A father of four says that his council house is “falling away” to the extent that his children can no longer come to visit him at the property.
Gary Kelly says an extension on the home he rents from Hull City Council is breaking away from the rest of the house and that the gaps created have left him “freezing”.
Gary, who is the sole occupant of the house, says he feels “fobbed off” over the council's response to the problem.
The window in the kitchen has large gaps at the side, meaning any heating quickly escapes and leaves him dealing with cold temperatures.
The situation is so serious that Gary says his children – aged five, 11, 13 and 14 – are unable to visit the property.
The 41-year-old said in quotes reported by Hull Live : “If you stand in the corner of my kitchen and just look you can see the full kitchen’s just falling away.
“I've been reporting it for years but it's getting really bad now.
“The whole back of the house is falling off. My kids are supposed to come at weekends but they can't because it’s freezing and I can’t have them sat here with their hats and coats on and I can't afford to switch the heating on full blast all the time.
“There’s a visible dip in the floor. It's making me ill. I’ve got a really bad chest.”
Mr Kelly said he had contacted KWL, the construction firm that is owned by Hull City Council, who sent someone to his house on December 9 with a single tube of mastic.
He said he first reported the problem on September 9 and was told by KWL that they will need a special non-setting mastic that will take four months to arrive but Gary believes they were just “fobbing him off.”
On December 16, Mr Kelly said someone from KWL came to his house and put expanding foam on but he believes this is a “temporary fix that they could have done months ago.”
He added that so many different people have come to his house to look at the problems but nothing has really been done about it.
Hull City Council said temporary repairs had been carried out and a full structural survey will be carried out on the property.
It said it would take action on any recommendations in the survey report.
Gary explained: “All they do is take photos and then they go away and then they'll send somebody else to take photos and they'll go away.
“I think it’s KWL that came but there are that many people that come and just take photos I’m losing track.
“Every time I ring them (KWL) they put the phone down because I keep saying this non-setting mastic doesn’t exist. When they say they’re waiting four months for one tube of non-setting mastic it's a bit hard to believe.”
Despite the damage in the house and inadequate living conditions, Gary says he is still paying rent.
A spokesperson for Hull City Council said: "We are pleased to report that temporary repairs were completed last week on 16 December, and our tenant has said they are happy for a full structural survey to be carried out.
“Once we have the survey report we will take action on any recommendations."
