Phone number mix-up delays tenant’s desperate attempts to clear mice infestation

By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter

A council tenant said she has endured a ‘rampant’ mouse infestation for months, with essential repairs not done because of an admin blunder.

The kitchen at the property in Renown Close, on the Handcroft Road estate in West Croydon, has been deteriorating for years, according to the resident, who cannot be named for her personal safety.

In recent months this has led to mice multiplying and when repairs on the kitchen were finally started, it exposed the extent of the infestation. While mouse proofing has now taken place, the tenant said she had missed numerous repair appointments due to the council having the wrong phone number for her.

After moving into her flat at in 2019, after issues caused by a stalker meant she was not safe in her previous address.

However, the damage caused by years of water damage now left her in a flat with a kitchen floor that could not be used for any of her essential appliances.

She said she tried for years to get Croydon council and their contractors, Wates, to carry out repairs which are finally happening.

She said: “These floorboards are above a bin store room. We believe the mice have come from the bin store beneath and come up here. The contractors lifted up the floorboards, which showed the little shop of horrors behind.

“I’ve told them I had rodents so many times. I’ve killed 20 mice in this kitchen alone in the space of two months. They mock the poison boxes I put down. I’ve even seen them in my room, they ran behind my bed and climbed on my headboard.”

During the wait for repairs, the tenant placed poison traps across her kitchen to deter the mice. She even spent £28 on a frequency emitter to drive away the pests but said they persisted despite this and the constant presence of her two cats.

While the main mouse holes have now been sealed, the tenant says she was left waiting for years before repairs were done. She says it is partly down to the authorities not using her updated phone number.

She said: “I changed my number when I first moved here, I told Croydon. Yet Croydon still managed to use the old contact number I gave them four years ago, and they shared it with all their contractors.

“All the bookings for my old repairs have been going to my old number, which is directly affiliated with my stalking case.”

The tenant said this poor communication has meant subcontractors have turned up at her property without her knowledge and often without the tools needed for the repair job. “It’s just a nightmare,” she added.

A Croydon council spokesman said: “We are sorry to hear about the resident’s experiences and have been in contact with them. We understand that during essential repairs to the floorboards in their kitchen, rodents under the floor were disturbed.

“Our pest control team has already carried out rodent proofing, and we are now working to repair the sub-floor and reinstate the floor. We are committed to resolving these issues as quickly as possible.

“The council takes its data management responsibilities and customer experience very seriously. We have updated the resident’s contact details in our system as requested, and we can confirm that all parties involved in the repairs now have the correct information.”

Wates have been approached for comment.

Pictured top: The Handcroft Estate (Picture: LDRS/Harrison Galliven)