OAP: ‘I’ll sue the council over rats in my house’

An infestation of rats and bluebottles as well as severe damp has led to an elderly resident threatening legal action against Edinburgh City Council.
Dorothy Smith Is an OAP is in an ongoing battle with the councilDorothy Smith Is an OAP is in an ongoing battle with the council
Dorothy Smith Is an OAP is in an ongoing battle with the council

Fed-up Dorothy Smith wants compensation for “reparation and repairs” to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds after her home was deemed uninhabitable and property was damaged.

The Dalry OAP, who lives with chronic obstructive 
pulmonary disease (COPD) and severe arthritis, said that the entire ordeal has left her mental health waning and has caused financial and emotional stress, worsening her already weakened condition.

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The 67-year-old was assessed in 2017 for suitability for a new property as her multiple health problems meant it is difficult to access her top-floor flat due to the effects of COPD, which leaves sufferers struggling for breath.

She was awarded gold priority and bid for properties on EdinIndex for about a year before she found the ideal property for her needs and it was just around the corner.

But shortly after moving there in the summer of 2018, she discovered rat droppings in a kitchen cupboard.

Dorothy says she was then passed from pillar to post and given advice on several occasions by an official that led to personal and sentimental 
belongings being damaged beyond repair – and which, she says, the official accepted and agreed to compensate her for.

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She also claims to have been left with rotting dead rat carcasses left behind by the exterminators underneath her floorboards which attracted an infestation of bluebottles.

The issue was made worse when Dorothy realised that her ground-floor flat with a garden was also riddled with severe damp.

She said: “I discovered that on closer inspection, there were obvious signs of damp in the property, metal hooks have begun to turn green due to the moisture. On the living room ceiling there was a small, but visible, damp patch which I was told was an ‘old’ stain. In the entrance hall into the flats the paint was bubbling on the wall opposite me.”

Dororthy said that if her demands for compensation are not met, she will sue the local authority for £112,000.

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She added: “I did not want to give my forever home up but I have had to. Luckily enough my former landlords have allowed for me to live in my old accommodation whilst I search for something new. I can guarantee it will not be council.

“I am an old woman who has been left mentally traumatised and with a gaping hole in my pocket due to the actions of the council. I just wanted to tell my story so that others might come forward and share their own.”

Edinburgh City Council confirmed that it has not charged the tenant any rent on this home which is not being lived in. Officers have offered alternative accommodation and are working to address the tenant’s concerns.

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