MUM’S PLEA OVER STATE OF HOUSING EXECUTIVE HOME

Woman horrified to find property unfit to be lived in

BELFAST

A YOUNG mum has been left disgusted by the state of a property signed over to her by the Housing Executive.

Nikki Mcdowell was told the home in North Belfast was ready for occupation with her daughter Scarlett, two, and eight-month-old son Jack.

But when she turned up to clean the property in Mount Vernon, she found the boiler did not work meaning she has no heating or hot water.

The house also has:

Broken and unsecured front door Damp and dirt in several rooms Collapsed ceilings

Broken and gaping skirting boards Walls in need of rendering and plaster, and

Dog hair on almost all surfaces and faeces littering the overgrown garden.

The house was snapped up by full-time mum Nikki, whose daughter suffers from a lung condition after being born nine-weeks premature.

Jack, who was also premature, is crawling but his mum dare not let him on to the floor.

Nikki said: “I am desperate to create a nice, clean and warm home for my family and I am happy to clean and paint a property but I really don’t think I should be expected to carry out major repairs and maintenance.

“I’m to pay £330 a month and I will have to furnish it and pay the bills. But the door doesn’t even close.

“The Housing Executive knew I had two small children when they allowed me to sign for it. This could be a lovely wee home if it was in a decent state.

“My mum and I have done our best to fix it up but it’s beyond anything we can sort out.

“I’m paying rent for a house of horrors I can’t take my children into.”

Local councillor Julie-anne Corrjohnston said: “Everything was meant to be done prior to receiving the keys.

“She accepted the property in November but only received keys last week as they were meant to be doing work. But there’s not even any heating.

“NIHE maintenance telephone lines are chock-a-block with calls about new and outstanding repairs following the collapse of its contractor Carillion.

“The entire situation is really poor and falls short of an acceptable standard. This is human suffering through bureaucratic failure.”

A Housing Executive spokesman said: “We agreed to a fresh inspection to identify all repairs.

“Once these have been completed, we will proceed to agree a new start date for the tenancy.

“No rent will be paid until the commencement of the tenancy. In the meantime, the applicant has made alternative arrangements.”

YESTERDAY

STARK Exposed interior walls DISGUSTING Filth and dog hair was in every room HOVEL Plaster is peeling off the walls UNHEALTHY Damp patch on wall of North Belfast home FAULTY Broken thermostat on boiler COLD FRONT Broken boiler means no hot water...