Couple forced to live in ‘nightmare’ house full of mould, slugs & maggots or ‘face being homeless’
A COUPLE say they are living a "nightmare that will never end" after being forced to live in a mouldy home with black water pouring from the taps.
Sophie Richardson and her partner Leighla Long say they have reached "breaking point" after being confronted with slugs that crawl into the Peterborough home every morning.
The pair were promised the issues would be fixed before they relocated from their privately-rented, female-only shared accommodation last month.
But they were met with mould in the bathroom and kitchen, a hole under the sink and rusty and black running water - and face being made homeless with no where else to go.
Slugs and maggots also fill the floor, the skirting boards have been left hanging off the wall and rainwater is flooding in.
Sophie, 27, told The Sun Online: "We feel heartbroken and manipulated.
"It's scary every morning because I wake up in the early hours and go around with the torch just to check that there aren't any slugs. They're coming in on a daily basis.
"You don't know what you're going to find, you don't know what is going to stop working, or what the next thing that's going to be an issue is."
The condition of the property is also wreaking havoc with the couple's physical and mental health as both are severely asthmatic and have been left wheezing.
They quickly contacted the letting agency, Cozy Properties, about the repairs but they have "not had a positive response so far".
'WE'RE TRAPPED'
Leighla, 26, said it felt like she was living in "a nightmare that never ended".
She said: "We don't feel safe or secure and we feel like it's a never-ending circle with this company.
"No matter how much we ask for help, they just blow us off like it's not serious.
"It's having a real knock-on effect on our mental health where it's making us feel like we don't want to live anymore."
Leighla said the couple felt "trapped" and "disheartened" over the lack of action and having to live in the hazardous home.
She said: "They wouldn't treat their family members like this so why are they leaving us like this?
"Last weekend, I was at breaking point. I went days without eating, drinking or brushing my teeth because of the mould and the disgusting water coming from the tap."
We feel heartbroken and manipulated.
Sophie Richardson
She said the company's inaction made them feel "completely disrespected and belittled".
Sophie added: "Everything has been so overwhelming.
"It has sort of given us the belief that things aren't going to get better and we're being treated like this because we're bad people and we've done bad things when we haven't."
A spokesperson for Cozy Properties said the company was investigating the problems and was working to make the place more comfortable for them.
Asif Hasham from the firm said: "I can confirm the issues highlighted are being addressed."
An engineer visited the property on July 30, but Sophie and Leighla said they feel like they are "no further than they were at the very beginning".
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A spokesperson for Peterborough City Council said: "The Housing Needs team are aware of this client's as we had supported them previously in finding accommodation at Padholme Road.
"Unfortunately, we were not involved in the arrangements between them and their landlord to move to Lincoln Road, however we were contacted soon after they moved in to highlight some issues with the property.
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"The private sector housing team have visited to undertake an inspection.
"While the property does not have any category 1 hazards present there are several issues that have been raised with the landlord, which need to be addressed and the private sector housing team will continue to engage with the landlord until the works are completed."
