The landlord is suing the mother of a child who says her children suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Shantelle said that the Kirkby home in Liverpool was littered with rubbish including hypodermic needles. She also claimed that doors and windows had been broken and that the boiler wouldn’t turn on.
The support worker also claimed one of her young boys fell after leaning against loose spindles in the staircase, and says in recent weeks a faulty electrical circuit board caught fire in the early hours of the morning.
Kai (10 years old) and Tyler (5 years old) were brought to the hospital by their mother complaining of headaches. They were later found to be high in carbon monoxide.
After more than a year of problems, the house was inspected by Environmental Health officers from Knowsley Council, who identified a raft of hazards and a letter was sent to landlord John Potter, trading as J&D services, in October, warning him to make immediate improvements.
However J&D Services then launched legal action over alleged rent arrears, while Ms Williams decided to bring a counter claim over failures to keep the property fit for human habitation.
J&D denies failing to maintain the property and claims repairs were hampered by Ms Williams not allowing workmen access.
Ms Williams says she was in regular contact with J&D Estate Agents and spent in the region of £10,000 of her own money making the house habitable.

After a carbon monoxide leakage at a Kirkby rented house, Shantelle Williams’ children were brought to Ormskirk Hospital.

Ms Williams said mounds of rubbish were dumped in the front and back garden at the property before she moved in, but landlords J&D Services claimed it had been ‘thrown over the fence from a neighbouring property’
According to Knowsley Council’s Environmental Health report, inspectors identified eight specific areas of hazard including damp and mould growth, excess cold due to the broken boiler, electrical hazards and risk of intruders due to the broken front door.
Concerning the carbon monoxide problem, Ms Williams, 30, said that she was only aware of it after a relative complained about her having a “really bad headache” like her two sons.
Ms Williams told the Liverpool Echo: ‘I started to panic and I rang British Gas. The men came and turned off everything. They told me it’s better to leave the property and I took the boys to Ormskirk Hospital.
“The doctors stated that they had elevated levels of carbon monoxide, but the patients were fine at the end.
Ms Williams reported that an engineer visited her property. He stated in a warning notice about gas safety, there was a possible smell from the boiler. The boiler flue also needed to be sealed.
According to her, her sons and she were supposed to move into her house after the end of her relationship with her ex partner. But due to a shortage in hot water and heating they had to live with her ex-partner for several weeks before they could be allowed to move in.
Elle added, “I was desperate for a home.” This was my last chance to rent a place.
“When I visited it, it was in bad shape.” But the estate agent said “don’t worry, all the repairs will be done by the time you move in”.
“Two Weeks later, I signed my contract. But not one repair had ever been made.
“The front door was not properly shut. It was jammed closed, as was most of the other windows.
“In the kitchen there was a wash up line that held the window closed and connected to the sink taps.

Ms Williams stated that she found a hypodermic pen in among the trash dumped at her property’s backyard.

A kitchen window in her kitchen was also closed by a washer line, which she said had been attached to the handle of the faucets at the sink.
Ms Williams claimed, despite all the difficulties with the property that was offered to her, she was not given a discount.
She said that there were mounds and lots of trash in her front and back yards, as well as needles in the grass, when she finally moved in.
J&D claimed the rubbish was not there when the house was let and had been ‘thrown over the fence from a neighbouring property’ but said they had arranged for it to be cleared.
Ms Williams said she sent an email to J&D on July 6, 2020, in which she pointed out one of the bedroom windows was about to fall out, and that another did not open and presented a fire risk.
She claimed she was unable to move into the property “because it’s not safe.”
Other emails, sent later in the month, said: ‘I have been speaking to Shelter and Citizen’s Advice and they have given me a lot of advice.
You required me to sign a contract despite the fact that the property was in poor condition. It was still out of commission, the boiler wasn’t working and there is no water from the tap in the bathroom. The shower doesn’t work either so it’s impossible for me to move in.
When approached by the Liverpool Echo, a representative of J&D Services claimed it had complied with its legal obligations and denied the house was not fit for habitation.
Due to ongoing legal proceedings, the firm stated that it was unable to provide further details.
Ms Williams said: ‘It’s affected me really badly financially and it has also badly affected my mental health, especially when they were denying everything.
It was terrible, and the condition of the house has become disgraceful.
Ms Williams claimed that she was being relocated to Knowsley Council despite the fact that her tenure is still a few weeks.
The legal proceedings are ongoing.