Rhiannon Griffiths, 52, lives in council accommodation in the small market town of Talgarth in southern Powys, mid-Wales, with her daughters aged 10 and 18. She moved into the end terrace in late 2018 and almost immediately noticed several unrelated issues with the property.
THE PROBLEM
Incredibly low water pressure caused all sorts of problems for Rhiannon and her daughters.
“We couldn’t run a sink to wash up with if the washing machine was on,” she said. “If one of the girls needed a shower in the evening, no one could use the washing machine or fill the sink from early in the afternoon.”
This caused arguments between her daughters who, naturally, both wanted showers but also meant Rhiannon had to shower over the road at a friend’s house, giving her money every month for the use of her hot water.
There was damp in the bathroom that appeared to have been there some time and many of the doors stuck. “There were lots of little things that were going wrong with the place,” said Rhiannon.
HOW LIBERAY HELPED
In a bid to address the issues, Rhiannon contacted the local housing department at Powys County Council but she was left frustrated by their response.
“They kept saying they were going to send someone round but they wouldn’t turn up. When they did come round, the jobs weren’t done or weren’t done properly. It was just a joke.”
Rhiannon eventually contacted Liberay Legal in April 2024 after spotting an advert on Facebook.
Feeling she had nothing to lose, she filled out a quick expression of interest form on her phone and then one of our people contacted her to get all the information.
We then sent a surveyor to create a detailed report on the condition of the house. Even then, the local authority were slow to move.
“There was a lot of back and forth,” said Rhiannon. “The council were denying there was a problem even though I had a list of problems as long as my arm.”
THE OUTCOME
Eventually the case went to court. “I won the case and they had to pay me £1,250 in compensation,” said Rhiannon. “They were given six months to complete the work and it was all done within a few months, to be fair.”
The work was recorded as completed in between February and May 2025. After six years of her battling for action from the local authority, Liberay Legal had fought Rhiannon’s corner and got the job done in less than 12 months.
THE FINAL WORD
“Liberay were very professional,” said Rhiannon. “They kept me in the loop all the way through about everything they were doing. They stuck to every appointment, everyone they said was coming, came when they said. It has had such an impact on our quality of life to have the issues sorted. There’s no more arguments about who’s having a shower when the washing machine is on. It has made a massive difference.”
