Mother-of-two’s mould-ridden house is ‘worse than when I left it’ as she is forced to live in hotel with her children while housing firm carries out repairs

• Mum Gemma Hotchkiss, from Denton, moved to hotel with kids for home repairs
• Housing firm Jigsaw’s contractors left it ‘worse’ with ‘messy’ paint and loose tiles

A mother forced to live in a hotel with her two children as repairs are being carried out on her mould-ridden home says her house is now ‘worse than when I left it’.

Gemma Hotchkiss, from Denton, Greater Manchester, complained of mould, damp and uneven flooring in her home to the housing firm which owns and manages the building in December last year.

Ms Hotchkiss – who suffers with fibromyalgia and complications which affect her mobility following a major operation in 2020 – said she had to have her carpet taken out because of the issues in the property.

She moved out of the house two weeks ago after affordable housing firm Jigsaw Homes Group, which owns and manages her home, hired contractors to carry out repairs.

Work has since been done to retile worktops in the kitchen, the walls have been repainted and builders have replaced the uneven floor across the ground floor.

Gemma Hotchkiss (pictured), from Denton, Greater Manchester, has been forced to live in a hotel with her two children as repairs are being carried out on her mould-ridden home

Ms Hotchkiss complained of mould, damp and uneven flooring in her home to the housing firm which owns and manages the building in December last year. Pictured: Uneven flooring in Ms Hotchkiss’s home before works took place

The mother-of-two said she had to have her carpet taken out because of the issues in the property. Pictured: A large flooring defect in the Denton property before works took place

But, after finally being told she could move back into the property on Monday, Ms Hotchkiss said she was left unimpressed.

READ MORE: Thousands of social housing managers will require qualifications to ‘drive up standards’ after death of Awaab Ishak, two, who died in mould-infested flat 

Ms Hotchkiss, mother to Amelia, nine, and Oliver, three, said: ‘I should have been home last week but they’ve continuously delayed it and delayed it.

‘It’s worse than how it was when I left it. They said it’s technically liveable, but I don’t agree.’

Ms Hotchkiss said the property is ‘covered’ in ‘messy’ paint work, scratches and marks on the wall and the tiling in the kitchen is already falling apart.

Ms Hotchkiss said: ‘The work isn’t even done to a good standard. It’s been left a complete mess. It should have been put back how it was or better, and that’s what the builders promised, but it’s just not.’

The mother said she was initially told she could move into the property on Thursday, then Saturday, before being told it wasn’t possible until Monday. It meant plans for people to help her bring belongings back to the property ultimately fell through.

Ms Hotchkiss said she and her two children were expected to check out of the hotel they were staying in on Monday morning, as she claimed the housing provider told her they could now move back into the property.

But she says she is unable to move back into the house as she cannot access or move her furniture. Jigsaw Homes Group confirmed on Monday that it had provided the family two extra nights at another hotel whilst Ms Hotchkiss arranges for help moving back in later this week.

Whilst Ms Hotchkiss had asked if contractors were able to help her move her belongings, Jigsaw said this was not possible due to insurance liability.

The work from contractors sent in to repair the home left it covered in ‘messy’ paintwork and messy’ paint work and scratches and marks on the wall. Pictured: Scratched up paintwork on the kitchen wall after contractors were sent into complete repairs on the property

Ms Hotchkiss said the tiling in the kitchen (pictured) is already falling apart after it was fitted by the contractors

Ms Hotchkiss explained: ‘All of our things are barricaded upstairs in our bedrooms so we can’t get to it. All we have access to right now in the house is a sofa bed between the three of us.

‘We were checked out of the hotel and I had to plead with someone on the phone for hours to let us stay as we couldn’t go back home. I don’t have anyone to come and help me move our things back downstairs – I can’t physically lift anything.

‘I think it’s disgusting that they’re expecting a disabled woman with two young children to move everything from upstairs.

‘I’ve worked around their plans but they’ve not given me enough time to figure things out. I was supposed to move in on Thursday, then Saturday, then Monday. How am I supposed to know when to arrange help for when I don’t even know when it’ll be ready?’

But Ms Hotchkiss says that after they are able to go back into the home, she fears she and her children will have to move back out again soon for further work to be carried out in the near future.

Ms Hotchkiss added: ‘It’s just been one thing after another. All we want to do is to come home, we don’t want to stay in a hotel or keep moving in and out. I feel like we’re just stuck in limbo.

‘They’ve caused damage to my freshly painted kitchen, they’ve scraped the paintwork, the tiling’s a mess and there’s silicon all over the place.

‘I’ve also now got a massive crack in the ceiling from the front of the house to the back. That wasn’t there when we were last here.’

‘It’s worse than how it was when I left it. They said it’s technically liveable, but I don’t agree,’ said Ms Hotchkiss (pictured)

Jigsaw Homes Group said snagging work continued at the property yesterday, whilst kitchen base units and doors – which were fitted by someone else – were replaced.

It said the work was carried out to the ‘agreed’ timescales, but provided the family-of-three with an extra two nights in a hotel whilst they arranged help for moving belongings back into the property.

A spokesperson for Jigsaw Homes Group said: ‘The work was completed in the agreed timescales, but as her circumstances meant she was unable to move her belongings, we kindly arranged for her to stay in a hotel for an additional two nights.

‘Some minor snagging is being finalised, but none of this would have affected Ms Hotchkiss moving furniture into other rooms. We will liaise with Ms Hotchkiss when she moves back into her home.’

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