Carpet poverty: 'I cried when I saw our new home had bare floorboards'

When Kassie and her three children got the keys to their new home, they were upset to discover rooms had been left with bare and uneven floorboards.

The social housing property in Halifax was deemed ready for the family despite having no carpets or other floor coverings in the bedrooms and living areas.

Her experience echoes that of many tenants whose landlords are not legally required to provide coverings like carpet, laminate, vinyl or tiles in all rooms - although there are hopes that the law could change in future.

Charities such as Noah's Ark Centre are now stepping in to help those affected by setting up a project dedicated to providing free carpets for families in need.

Kassie opens the door to her new home and steps on to the bare boards.

"It's just awful," she says.

The three-bedroom house is echoey and the floorboards have uneven edges with nails hammered into them.

Kassie reveals that she cried when she realised there were no carpets or floor coverings in the bedrooms, hallway and lounge.

"I always presumed that the people who lived here before left them just for now or at least something would be put down so it wasn't that bad," Kassie tells me as she looks around.

"I didn't realise it would be bare floorboards."

Kassie was served with a "no-fault eviction" by her previous private sector landlord and she can't afford to pay for new carpets herself for her new property.

"It's been very, very stressful," she says.

"I've been searching the internet to try and find the cheapest ones but even then you're looking at ridiculous amounts of money.

"I got a quote for the full house and it was between £1,400-700, so it's a lot."