When teacher Cerys had a letter from her private landlord to say the rent was going up to £1250 a month, she knew she could no longer afford to live there.  

“I had been living in the house for three years and in that time the rent had gone up every year. When I first moved in it was £790 and it went up from there.    

“There was no way I could afford it.” 

Cerys, who works as a part-time supply teacher, had been on the local authority’s housing waiting list for several years.  

So, she was relieved when Wales & West Housing offered her a two-bedroom home at Stryd Y Gelli, Hendredenny, Caerphilly.  

“After the stress of having to move, we’re settling into our new home,” says Cerys, who lives with her two-year-old daughter Ava. “Ava is loving her new bedroom. She’s two going on 22!”  

“The area is lovely and quiet with other families living here, and the neighbours are friendly.   

“Best of all, the rent is half of what I was paying privately and I know that it won’t go up by hundreds of pounds every year.  

“I can look at my bank account and not worry about how I’m going to pay for our essentials. That’s a good feeling.” 

The homes are among 40 new homes built by Barratt Redrow in the Hendredenny area. In the next year, we’ll be providing 20 more new homes in the area.