Newydd raise rent of Newtown, Powys family sleeping on floor

Aaron Hassall, Chloe Lloyd-Perks and their newborn son have been forced to sleep on the floor of their Newtown flat due to the severe mould in the bedroom.

This situation has been a long-running issue which meant Ms Lloyd-Perks had to sleep on the floor even when heavily pregnant – leading to severe issues with the couple’s wellbeing.

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“Because we can’t sleep on the mattress anymore because it’s mouldy, we slept on these air beds which kept deflating, now we have the sofa cushions on the floor and we have to keep swapping over,” said Ms Lloyd-Perks.

“My back is killing me. Aaron’s back is in pieces – he can’t even put the baby in the Moses basket anymore.”

“They could have fixed this when I was pregnant. The smell of damp is really bad now, we have to air the house every single morning. It leaves it so cold in here and that costs even more in heating.”

Some of the mould has been found in the water in the dehumidifier in the flat (Image: Aaron Hassall)

The couple has had many hundreds of pounds of property destroyed by the mould including their clothes as well as some of the baby’s things.

The situation is so bad neighbours have even offered a room in their homes to keep things.

However, the housing association that own the flat, Newydd, has refused to compensate them - citing their intention to move. At the same time have raised the rent on their property.

Jason Wroe, chief executive of Newydd Housing Association said: “Mr Hassell and Ms Lloyd-Perks have been through our official complaints process and our response advises that should they continue to be unhappy with the service and support we have provided, they must now contact the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales to investigate further.

The mould has destroyed much of the family's property (Image: Aaron Hassall)

“We are working continuously with Mr Hassell and Ms Lloyd-Perks and would like to reassure all involved that our focus is on improving the conditions of their home as well as providing support.”

The couple dispute this fiercely and say only limited work has been done on the property and some of it not even in the rooms that are affected by the damp. They also claim that the only financial support they have received has been from Powys County Council.

A spokesperson for Powys County Council said that they would not comment on individual cases but did say they would “investigate reports sent in by tenants of all housing landlords, including housing associations, to help make sure that landlords comply with the legislation put in place to protect people from harm.”

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The couple is now hoping the council can get them housed in a new property as soon as possible.

“It’s driving us nuts, sleeping on the floor. My back and my hips are absolutely killing me. Sometimes I wake up and I just can’t believe the situation we’re in,” said Mr Hassall.

“We’ve got our hopes up about moving in the last few weeks and every time it’s just something coming up, it’s just dragging now.”