Pregnant and potentially homeless

[cookiedoughs]

I am 31 weeks pregnant and really don't know what to do.

I live in an apartment that has a fly infestation.

The housing association have basically said it is my responsibility to get this fixed but I am pretty sure they knew about this infestation before I moved in.

The whole apartment block appears to have an infestation, the tenants that live beneath me used to live in this apartment and they said they moved because of the numerous leaks/ fly's.

I must kill about 20 - 30 fly's a day and now I have seen an abundance of spiders and I really just want to leave this apartment ASAP.

I have tried pest control, fly bombs, spray and nothing seems to work.

Just as I found out I was pregnant I went from full time to part time so renting privately is out the question.

Is it worth handing in my notice and seeking emergency housing from the council?

I just hate this apartment and I don't want to newborn baby to be around fly's and spiders.

I really don't know what to do.

Most likely not, but it will kick them into action to investigate the problem, as a temporary decant would cost them a lot more. I do know of a case of bedbugs where my housing association had to do this, so was basing my knowledge on this . Also if OP complains to the housing ombudsman and the housing association are found to have not tried to rectify the situation they can be fined. Other posters have spoken about cluster flies that luckily I’ve not come across, so perhaps it’s an area specific problem I don’t know about.

I don’t see how a HA can be expected to rectify cluster flies - or the spiders that the OP also mentions. Sure, if the property is badly maintained with gaping holes around the windows, they need to fix that. But cluster flies come in through tiny gaps between roof tiles.

The good news is they’re not laying eggs, just hibernating - and they’re so slow they’re easy to vacuum up or slap to kill with a towel. No other flies sit patiently still whilst you spray them, either! First time I had them, I’d never heard of them and was really confused that they basically act drugged!

They've moved to houses from soil for hibernation, but are quite active because it’s still so warm. As soon as the weather changes, there will be much less activity.

So I have spoken to both my neighbours who live beneath me and they both are encountering the same problem.

I did email my Housing Officer and advised her of the infestation and the gaps but she has not replied yet, so will wait and see what she advises me.

However I have put my name down on the council housing list, but I appreciate this can take a while.

I defo want to move as I find the whole apartment just horrible, I do have some savings so not sure if it's worth trying to find a private landlord and paying rent upfront

Thanks for all the helpful advice.