Theresa Jordan has lived with the dampness problem at the house in Longhill Terrace as a tenant of Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) since just before Christmas - and says the association has refused her repeated requests to be moved to a different house.

"I was homeless and I had to take this place, otherwise I would have had my points taken off me," Theresa said as she showed us round the house this week.

"ACHA told me before I moved in that it was damp, and that they would be doing a damp course to sort it out - well they did it in January, and it hasn't worked.

"It's wet all along the back walls of the house - along the bedroom window was soaking wet, and behind the wardrobe too, but ACHA say I can sleep in this and that they don't need to decant me.

"They've offered me three nights' accommodation in Ferfadd Court, and I've been offered four weeks rent free, but I would rather have a dry house - I've been living out of bags and boxes since January.

"I feel as though I'm being victimised. I had a lot of problems with the neighbours, who were ACHA tenants, where I lived before, and I feel as if they are saying 'you've caused so much trouble in the past that you're just going to stay here'."

Teresa took her concerns right to the top of the tree by going to the office of ACHA chief executive Alastair MacGregor - but was less than happy with his offer of accommodation in Ferfadd Court while association tried again to solve the problem.

"I don't think Alastair McGregor realises the conditions some of his tenants are living in," she continued.

"I think they are treating people like second class citizens. Offering to put me and my son into a sheltered housing complex is absolutely obscene."

Mr MacGregor was on leave when we contacted his office this week, but ACHA's IT and finance director Nick Pollard, who visited Teresa's home on Monday to see the problem for himself, told us that while he sympathised with Teresa's situation, he did not believe she required to be re-housed.

"We have carried out similar works in the area to other properties we own," Mr Pollard said, "and in our technical expert's opinion and the opinion of our contractors there is no need to decant a tenant whilst these works take place.

"ACHA would rather have carried out the work prior to granting the tenancy, however I am advised that Ms Jordan was most insistent that due to her homelessness status she should be housed sooner rather than later.

"In respect of her comments concerning re-housing, the position is that Ms Jordan is deemed to be in a habitable property, and we are endeavouring to carry out the necessary repairs identified and known to her at the time she took up the tenancy.

"Her position would have to be considered alongside all other applicants to the HomeArgyll common allocations system and in pointing her application her current provision is unlikely to place her in advance of others on the allocations list."

ACHA's position did not find favour with island councillor Robert Macintyre, who told us: "In my opinion Ms Jordan's house is in a disgusting state, and frankly I wouldn't even put my cattle in it."