A mum has been left “shocked” after discovering the size of the new bathroom in her housing association flat – with her teenage son unable to fit on the toilet.
Chloe Busby also shared footage of the room on TikTok, where it has 350,000 views so far.
The 35-year-old had just moved back into her home with her four children, aged between seven and 15.
The family had spent six weeks in temporary accommodation while works were being done to the home to tackle mould.
This included fitting a new bathroom by removing the old bath and adding a shower.
Upon her return, the mum was stunned to see the dimensions of her new bathroom.
“I was absolutely shocked,” the business owner, who lives in south west London, told Need To Know.
“My son is 6ft 2ins at 15 years old and can’t fit on the toilet properly.
“He also needs to leave the shower door open whenever he showers.
“They’ve done a nice new bathroom, which looks great – but it’s not functional for a family-of-five!”
In the TikTok, Chloe goes to sit on the toilet to demonstrate the tight squeeze.
She has to tuck in her arms and walk sideways to exit the space.
“I’m literally wedged in,” says the mum.
Chloe rents the property from the housing association Octavia Housing.
The family have been living in their home since 2017.
The mum raised the issue of the petite bathroom with a surveyor at Octavia, who she claims responded to assure her that the bathroom was “utilised at 100% capacity”.
Referring to the shower size, they reportedly said this was a “standard” enclosure.
In an email, which Jam Press has seen, the surveyor followed up the initial phone call by saying: “I understand that it [the new bathroom layout] may not fully meet your family’s needs.
“I want to clarify that the size of the bathroom is determined by the building’s construction.
“Our goal was to design a layout that maximizes usable space within those constraints.
“This new design represents a significant upgrade over the previous bathroom, particularly in terms of water control, heating comfort, and ventilation.”
Chloe says she has been left with no option but to accept the “joke” of a bathroom.
She said: “I would love to move but it’s difficult to afford private rent or a mortgage as a single person, even though I work three jobs.
“I earn a good wage but it’s pretty much impossible.
“Apparently, the bathroom can’t be made bigger but, in my opinion, moving the toilet could be an option.
“But the housing association aren’t willing to do it, which I believe is possibly because of time or the costs involved.”
Jam Press approached Octavia Housing for comment, and a spokesperson said: “We recently renovated the resident’s bathroom to resolve an issue with damp and mould, exacerbated by its poor design.
“We’re pleased that the resident is happy with the standard of the works carried out.
“We’re sorry to hear that the resident is unhappy with the size of their bathroom and understand their frustrations.
“A change to the layout of the bathroom was required to fully resolve the damp and mould issue, whilst working with the challenge of a 1930s building layout.
“We fitted a radiator to improve airflow and installed a bespoke shower unit to make it a more useful space.”
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