Single mother Beck Johnson says she has spent the past six months trying to get the "appalling" conditions in the bathroom of her social housing property fixed.
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"My bathroom is falling to pieces and filthy," she said. "We have the bathroom leaking, the tiles falling off, mould, and worms and slugs coming out of the walls and drains sometimes.
"I know many other people have bigger issues than me, but why are we expected to pay rent and live in something this bad?"
Ms Johnson, 35, lives in a social housing property at Warilla with her five children, mother and niece.
The family has lived in the four-bedroom house for little more than a year.
"One of my children is deaf and has sensory issues, and another has severe atopic eczema which was just diagnosed," Ms Johnson said.
"My mum's just had a toe amputated a couple of months ago, so for her to even get in the bathroom is just a no-go."
Ms Johnson relocated to the Illawarra with her family from Brisbane, following her partner's death.
After renting privately, she was offered her current property by Housing NSW.
She said she has complained about the state of the bathroom, as well as other maintenance-related issues.
They were previously unable to close the dining room and kitchen windows for several months. However, now a few of them can't be unlocked.
"The bathroom's had the same leaking problem before, since I was living here, but all they did was basically just patch it up," she said.
"Whatever they've done, it's just not working.
"There's so much mould in that bathroom that it's unbearable to breathe... I'm an asthmatic, I'm allergic to mould and dust.
"(When I complain) they say they're waiting for approval."
Ms Johnson said she was "really annoyed".
"My son actually said to me, 'mummy, can we have a new house? This one's dirty'.
"That, as a parent, made me feel so low. I know it's not my fault - it's not that I've trashed the house... But it's really hard to explain that to your children.
"A number of tiles fell off while my son was in the shower. Without warning they just came tumbling down; he's lucky he didn't get cut or hurt."
A NSW Land and Housing Corporation spokesperson said in mid-August, the tenant referred maintenance concerns to Tenancy Management and action was immediately taken.
"Some minor modifications to improve safety have already been completed at the property.
"In the interim, LAHC will request the maintenance contractor provide non-slip matting for the bathroom, until all works are completed.
"Once the procurement process is finalised, works will be scheduled to ensure improvements to the property can be completed by early November 2020."
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Brendan Crabb
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
