Housing: Renters' despair at homes' poor condition

"I've got woodworm... I've got damp and mould all over my windows, I've got one window that doesn't open, I've got two windows that are cracked."

For mum-of-two Catrin - not her real name - the list of things to be fixed in her private rented home goes on.

She said her landlord had ignored repair requests for several years.

The landlord did not dispute the Rhondda Cynon Taf property's condition, but said it was hard to pay for repairs with the tenant in rent arrears.

Catrin, 28, said she has even resorted to withholding rent because repairs have not been made.

In her daughter's bedroom the wooden window frame looks rotten and a glass pane is loose.

Catrin said she feared for her daughter's safety and had to prevent her from touching it.

"I've got to keep her curtain closed to make sure she doesn't go to the window... so she's not even allowed to look out of her own window."

Other issues include mould on the bathroom ceiling and damp kitchen units unable to store food.

Catrin believes is having a negative impact on the family's health, and said her daughter "keeps being ill, especially in the winter".

She said both her children were unable to do normal things like walk around the house barefoot or have friends over.

"It's too much for them," she said. "They're not allowed to be kids".

The BBC has been told receivers have now been appointed to the property and made aware of the works required. There has been a recent environmental health notice.

Jade Davies, 32, who lives with her two sons in Trealaw, Rhondda, was shocked in October to discover via the local news that her landlord had been jailed.

When things started to go wrong at the property she said she found she had "no-one to turn to".

"I've got a damp issue, my boiler's leaking, I've got holes in my roof, and I did have rats, which I've actually paid for to get taken away," she said.

She has tried every organisation she can think of that might be able to help.

"They've just told me that they've never heard of this before, that he's gone to prison and I've been left on my own."

She feels "stuck" and "can't really see a way out".

"I can't just up and leave here because who would I hand the keys into?" she asked.

She said the damp was getting worse and she worries about another winter.

"When we have the cold weather, that's when you can actually smell it," she added.

The BBC has attempted to contact Jade's landlord.

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) said the overwhelming majority of landlords are responsible individuals delivering high-quality accommodation, and it urged councils to use enforcement powers to tackle those who do not.

Rhondda MP Sir Chris Bryant said he is seeing an increasing number of housing cases in his postbag, including Jade and Catrin's.

He said policies pursued by UK and Welsh governments have created a "perfect storm".

Landlords are selling up because of mortgage rates, taxation rules and a freeze in housing benefits, he said, while at the same time there is a lack of social housing.

As a result, he said, families being evicted "can't find anywhere else to go" while others were stuck in "shocking accommodation which nobody should have to live in".

"It's like every single part of this puzzle is working against perfectly decent people," he said.

The MP is urging both governments to "sit down around the same table" and look at solutions.

The Welsh government said everyone had the right to a decent affordable home.

A spokesperson said: "Social housing remains a key priority as reflected in our commitment to deliver 20,000 low-carbon homes for rent in the social sector this government term".

The UK government said it recognised difficult times for households.

"While housing is a devolved matter for the Welsh government, we are providing a record £18bn per year settlement to ensure they deliver upon this responsibility," a spokesperson said.