An Edinburgh woman has told of being abandoned for four years after her ceiling caved in, causing damp and rot to spread through her flat.
The Slateford council tenant, who declined to be named, said her dog was caught up in the collapse while her partner's chronic illness has worsened and their feet are sinking into rotten floorboards.
She recalled how in June 2017 the plasterboard fell in at her Hutchison Medway home with multiple cancelled repair works since and failed attempts to be rehoused.
After being contacted by Edinburgh Live, the city council apologised to the tenant and assured work is underway to fix her home.
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The woman said: "The roof was leaking constantly but they refused to repair it as I'm the only council tenant in the building, the rest are all private lets.
"This went on for years and I got in touch with my MP who wrote to the council as well as my partner's consultant from the Royal Infirmary, explaining that we had both been getting the cold and flu because of this.
"They said I can claim off my insurance but I never heard back from them. There was so much damage to the flat, the ceiling came down on top of my dog who had to get surgery.
"They eventually came out and put plasterboard on top of the hole which later fell down too, the water damage is so bad that the ceiling needs replaced, but they're not prepared to do that."
The woman says this has gone on for years and although they are a 'gold priority' for a move away from the building, her partner's health condition means they can't be given somewhere else with stairs.
She said: "He struggles after dialysis to get up the stairs, he actually nearly died after being in intensive care fighting for his life as the ambulance couldn't get him down the stairs, it took an hour.
"He has seizures all the time and I'm just so stressed out with it all."
As well as damage to the inside of the flat, the woman has also added that when the council got someone to fix the roof a few years ago, slates fell off shortly afterwards.
"The house is not safe at all, I've explained this to them. The floorboards are so rotten that when you walk on them, your feet sink into the floor."
She claimed up to eight letters have been sent from her partner's consultant to the council, explaining the possible long term health implications.
Commenting on the issue, an Edinburgh Council spokesperson said: "Getting our repairs service right for tenants is an absolute priority and we have to apologise for the time it has taken to resolve this issue. We have now followed up with the tenant after a period where access wasn’t possible and will finish the repairs and reinstate the property to a standard that is acceptable."
The council have also stated that cooperation from both parties is necessary in ensuring the repair of such issues: "It's important that tenants report repairs to us, particularly where there may be a risk of harm to the tenant if the repair is not carried out. It is also key that tenants, in-keeping with current Scottish Government guidelines allowing for social distancing and wearing face coverings, give us access to their homes in order to carry out surveys, repairs and remedial work required."
On the issue surrounding re-housing the tenants to another location, the spokesperson added: "All tenants are offered temporary accommodation options if it is unsafe for them to remain in the property while they are waiting for a repair and it is their choice whether to accept these offers of not."
