With damp running down her bedroom wall and the sound of rats scuttling around her home, Paula Black said it has become impossible to sleep at night.
The home where she has lived for 11 years and raised her two daughters is now somewhere she says she desperately wants to leave after mould, damp, and rats began spreading through the property she rents through Your Homes Newcastle.
And she claims that despite raising the issue with the housing provider and Newcastle City Council she feels as though no one cares as she has been left waiting "too long" for the problems in her home to be addressed.
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Your Homes Newcastle say it take reports of damp and mould "very seriously" and it is working to "determine the cause and the treatment for the rats".
The mum-of-two said: "I've been on the phone to Your Homes Newcastle and the council numerous times but I've been told I have to wait until the 22nd for anyone to come out, it's too long to wait. There's a rat lying dead on one of the sticky mats that I've bought, but I shouldn't have to remove it.
"I've had to put all my pans and shopping and everything in the bin but the council and Your Homes Newcastle don't seem bothered. It's hard enough to live as it is at the minute without having to throw all of that away.
"I've been left with nothing to cook with because their droppings get everywhere and they're all over my cupboards. And now there's a dead one lying in my cupboard with a big, massive tail."
Paula, who lives in Walkergate home with her daughters, aged 11 and 18, said the she started to notice a problem with damp and mould in her home in December and immediately contacted YHN for help to resolve the issue. But three months on conditions in her home have worsened and last weekend she made the "sickening" discovery that her home is now infested with rats.
Paula said she noticed she had rats living in her home when she went to make her daughter a meal and reached for a pan only to notice a hole in the back of her cupboard which had been caused by rats biting through the cabinet.
The 43-year-old said: "I saw a head come up over the top of the cupboard and saw the whiskers and I slammed the cupboard door shut straight away and screamed because I'm scared of them.
"There's rats alive in my house and I've got to go to bed at night and listen to them running up the walls in the pipes and then I've got to get up to check on my daughter and make sure nothing is in her room.
"It's disgusting and it makes me feel physically sick, especially knowing that I can't do anything about it. I'm not sleeping and it's causing me depression.
"I feel like I just need to get out of this property. My 11-year-old daughter doesn't want to be here and she's scared to come downstairs to go to the kitchen because all you can hear is the rats scratting away in the cupboard."
She added: "I've got water running down my bedroom wall and damp on my little girl's bed and down the back of her drawers. I've had to throw her toy box in the front garden and a dressing table in the back garden because it all has damp on it.
"They [YHN] have known since December but they haven't done anything about it. Why should I be paying rent to live with vermin and have damp all over my house?
"In the 11 years I've been here I've never been in any rent arrears or anything but they don't want to know about the problems I'm having, they just watch me struggle."
Jen Vinton, group director of housing services at Your Homes Newcastle, said: "We take reports of damp or mould very seriously and have a dedicated Damp and Mould team who are working with our customers to effectively resolve any issues.
"A manager from YHN's repairs team attended the property to assess the concerns with damp or mould and subsequent works were arranged. The customer has been back in touch with the team since the initial assessment and as a result we have agreed a further visit by our external damp contractor which is scheduled to be carried out on Monday, March 20.
"Both our repairs and Housing Services teams are working closely with the customer to resolve the matter quickly and effectively."
Ms Vinton added: "We are working with Newcastle City Council's Pest Control team to determine the cause and the treatment for the rats, and are working with the customer to find a permanent solution to the issue. We understand that the situation has been stressful and apologise for this, but we can assure Miss Black that we are working as quickly as the situation allows to ensure the best outcome."
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