A mum said she was left with no roof and was forced to pee in a bucket due to construction work at her council flat.
The woman, living in Erith, south east London, with her three children, said her family was living in "inhumane" conditions.
She criticised Bexley Council after urgent building work to fix the chimney stack in her home meant scaffolding was used to replace the roof in September.
The repairs also affected the plumbing system in the property, so the family had to use a bucket instead of the toilet.
The mum also claimed the property was "infested with mice", My London reports.
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She said her family felt cold and her children were always in tears, but she refused an alternative offer of a hostel because of safety fears.
Pictures of the home show scaffolding and plastic sheets were used in place of the removed roof.
The work had to be carried out urgently after surveyors discovered a structural issue caused by dry rot.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "The flat was in a state of disrepair and there was no end of problems.
"My youngest daughter used to just cry. She really didn't like it. It was not liveable.
"Everything was water damaged. It's an absolute state. The wind was just blowing through, they didn't secure the plastic, so it was completely open."
She added: "This was a multi-agency failure. And the fact that in this day children could be treated in this way is actually disgusting. The fact that my children had to go through what they went through is horrendous."
Her three children, all aged eight and under, have since spent time with relatives outside the capital, but she says the ordeal has "disrupted their schooling" and "affected their behaviour".
She has since moved after opposition councillors stepped in, but said the issue left her unable to explain to her children why their home was so bad.
The mum said: "To be honest, I thought 'how has it come to this?' My kids were crying and I had no answers for them. I can't even give them their basic needs in life and it's an absolutely horrendous feeling. And going to the toilet in a bucket was just inhumane."
She is set to return to the property later this month once repairs are finished.
Labour councillor Nicola Taylor, who became directly involved in the case after Mary visited her constituency office, said: "I was shocked when I saw the state of this property and knew we had to get the family to a place of safety immediately.
"As I have become more involved in this case, I have serious concerns over the quality of these properties and if they are fit for our residents.
"I have still been unable to obtain surveyor or maintenance reports so I wonder if council taxpayers' money is being spent appropriately."
Bexley Council said in a statement sent to The Mirror: "The welfare of people we place in temporary accommodation is a priority for us and we work hard to ensure their safety.
"The extent of the repairs to this property only became evident following a leak, inspection by our staff and after a ceiling was removed. We identified the work that would be needed and offered the family alternative accommodation while it was carried out.
"They have a right to their privacy and we are not prepared to publicly share further details of their case."
