Tenants say they have been living in council homes plagued with damp, mould and rat infestations – but improvements since then have impressed a regulator.
Residents living in Hirst Road, Retford, have faced significant damp and mould problems in their homes, so much so that one woman’s flooring collapsed while her relative was visiting.
Their concerns come after the Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) inspected Bassetlaw District Council’s housing stock and awarded the authority the second-best rating possible.
The Labour-led council says that while, in the majority of cases, its repairs service inspects and resolves issues to the required standards, “in a small number of instances, and in some more complex cases, our actions can fall short of our policy.”
Mum-of-four Kimberley Wilson, who has lived in her council home for 14 years, said the flooring in her living room had collapsed twice due to damp and rot.
The problems became so bad last year that her family had to be moved into temporary accommodation while repairs took place.
“When my brother-in-law came to see us, he fell through the floor,” she said.
“I’ve had rats in the kitchen. They burrowed in and I had to put everything in plastic tubs. I still have fears about them now whenever I hear sounds in my house.
“I just broke down one day. I had only just redecorated. It has been continuous. I was so depressed.”
The council says following a thorough investigation, it was found that the issue with her flooring had been caused by a blocked soakaway, which required the replacement of the flooring and joists on the ground floor, among other work.
Once she was able to return to her home, she was given compensation and decorating vouchers.
Ms Wilson was not the only resident on the street to have seen rats in their homes and gardens, and many said they were surprised at the rating awarded to the council by the regulator.
The rodent issues were being caused by an overgrown section of land attached to a privately rented property that backs onto her garden. As this affected other properties in the area, it was dealt with and resolved by the environmental health team, the authority added.
Another resident, who has lived on the street for 16 years, was forced to take the council to court over a long-running disrepair claim, which was decided in her favour.
“My home was covered in rising damp, and I’m asthmatic,” she said.
“Since I took them to court, they have been sorting things straight away.”
The council said the resident was paid a modest compensation sum, in addition to considerable legal costs, and said the damp and mould issues had now been fully addressed.
Kelly Gotts said she has had a generally positive experience during her 20 years of living in her home.
“They have just put solar panels up. I had to have damp-proofing done a few years ago and my kitchen shelving was all warped,” she said.
“They would not put a new kitchen in, so I’ve got a bit of a makeshift kitchen. I would have liked them to have done something, but that is the only issue I have had.
“Overall, they have been positive.”
Mike Introna, Conservative county councillor for Retford East, said he wrote to the leaders at the authority in March to express his concerns and call for a meeting.
“I’ve been getting involved now for five years on and off with housing-related issues,” he said.
“Over the last two years, it has become more and more frequent.
“I demanded a meeting, which I got, fair play to them, and we sat down and had a discussion during which they showed me some of the things they were looking to do to improve things.
“But I still keep getting issues. It is the number one issue in my inbox… largely because they are not getting responses or they are finding their responses are such that they are not being taken seriously.
“I think there is certainly evidence, albeit inconsistent, that they can do a good job, but there are just too many occasions where people are waiting far too long for help and support.”
“The housing regulator has been inspecting all social housing landlords, including councils, with Newark and Sherwood District Council recently awarded the same C2 housing rating
However, the regulator concluded that Bassetlaw District Council has been delivering an effective, efficient and timely repairs service.
During 2025/26, the council says it carried out a total of 22,786 repairs and completed over 98 per cent of them within the timescales.
Bassetlaw previously said council rents were being reinvested in repairs and improvements.
A dedicated damp and mould team has also been established, which last year carried out works and repairs in 975 cases.
Cllr Lynne Schuller, cabinet member for housing and estates, said: “There are areas of improvement we need to address, but we had kind of already looked at these things previously and we had already got an improvement plan moving forward.
“We’ve remained committed to auditing our stock condition and what is expected is the stock condition is done on a five-yearly basis – but once we’ve achieved 100 per cent – and we are on target to achieve that by December 31 this year – we will move from a five-year survey to a three-yearly inspection, which is actually better than is expected of us.
“We really see the benefits of doing the stock surveys and ensuring we are picking things up as quickly as we can.
“We will continue to work with the regulator. There is a schedule of meetings that are in place. We will establish a partnership with a newly created board to oversee progress in all areas. The focus will be using the inspection feedback to create a clear way forward.”
Similar damp and mould problems have previously been reported in Nottinghamshire council homes.
By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
