Fleas infest property leaving Winchester woman with bites

Michelle Jones moved to the A2Dominion property in Ringlet Way, Winnall, on Thursday, September 28 and was shocked by what she found. 

Ms Jones, 57, told the Chronicle that the house was full of fleas. Her legs are covered in flea bites and it has been impacting her mental health.

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She said: “I am full of flea bites. Some have become infected and I don't have the money myself to pay for the house to be de-fleaed. I feel I am not being listened to or being helped.

“I'm angry, upset and not happy. I am still trying to get it clean as well. It has affected my mental health especially my anxiety and stress levels. They don’t seem to care.”

Ms Jones, who is unemployed, said that she found the fleas one day after moving into the property.

She added: "I found them in the bedroom, lounge, bathroom and kitchen. I have no idea how many. I did try and get rid of them myself, but it's difficult because I have asthma."

Ms Jones said that the Citizens' Advice Bureau had paid for a private company to treat the property, but that it hadn't helped so far. 

Dawn Wightman, director of homes and communities at A2Dominion, said: “We’ve been in close contact with Ms Jones and were informed that the property was treated on October 11. Our contractor spoke with her on October 18 and advised that it is best to allow the treatment to take its course before taking any further action. 

“We’d like to reassure Ms Jones that we will do everything we can to help her to resolve this.” 

A2 issued an updated statement on October 31. 

Dawn Wightman, director of homes and communities at A2Dominion, said: “We were sorry to hear that Ms Jones had been experiencing issues with her new home. As part of our commitment to make sure our customers feel safe and comfortable, we’ve remained in contact with Ms Jones to help resolve her complaint and wanted to share further details on what we’ve been doing to support her. 

“Ms Jones joined us to inspect her new home on 11 September prior to moving in on 2 October 2023.  No issues with fleas were identified at this time, nor had we received any reports from the previous tenant.

“On October 6 Ms Jones did tell us about a potential issue with fleas and a few days later she told us that she had taken her own rugs into the property. Whilst the treatment of fleas is not covered under her tenancy agreement with us, we’ve still been committed to doing everything we can to help her resolve this issue. 

“Whilst Ms Jones had already arranged treatment of her own, we recommended a suitable pest control company and also arranged for our own contractor to get in touch with her directly. They did so on 18 October and advised her that it’s best to allow the treatment to take its course for at least two weeks before any re-treatment is considered.

“We’ve not been informed of any flea-related issues in Ms Jones’ home since that time and we have remained in contact with her as a precaution. Once again, we are sorry about the inconvenience this has caused and have responded promptly to support Ms Jones throughout.”