We recently caught up with a new Hightown resident - Kate* who has accepted a brand new, 3-bedroom flat at Whippendell Marine, (a new Hightown housing development) in Watford, Hertfordshire.
Kate* is due to move into her new home in the coming weeks with her two children, aged ten and seven. Her home has been allocated as 'affordable rent' which means the rent is lower than the private rental market rate; making it affordable for her family to continue living locally.
She said:
"I have been living in my previous property since my son was a baby (so about nine years altogether!). The property suffered with damp and mould issues which has caused a lot of problems. I've had to repaint walls, move the children to different rooms to avoid the damp and often I've had to replace their clothes due to finding mould on them.
My son was diagnosed with Autism in 2020. I had felt he was struggling with something since he was about 3 years old; it’s been a long process to reach a diagnosis.
He has been sharing his bedroom with his younger sister and at times needed his own space to calm down. When this happens, I have to move his sister into my bedroom to help the situation. It's really nice to know that when we move, he will have his own bedroom.
I'm looking forward to a fresh start in our new home. It gives us a sense of stability and peace of mind that it's a brand-new property. It's a great feeling to know that when I buy something new, like clothes, or shoes for the children, I won't have to worry about them getting ruined by mould.
Hightown have been great to deal with - very attentive and given me lots of advice. I was made to feel welcome when I visited and have found the staff to be helpful and friendly."
*Name changed to protect the residents' anonymity.
