Landlord appalled at horror house that was home to children
A landlord whose family’s rental property in Richmond was turned into a ‘‘filth pile’’ by its tenants has questioned why Child, Youth and Family didn’t intervene to protect the children living there.
Nelson woman Sinead Ogilvie called CYF concerned about the nine-year-old boy and six-year-old girl’s wellbeing when she saw dogs living in their own excrement in the backyard.
She only discovered the true extent of the family’s situation on Tuesday when they moved out of the house owing 10 weeks’ rent.
‘‘The smell was just awful,’’ she said.
Faeces were smeared on the floor and walls. A pair of children’s pyjamas in the hallway had ‘‘mouldy poo’’ in them. Soiled nappies crawled with maggots. Masses of urine-soaked clothes sat on the laundry floor.
Drug paraphernalia was found in the cupboards alongside kids’ clothes and toys. Outside, more than 100 rubbish bags spilled over the pavement. The yard was flooded with sewage from a backed-up toilet.
Ogilvie had to rip up the carpets and plans to test the house for methamphetamine contamination. Another concerned family member also asked the tenants to clean up but was unaware how unsanitary their living conditions truly were.
‘‘The only reason he let them stay was because he felt sorry for the two kids.’’ When Ogilvie contacted CYF she was told the family’s situation didn’t require urgent attention because their environment ‘‘wasn’t life threatening’’.
‘‘I said [to CYF] I would never forgive myself if something happened to those kids and their health.’’
She later found children’s medications in the house.
‘‘How many times will we ignore the warning signs? How many times does this escalate before it’s too late?’’
CYF operations manager upper south Helen Aiken said the agency took Ogilvie’s concerns seriously and were already involved with the family. It was working with other agencies to ‘‘assess the children’s needs and find a solution to the issues they face,’’ she said.
‘‘The children’s welfare is the first and paramount consideration.’’
The grandmother of one of the children said she called CYF several times over the last two years worried about the impact of a dirty home and string of violent boyfriends on her grandchild but said she was ‘‘fobbed off’’.
‘‘They said my concerns were not high priority and not abuse ... Those kids should not be living like that.’’
After battling with the children’s mother, the grandmother said she finally cut ties.
‘‘I gave and gave to make their lives nicer, sheets and blankets for the kids, but where are they now? Rotting in a skip.