How much compensation you get for housing disrepair depends on your circumstances and how bad the problem is.
A completely uninhabitable property could get 100% of rent as compensation, but this is incredibly rare.
Usually, compensation will normally be between 25% and 50% of your rent, according to legal experts.
