Kayleigh is now facing eviction and on the verge of becoming homeless
A woman who says she was hospitalised with pneumonia after years of living in a house filled with damp, mould and uninhabitable bedrooms is now facing eviction and on the verge of becoming homeless.
Kayleigh Ryan moved into a privately rented property in Sarah’s Croft in Netherton near Bootle with her young daughter in 2015. She said barely any repairs have been made to the property in that time, allowing damp and mould to spread throughout the whole house.
She said the property’s two bedrooms are now uninhabitable and dangerous. The ceiling in the master bedroom is at risk of imminent collapse, with further leaks coming into the bedrooms representing significant health hazards for Kayleigh.
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The tenants said the garden of the property is also in a state of serious disrepair because of falling decking and fencing. Their boiler has also been out of use for 12 months, leaving them forced to use kettles for hot baths.
Kayleigh said the conditions inside the house have have had a serious impact on her health. The 38-year-old already suffers from asthma which she says has been exacerbated due to the mould and has caused significant respiratory issues.
The lack of hot water has prevented her and her partner from warming the house. Kayleigh claims all of this has led to frequent colds and hospitalisations due to recurring bouts of pneumonia, coupled with major stress, anxiety and depression.
Kayleigh said: “I’ve been really stressed and my health is affected. I have asthma and have been admitted at least five times to hospital with pneumonia. I’m worried about my bedroom ceiling falling in on me.
“If it does, we’ll have to sleep on a mattress in the living room, as my daughter’s room is covered with black mould and uninhabitable. We have loose roof tiles, which leak onto the bedroom, destroying all our clothes and brand new carpets. There’s a crack in the ceiling as well.
“I am too scared to sleep in my bedroom because I am worried the ceiling will collapse. We have pigeons living in the roof because the tiles have fallen off and exposed it. I have had two floods in my living room because of leaks. It is a nightmare.”
She added: “Two-three months after I moved in with my daughter, the toilet was leaking and the repair man told me to turn the toilet off with a knife and flush it with a bucket. The last 10 years I’ve been here, they’ve only come out for the toilet, boiler, and patio when we had no doors. My boiler has been condemned since Christmas 2023.
“We’ve had to wash in the bath, because we have no hot water coming though any of the taps. I don’t feel like we’ve had any help and me and my partner are both suffering with bad depression and anxiety. Some days we don’t even get out of our bedroom, because everywhere is so cold.”
Kayleigh was issued with an eviction notice in September, giving her until November 24 to move out. While she would like to find a new property, she said she has not been given enough time to find somewhere to live and she and her partner are now facing being kicked out to live in a homeless shelter or hostel.
Kayleigh, who is fighting the eviction notice with the help of the Acorn housing union, said: “We are trying to find somewhere to live but it’s hard to even get a viewing, let alone find a place. We just need enough time to find somewhere to live, we are not bothered as long as it is safe and secure. Right now we are terrified about being made homeless and having to live in a hostel or a shelter. I thought this was going to be my forever home, but its turned into a nightmare.”
The property is privately owned by is managed by Purple Bricks as a letting agent. Acorn said it has been difficult to ascertain the identity of the landlord because the original tenancy agreement was signed with another letting agent.
In response, a Purplebricks spokesperson the company was sorry to learn of the issues raised about the rental property, adding: “We take the condition of our properties seriously and are committed to ensuring they are safe and habitable for our tenants. In this specific case, historical communications issues meant we were not alerted to some concerns as quickly as we would have liked. We have now spoken to the tenant and have taken swift action to rectify any outstanding issues.”
