I was disappointed to read your highly emotive article about the Barnett family and their dealings with Barnet Homes ("Disgraceful" housing authority tells family to stay in rat house', Times Series, April 10).

I would like to state it is totally untrue they were made to stay in a house "with a stench of dead rats".

Barnet Homes has dealt quickly and effectively with the family's complaints. We have sent out our contractors and pest controllers six times to follow up their concerns and lay traps.

We even booked the family into a hotel for 15 nights at our expense while the contractors blocked holes in the kitchen where it was thought the rodents could possibly enter the property.

Sometime after the family returned home, Mrs Barnett phoned to inform us a dead rat had been found outside her flat.

The next day our contractors and the pest control manager inspected the property inside and out. They reported they could not smell or see any evidence of rat droppings, but agreed to do some further investigative work to put Mrs Barnett's mind at ease. Further traps were set internally and externally.

These were inspected on April 18 and showed no signs of rats. The internal traps have now been removed, but as a safeguard, the external ones will remain for a further two weeks.

Unfortunately, rats are common in London and none of us are immune. However, Barnet Homes is committed to ensuring the wellbeing of tenants and will continue to investigate and deal promptly with any reported evidence of rats.

Trevor Renouf, Barnet Homes chairman