Mum claims 'I lived with cockroaches and mice' for months at Birmingham hotel

A single mother of two claims she was forced to stay in a hotel with cockroaches and mice for seven months, after being made homeless. Aimee was made homeless in summer 2023 when she lost her home after a relationship breakdown, forcing herself, her eight-year-old daughter and four-year-old son to desperately reach out to Birmingham City Council.

The trio were placed in the Cobden Hotel, on Hagley Road, but she claims their prolonged stay saw them suffer visits from cockroaches, mice, beetles and bedbugs. While the stay is now over, Aimee claims she's still haunted by memories of that squalid room.

She said: "There were cockroaches and beetles on the floor, a beehive in the bathroom underneath the floorboards. There were mouse droppings on the floor.

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"I complained to the hotel who said there was an infestation and we should leave our room sometimes so they could be sprayed. We'd leave the hotel at 7am, I'd get three buses to take the kids to school and then take the bus to work."

She claims the city council promised to send a support worker but she never saw them. Aimee claims she called the council religiously everyday saying she couldn't stay there, but claims it was of no use and their 56 days turned into seven months of hell. She eventually contacted homelessness charity Shelter who informed Aimee this was a failed duty of care.

Aimee claims the council said it had lost her emails and had spelt her name wrong on the system which affected contact. The family now live in a temporary accommodation in Birmingham, after she was moved to a maisonette in February 2024.

She claims: "I contacted the council and told them I was homeless, they found temporary accommodation in Luton, Essex, Rubery and Wolverhampton but everywhere was too far. My kids were still at school. Everything came crashing down at once."

Aimee was unable to stay with family due to lack of space, but says the city council then offered her temporary housing in the hotel "for no more than 56 days". She claimed the website 'sold a dream' of restaurants and swimming pools, but instead was like an 'abandoned holiday camp'.

She claims: "In my room there were dried chips and ketchup behind the curtains, sweets all over the floor. The bath was black and rusted with a terrible smell.

"We had two beds, a fridge, telly and my kids screamed 'mummy please don't leave us here'. We slept in the bed and we woke up itchy and covered in red bites. The doctor told us these were bed bug bites.

She added: "We are looking for private renting but not many places take on single mums and I feel penalised. I am on bidding system but number 487 on some houses so I'm not standing a chance.

"People comment 'they are on Universal Credit' or 'dole dossers'. I work full time so it's not just happening to people on benefits, it's people working everyday themselves.

"Until you are in this position you never know how bad it is. I went from a three bedroom house to nothing."

A statement from the city coucil states: "A stay of longer than seven months in B&B is not something we would want for any family. We do however expect good minimum standards from the accommodation we use and have regular inspections to ensure these are complied with.

"The country is in the grip of a severe national housing crisis and demand for accommodation in Birmingham is at an all-time high. The accommodation shortage severely restricts what options we can offer to people in need, and we know many people across the city are in difficult situations and facing a long wait for a home.

"We'd encourage any citizens in housing need to look at all options, including applying to Housing Associations and seeking a home in the private rented sector. Since 2019, we have seen a 70 percent increase in homelessness presentations.

"Around 25,000 people are on the housing register in Birmingham seeking a home. Several factors have contributed to this unprecedented increase in demand for housing.

"The cost-of-living crisis has meant more people are presenting as homeless. Rises in rents mean the private rented sector has become unaffordable for many.

"We will seek to prevent homelessness wherever possible and utilises a range of interventions to help households remain in accommodation, or secure alternative accommodation without becoming homeless. The council is doing all it can to build new, warm, safe, sustainable homes and continues to build social housing at several sites across the city.

"However, the scale of the national crisis means that the current rate of house building is not keeping up with the current level of demand."

A spokesman for the Cobden Hotel said: "Unfortunately, due to GDPR, we cannot confirm whether a person stayed at the hotel."