A tenant who moved into an insect-infested, mould-covered apartment claims his landlord, a Planning official, abused his position to make some quick cash.

Shane Simmons told The Royal Gazette he began renting a two-bedroom apartment for $1,200 per month owned by Planning inspector Gerald Tuzo around June of last year.

But according to Mr. Simmons, Mr. Tuzo did "one hell of a band-aid job'' on the apartment to secure a tenant.

Mr. Simmons said once he moved into the residence, "the house literally fell apart before my eyes''.

"There were termites coming out of the floorboards and there were insects crawling around that I had never seen in my life,'' he noted.

"My son and my girlfriend were bitten by fleas -- which must've come from the eight or nine mice I managed to kill while I was there.

"And the dampness was so bad that there was mould growing on everything -- my clothes, the ceiling and the furniture.

"My child has developed asthma and there is a question on my part as to whether it's a result of the dampness problem.

"We had plumbing problems, electrical problems...and our landlord literally did nothing at all,'' he added.

Mr. Simmons' girlfriend, Jennifer Lawrence, said they were electrically shocked on numerous occasions from faulty sockets. And one socket even caught on fire.

"There are fire hazards all over the place...and when you turn on the microwave, you can't turn on the iron -- it took a week getting ready for work,'' she said.

And the couple's water tank was covered with nothing more than a plywood plank.

Mr. Simmons said he later discovered that the Annual Rental Value of the apartment worked out to about $600 per month -- despite the fact that he was paying twice as much.

And he claims that an employee from Agriculture and Fisheries examined the place and found it "unsafe, unsanitary, and should never have been rented out''.

Mr. Simmons showed The Royal Gazette copies of documents from Agriculture and Fisheries confirming that there was mould growing on the furniture, ceiling and walls and there were insects called "psocids'' feeding on the mould spores.

But Agriculture and Fisheries were unable to confirm the source of the insect bites that left scars on Ms Lawrence's arms, legs, and stomach.

The couple and their baby were able to find alternative housing and moved out of the apartment on July 6.

Mr. Tuzo was off the Island on vacation yesterday and was unable to respond to the allegations.