A family-of-three from Edinburgh has spoken out about being "moved from hotel to hotel" after a devastating leak ruined their home.
Agnieszka 'Aga' Chmielecka bought her apartment on Commercial Street in Leith 15 years ago. After water came pouring from the apartment above, Aga says the family's belongings have been ruined
Speaking to Edinburgh Live she said: "I will never forget it, we were away in Skye for my birthday and on Saturday, May 6, we got a call from our neighbours telling us that there was a huge leak.
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"The fire brigade needed our permission to get into the flat because with the amount of water - it was a fire hazard and the electricity had to be turned off. We don't know exactly where it came from and things happen, so I'm not angry at anyone but so much of our stuff is ruined."
Aga, 33, her husband Janusz and eight-year-old daughter Tosia, returned home as quickly as they could to be told they weren't allowed back into their home. Luckily, they had a friend who allowed them to stay for a couple of nights and then they were offered accommodation in a hotel through Rapid Relocate.
But the hotel stay was only temporary. After a few nights, they were moved to two more hotels until they found a private rental.
Aga added: "It's better here because at least there's somewhere that my daughter can do her homework and none of us were sleeping well in the hotels. They were okay, but with everything that went on, it was just really tough.
"On the same day we were told that we had to leave the hotel in Haymarket, my daughter was sick in the breakfast area. It was a lot to deal with.
"But now the landlord for this private rental is selling so we need to be out by August 31. I hope our home will be ready in time, otherwise, I don't know what to do."
Aga explained that she was made redundant earlier this year after 16 years of working for a company, and sadly hasn't been successful in finding another job. She admitted this made flat hunting harder - especially as they are looking for a short-term lease.
She said: "We've been told it could take three to six months for our flat to be fixed and dry. Who's going to rent somewhere for that? And rent prices are so ridiculous, and we're still paying our mortgage."
Aga went through her insurance company Axa who organised accommodation, food allowance and other expenses to be covered. A dehumidifier was also placed in the property to help with the moisture.
The insurance company were also in charge of removing the contents of the flat, and Aga was left frustrated as her furniture and family's clothes were still in the damp flat seven weeks later due to the processing time.
On June 20, their belongings were starting to get cleared. But after seven weeks the wallpaper is now bubbling up and peeling off the walls and ceiling. Black mould has spread across their furniture, clothes, and her daughter's bed.
She said: "People have it a lot worse than us. We're lucky no one was hurt. If any of our neighbours tried to open the door, you just don't know what could have happened.
"We had to grab just bags of things we needed but after the insurance company left our stuff in a damp flat for seven weeks, some of it can't be saved."
An AXA spokesperson said: “We are sorry that Ms Chmielecka has experienced issues when claiming on her home insurance. We acknowledge that initially there was a delay in securing long-term alternative accommodation for Ms Chmielecka and her family due to a lack of suitable accommodation in the area, and we have offered additional compensation in recognition of her experience.
"We are covering her claim and have removed the contents from her property, secured long-term accommodation and are ensuring the necessary repairs take place as soon as possible.”
