A SOUTH Ham woman's family are being forced to share a single bedroom after problems with her housing association.

Francesca McCann's young family of four sleep in the same bedroom of her two-bedroom rented property in Paddock Road as the other designated bedroom is unfit for her children - two-year-old Noah and 10-month Elsie - to sleep in.

Miss McCann, 25, told The Gazette that the flat was covered in mold and after asking her housing association Sovereign to move to a bigger property, or a property more suited to children, they have been denied.

The flat's second bedroom has a slanted roof to it as it is underneath the floor above's stairs - meaning the family struggle to put a bed inside it.

And although Sovereign has stated Miss McCann can mutually exchange the property with another tenant, this has proven problematic for her family.

"When people have come to visit they take one look at that small bedroom and they say 'we can't put our children in there," Miss McCann said.

"There's been interest in the property but it's just too small and the only reason we can't swap it is because the bedroom was too small - they wouldn't put children in there and neither would we."

She added: "The mold in the property is a problem too. We have to take a pram upstairs and nobody, neither the council or Sovereign listen to us.

"I can't put my children in the bedroom so I have got a 10-month-old teething and being grouchy because she can't sleep and when I put one to bed in the room, the other can't sleep. It's not living."

Sovereign has come out to try and clear the mold and damp problems in the property, but Miss McCann said it had come back - giving the children colds.

The housing association, which owns and manages around 38,000 homes across the south and south west, said it is the responsibility of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to decide if families are housed correctly.

A spokeswoman for Sovereign said: "BDBC will assess resident's needs and decide whether they're adequately housed - or if they should go back on to the housing register.

"For those keen to move we'll support in other ways, such as helping them explore any mutual exchange opportunities with another Sovereign or social housing resident."

BDBC’s housing manger Kate Randall added: "We cannot discuss individual cases, however in a situation where households are living in overcrowded accommodation and meet the criteria set out in the council’s allocation policy, they may be eligible to join the council’s housing register. 

"Alternatively they can discuss other options with their landlord such as finding a mutual exchange."