The 63-year-old insists she is a forced voyeur to a host of "illegal and anti-social behaviours" which limit her sleep, affect her ability to work, and prevent her from fully enjoying the property, which is managed but not owned by the BHC.

She rarely opens the windows in her tiny apartment because of the strong smell of urine. A nook outside her front door is used as a storage place for weapons ? cement blocks and wooden planks readied for fighting with rivals and as a defence against police. A tiny backyard should be accessible from the roadside but isn't, because ruffians caused the landlord to erect and lock a gate, to which she hasn't a key.

The outdoor furniture she keeps in the backyard is tied down to prevent it from being stolen. And she is reluctant to dispose of her Christmas tree, which she has propped against a second backyard gate as reinforcement. Still, used condoms are regularly found in her backyard.

Inside, the rooms are tiny and would be covered with mould were she not extremely vigilant.

Repeated complaints to police officers, the BHC, the Rent Commissioner and the Government Ombudsman over the past 12 months have largely gone unheeded.

According to the woman, officers have told her to contact the BHC, the rent commissioner is unable to intervene and the Government ombudsman will not intervene. The Bermuda Housing Corporation has offered to relocate her, however the woman insists she does not want to move, she wants her concerns addressed.

"I have no problem living in this area," she insisted. "My problem is that I pay the rent and I cannot enjoy where I'm living. They're exposing me to a life of drugs and sex and I'm tired of it. I feel like I'm under house arrest. I can't go outside. Everybody is enjoying my outside except me. Who do they think I am, Martha Stewart?

"BHC knows what's going on here, they've seen the activity. The landlord knows what's going on. And nobody's doing anything.

"The Government is the law, so the Government has every right to stop this behaviour. All they do is tell me to call the police. When I call them, they tell me to call the landlord, that I can't (initiate) anything because I'm a sub-tenant. I'm tired of it. My argument is that if BHC sees what's going on and the landlord sees what's going on, why should I have to call the police?"

The woman said she has asked the drug dealers to move. Although they are polite, their response is always the same.

"They said BHC had no right to put me here, that they were born and bred in the area and won't move elsewhere because this place is secluded ? it allows them to continue with their illegal activities. I see schoolchildren here every afternoon smoking weed. They're selling drugs all the while with their own children doing their homework and riding tricycles in front of them."

The woman said when she moved into the house last February she signed a Code of Conduct which held her responsible for the water supply and forbade her from using illegal drugs on the property or participating in anything illegal or immoral which might annoy her neighbours or the landlord.

It also insisted she not play loud music or encourage loitering.

"We went through a list of agreements. There are lots of rules and regulations that they have breached. All the problems I'm getting are the ones they asked me not to give them ? there's lots of heavy trafficking, there's illegal and anti-social behaviour. The property is used as an arena to elude the law and the police are familiar with it. It's used for drugs, for parties, for anything. You name it and it's here.

"It all prohibits me from living comfortably. I pay $900 a month for a place that is exposed to a lot of drugs and sexual activities. There are people making out on my porch, people playing loud music, people talking 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I think they use the water in the tank for their dogs and I'm responsible for it if it runs out. I spoke with BHC about it. They completely ignored me. They've exposed me and exploited me."

She added that she is responsible for the piping, which sits exposed and above ground and therefore at the mercy of those who trespass.

"I don't have a garage and so I have to park my car on the road. I've found blood and dents all over it.