A couple were kicked out of temporary accommodation due to a row about mould and mess - leaving them "freezing" on the steps of a local church.
Liam Ricketts and his partner were evicted from the hotel after being told by the manager they were responsible for the build-up of mould and damage to the room - which the pair dispute.
They were put up in the room in the Seascape Hotel by their local council, and claim they now have no suitable accommodation, reports Devon Live.
The pair previously complained about their living conditions, saying the Torquay hotel had aggravated their asthma, and have appealed to West Devon Borough Council for help.
Liam's partner said that when they initially threatened to go to the press they were told: "If it gets published on Facebook or social media then we're out."
The manager said that the the pair were evicted due to damage to the rooms and allegations of smoking, which is against the hotel's rules. However, the couple claim they were not told this as they were evicted.
Liam said: "It's just horrendous how they just do this. We're just stuck, waiting around for phone calls from the council. With our health, it's put us really down in the dumps knowing that the council's got a duty to keep in contact.
"Since we've been in there we've had three different housing officers. No one's contacted us to say we're being moved, and we've had no contact from anybody until today. So it's a bit like what's the point? If you say you're going to help us, why haven't you got in contact?"
The couple ended up sitting outside Torquay's Central Church on the pavement, with nowhere else to go, where Liam said: "It's getting really stressful now because we've still not heard anything. We are freezing."
The couple are now staying with a friend in Okehampton. Liam spoke about being moved into the hotel, which he claims affected the pair's health.
He said: "We looked around and it was like, 'Why are the council putting us here?' "We reported it enough times to the council for them to see that we don't like it here. It's affecting our health, we've been to the doctors with chest infections and wheeziness, we've both got asthma and we're on inhalers."
The manager of Seascape said that mould and damage "seemed to 'follow the couple around". They said: "Five years ago they have done exactly the same in Gloucestershire and asked Gloucestershire Live to write a story about them about their mould which was not a mould. It was again condensation like in the hotel."
He said that the mould in the hotel room was caused by condensation from hot showers and baths the couple took without properly ventilating the rooms afterwards.
On the eviction without notice, the manager said: "We are not his landlords so we don't have any legal rights to work within. We are a commercial property, we're not a residential property so if they break the rules it's only temporary accommodation so they can be asked to leave any time, which they have. It's because they were trying to smoke in the room and damage the room as well. They have been in three rooms and they've damaged all three rooms and they've been smoking in the rooms as well.
"We have warned them before and they are not listening so enough is enough. We've got to protect the other people in the hotel so we asked them to leave.
"We have tried our best to help them and so did West Devon Borough Council. Some people they can never be happy with anything they've been given."
Councillor Barry Ratcliffe, West Devon Lead Member for Homes, said: “A West Devon environmental health officer carried out a thorough inspection of the property, as has an officer from Torbay Council. Both officers were satisfied that the accommodation met the required standards.
“When a person is put into temporary hotel accommodation, they are required to agree to a behaviour contract and are advised from day one that they will be asked to leave if they breach this agreement. In this case, there have been a number of contract breaches.
“Mr Ricketts and his partner approached us for assistance with their housing in September 2022. All homelessness decisions are thoroughly investigated and applicants are given opportunities to understand the reasons behind the decisions made.
“We have investigated all claims of risk, threats and harassment with the police, social services and their previous landlord. We cannot find anything to suggest that the couple were at any risk in their home.
“They were strongly advised not to give up their home when they sought advice from us. It was explained to them that if they did so, it was likely that they would be found to be intentionally homeless. They did not follow this advice and we have now issued our final decision.
“Officers have persisted in their attempts to support Mr Ricketts for the last four months and accommodation has been provided during this period, but we have found it difficult to engage meaningfully with him. Our final decision in this case is that the couple chose to give up social housing in Gloucestershire, and in doing so, have made themselves intentionally homeless.“
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