A MUM-of-two is sleeping on a sofa in a cramped house with her kids after she turned down a flat which she claims was dirty and unfit for her children.
Kirea Delaney, 21, said she found slime and dirt marks in the council-owned property – and claims a horrid smell made her fiancé’s family sick when they entered.
Kirea is now sleeping in a cramped living room surrounded by all their belongings[/caption]
She and fiancé Ajay Mitchell, 21, told officials it was too dirty and left the flat after originally accepting it, which meant Tunbridge Wells Borough Council no longer has to find them temporary accommodation.
But Kirea claims they were not allowed to view the property before taking it and accepted it after being sent photos which showed it to be cleaner than she found it.
Officials insist the property was clean, free from disrepair and suitable to move in.
The couple had to go to Ajay’s mum and are now sleeping on a sofa in her living room, surrounded by all their belongings.
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Daughter Bonnie-Mae, three, is sharing a bed with her aunt and seven-month-old Ajay is in his cot in the cramped house, which now has ten people living in it.
Kirea told The Sun: “It’s terrible. I’m so worried and I don’t know what to do. I’ve been crying every night.
“It wasn’t fit to put children in with all the slime on the walls and dog poo foot prints up the walls.
“I told the council I couldn’t afford to put my children in there.
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“We have two children under the age of five. We have nowhere else to go.
“If it wasn’t for Ajay’s mum we would be on the street but we can’t stay here forever.”
Ajay’s mum has five kids of her own so the house is too cramped to be a long-term solution, she added.
Kirea’s family had lived in £104-a-month Dowding House in Paddock Wood, Kent, for five months and were offered the new place after a row over pets.
Ajay wanted to keep a dog for his anxiety but it was against the rules – but Kirea said other tenants have been allowed dogs and cats to help with their mental health.
The new flat, which previously had a dog in as well, was offered to them so they could live there with their pet.
Kirea said: “My partner, his dad and brother went to the property and took the stuff.
“They were all sick from the smell. They said it must have been coming from the carpet. I thought ‘I can’t put my children in there’.”
They are staying 15 miles away in Hawkhurst, which Kirea says has significantly disrupted Bonnie-Mae’s education.
She added: “She loved her school. I had just got her settled in and I had to pull her out. Now I’m stuck.”
A council spokesman said: “The council has a duty to provide temporary accommodation to families who are homeless. Where applicants have pets, the Council seeks to be sensitive to the needs of applicants and to provide suitable temporary accommodation where pets can also be accommodated with them.
“It is not possible to allow pets in all units of temporary accommodation and applicants may be offered alternative properties when they have requested their pets to be with them.
“All units of temporary accommodation are professionally cleaned before being offered to homeless applicants and are free from disrepair.
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“Where applicants refuse a suitable offer of temporary accommodation the council can end a duty to provide accommodation.
“However, the council did not take this action to end the accommodation to Miss Delaney and Mr Mitchell as they voluntarily ceased to occupy the temporary accommodation made available to them and chose to move back in with family members.”
Bonnie-Mae has had to be taken out of her school which she loved[/caption]
Baby Ajay has a kidney condition[/caption]
