'It doesn't feel like home': Crook mum of three faces damp, mould and rats in rented home

• Hanah Arshad spoke to a family in County Durham on the ongoing problems facing their home.

Mum of three, Chloe Close, has been in her rented home in Crook for nearly 5 years.

Not long after moving in, she noticed the damp growing widespread across her home.

“When it first started, it was on top of the landing. I reported it, and someone come out and looked at it – there was nothing else, no follow up, and it got progressively worse," she said.

As Ms Close showed us around her home - every single room was riddled in some form of damp and mould.

It was shocking to find that her youngest child, 5-year-old Teddy, couldn't use his room, as it was covered in damp.

"It's so bad in his room. He can’t stay in his room, he has to stay in with me. It's not ideal when he’s just gone 5.

"He wants his own room, he wants his own space, but he can’t have that yet until its sorted," she said.

Ms Close has said that the damp is so bad, that it has left her home vulnerable to another health hazard - an infestation of rats.

"The floor started to crumble, and its made it easier for rats to come in, she said.

The rats have made their way through the damp floors, and even through the furniture. Ms Close told us that her daughters are scared of sitting on the sofa, afraid that the rats are still in there.

“It’s really bad, because it doesn’t feel like home.”

“You don’t want your kids to be scared of their own house, you know frightened to go anywhere. I just want them to be comfortable," she said.

“I just don’t want my children to live like this."

The damp and mould issues have been raised to the Home Group - who manage her property.

We contacted the Home Group to find out what they are doing to resolve the problems inflicted on Ms Close's house.

Matt Pattison, Head of Maintenance North East and Yorkshire, at Home Group, said: “I’m really sorry that our customer is having such issues. We have a zero tolerance approach to damp and mould and act immediately when notified.

“In some cases, however, we are unable to resolve the issue as quickly as we’d like. In this case, for instance, over the past months we have arranged numerous visits to our customer’s home but have been unable to gain access for the majority of them to address this issue.

“Although we had access issues again last week after booking in a visit, I’m pleased to say we eventually gained access and have started the treatment for the damp and mould issue.

“We visited our customer’s home mid-July to replace some cabinets and block up a hole where a pest could have got in. We have also arranged for a contractor to carry out treatments to resolve the issue.

“We will keep in touch with our customer throughout the works to make sure the issues are resolved as quickly as possible.

“As part of our damp and mould planning we diarise visits to properties affected to assess for possible reoccurrence. Timeframes are dependent on the level of work undertaken. We will arrange a visit to our customer’s home after the works are carried out.”

Ms Close disputes claims put forward by the Home Group, telling us that there has been poor communication on their end.

“It’s just lack of communication, as in getting jobs to be finished, or letting me know they’re coming.

"I do the school run, you know in the morning and afternoon. And they do say that they come in between times, but I’m here, so I would know if they have been here.

"And the only time I haven’t been able to let them in, is when I was on my way to pick up my soon up from school, I told him, and they replied saying they would put me down as a no access."

Ms Close's step-father, Karl Hodgson, also told us that he has been trying to contact the Home Group, and has struggled to get through.

“Chloe’s not wanting the world, she just wants a decent house to live in with her three children.

“And it’s heart-breaking seeing her living like this," he said.

Mr Hodgson took the issue of the rat issue onto his own hands, contacting their local councillor, as well as the council. He believes that the rats are coming from a nearby abandoned house.

“I think it’s the council problem to resolve the rat problem. If there’s a rat infestation, where ever it might be, it’s the council responsibility to get rid of vermin," he said.

He also added that following a call from his local councillor, Anne Reed, he is yet to hear anything back.

We approached Cllr Reed for a comment, she told us that: "The property in question is privately owned and unoccupied , the owner is deceased.

"If there is a rat infestation then the executors of will / house will be informed and action would need to be taken by them."

Ted Murphy, Durham County Council’s building safety and housing standards manager, said: “Concerns were first raised to us last week when the resident booked for our pest control team to visit the home.

"As part of this week’s visit, the team will look at what is causing the issue and take appropriate action. Our empty homes team is also investigating the unoccupied property.”

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...