Rhyl family ‘had enough’ as they fight to leave ‘nightmare’ house

Stephen Pearson and his partner, Trisha Fitzmaurice-Taylor, lived at the Purplebricks-rented property on Barry Road South, along with Trisha’s disabled 11-year-old daughter.

Stephen and Trisha (Image: Stephen Pearson)

But amid fears of falling into rent arrears, as well as ongoing issues with the house itself, both have reached out to both Purplebricks and Denbighshire County Council.

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Following rent increases, Stephen said the council had pledged to help them pay their fees, but that this has not transpired.

He moved in to the property about 12 months ago, while Trisha and her daughter have lived there for roughly four years.

Problems at Stephen and Trisha's property (Image: Stephen Pearson)

Stephen said: “The rate has gone up at my house, but we can’t afford it. The council’s homeless team was meant to pay £200 extra, on top of the £600 that we were paying.

“We’re getting into rent arrears now, so I’m stuck at a loose end. The homeless team have now closed the case, so we don’t know where we stand.

“My partner has a brain impediment, and her daughter is disabled. The house is dilapidated and falling to piece; the windows are knackered, the doors don’t shut properly… I’ve done everything I can, but we really need help now.

“It’s just a nightmare; I’ve had enough. My partner and I both suffer with our mental health, but we’ve been left alone.

“We’ve not been getting anywhere with the council, so that we can move out of here into a council property. We’ve done everything they’ve wanted us to do, but now they don’t want to help us.”

Problems at Stephen and Trisha's property (Image: Stephen Pearson)

Trisha added that the house consists of numerous safety hazards, particularly in the garden, where her daughter, who has cerebral palsy and autism, is “petrified” to go.

The family are in band two of the council’s Single Access Route To Housing (SARTH) service, but any attempts to be moved into a property owned by the local authority have proved fruitless so far.

She said: “The house is very dangerous. I’ve fallen in the garden quite a lot because the garden steps are unstable, and concrete slabs in the garden have all lifted up.

“I’ve done my back in a couple of years ago after falling, and I still suffer now from that. It’s not safe; the garden floor is just a mess.

“My partner has fallen in the garden a few times, too. I’ve fallen there quite a lot, and my daughter has hurt herself by falling quite a few times.

Problems at Stephen and Trisha's property (Image: Stephen Pearson)

“She is just scared to go out in the garden now because it’s unsafe. She’s petrified.

“We really need to get out of this property; Purplebricks are after more money from us which we can’t afford, and we’ve told them that.

“We just don’t know where we stand. It’s worrying us, because we’re scared of what Purplebricks will do, and that we’ll end up in the streets.

“Nothing’s been sorted out in this house for two or three years.”

When contacted by the Journal, Purplebricks confirmed that it is looking into the matter and will be contacting Stephen and Trisha.

It also offered them an apology for the issues they are currently facing at their home.

A spokesperson for Purplebricks said: “We’re sorry to hear that the tenants are experiencing problems at the property, and we’ve flagged their concerns with the property manager and landlord of that property.

“We expect our landlords to meet certain standards regarding the properties we manage, and where those are not met, we take steps to ensure that they are.”

Denbighshire County Council was also approached for comment.