A MUM has hit out at the housing association responsible for her Acomb home after she said she and her children were left in "rat-infested" conditions.
Nicola Cumberland said rats had “chewed through” the internal and external walls of the property managed by 54North Homes, where she lives with her children, aged 11, 10 and six.
The mum-of-three said the family was forced to leave the property on Sunday (August 16) after spotting two rats in her living room.
She said: “There is a major rat infestation in the area.
“I have wall cavities where they have entered the home, and they have been in my loft.”
In addition to rats, Nicola’s concerns include damp and mould, a collapsed drain, broken locks on the home’s front and back doors, broken door handles, a broken stair banister, and leaks in her kitchen and bathroom.
Gavin Fisk, director of customer experience at 54North Homes, said the housing association had sent its housing officer to Nicola’s home on Thursday (August 20), who was “unable to find any evidence of pest infestation”, or any evidence of damp and mould, despite “an extensive inspection of her home”.
He added that traps installed in the home “remained in place”.
Nicola said she has escalated a complaint she initially made to 54North Homes about the state of her home in early 2025
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Despite this, Nicola said she is now waiting on report findings from an environmental health representative, who visited her property on Wednesday (August 19).
It comes after she escalated a complaint initially made about the state of her home to 54North Homes in early 2025.
She said: “When it rains, the water comes through my daughter’s ceiling.
“The children have been absolutely traumatised.
“We do not feel safe in the home anymore – and it’s not a home that the children feel proud of.”
“I have wall cavities where the rats have entered the home, and they have taken space in my loft"
(Image: Supplied)
Nicola said: “Someone came out to fix the door handles, the front porch roof which was rotten, the banister, which was a real safety concern for us, and my son’s bedroom door."
But, she added, additional concerns relating to pest infestations and “essential repairs” were not fully addressed by 54North Homes.
Nicola said she was visited by a home surveyor after making her first complaint to 54North Homes in 2025. She has since been visited by an environmental health representative and is waiting to receive a report
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In response, Mr Fisk said: “We’re sorry that Ms Cumberland has been experiencing difficulties. Following reports of pest infestation, we engaged a specialist contractor to treat her home earlier this month.
“We identified three repairs that needed to be undertaken and agreed a time for one of our repairs operatives to visit her at home this morning to complete them.
“Unfortunately, when he attended the appointment, he was unable to access the property.
“We’ll return to undertake the repairs as soon as we can get access.
“We believe that the home is currently in a suitable condition to live in and we’ll continue to support Ms Cumberland with any concerns she has.”
After leaving the home on Sunday, Nicola said she had arranged for her children to stay at their dad’s accommodation, and she had slept in her car.
Nicola Cumberland said rats had “chewed through” the internal and external walls of the property managed by 54North Homes
(Image: Supplied)
She said: “The impact this has had on my children and I has been immense.
“The kids have seen me stressed and upset for months.
“I feel very let down and disappointed and it’s taken a massive hit on my mental health.
“I worry that if we go back, my children and I will become poorly.”
It is understood that the family is receiving external support from a number of local specialised services.