A woman who has lived in a Kingston property since 2009 says she feels "bullied" by Kingston Council after repeatedly reporting issues of damp, mould, and woodworm to the authority since late 2023, yet receiving no help.

The woman, referred to as Ms X and lifelong Kingston resident, told Nub News that she first reported issues of damp, mould, and woodworm in her property in late 2023.

Ms X also reported a crack in her wall following a bath leakage in late 2023.

However, she says, the council did not do anything to help until February 2024, when it "sent someone out to acid wash the corner of the bedroom, but the wall was still blown and protruding".

She added: "I've actually requested a Subject Access Request because a lot of what they're [Kingston Council] saying has happened, hasn't happened.

"So, for example, apparently I changed the shower in the bathroom, so that's what's caused the leak in the cracking plaster, and I also removed a radiator in the kitchen, apparently."

However, Ms X denies these claims.

She continued: "Now, back in 2013 and 14, I think Kingston had a better home scheme where they renovated bathrooms and kitchens throughout the borough.

"With that, they changed the bath and the taps, removed the radiator in the kitchen, and put up cabinets, which is what caused my bath to leak.

"But they're completely adamant that I changed it, and that's what's caused the historic leak in the bath, and that's what's cracked the plaster, and the council says it's the resident's fault, and 'you need to pay us back for that'.

"That's the kind of line that they're going down, and they're conveniently not providing those records because it would have had to have been signed off by someone because it was done under Mighty, a company the council previously used, who did that particular renovation.

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"There's been lots of back and forth, lots of denial on their part, hiding it. I feel like they're hiding evidence, but obviously I can't prove that."

Ms X claims that when she reported the issues to the council in late 2023, "no one really came in contact".

She says that the authority has used multiple contractors over the years and is thus claiming that it cannot access her information due to being partnered with a different company.

Ms X said: "I have since become aware that multiple properties within the same building have been affected, yet the issues have not been properly resolved in the three years of this ongoing disrepair.

"Despite continuous reports, the condition of my home deteriorated to the point where it became uninhabitable."

Ms X says that her property was not given a woodworm inspection until March 2025.

She said: "Once that woodworm inspection was done, the man said 'you've definitely got an infestation', and as he lifted it up, he said, 'I would like to come back to give it a proper check'."

However, Ms X says that the woodworm inspector did not return, and despite questioning the council on this, she did not hear back from it, so she submitted another complaint in June 2025.

She said: "That went from stage one to stage two, and then they sent out a different company that came round to inspect the woodworm, and he said, 'No, I'm only here to look at the bedroom,I've been told not to look at any other room'.

"He said that there were definitely signs of old boreholes and wood louse and things like that, and he said, 'We'll have to come back and do another inspection'.

However, by November last year, there had been no other inspection, and the council told Ms X that it was no longer using that company.

She says that she did not receive any treatment to resolve the issue until February this year, nearly a year after the second inspection.

During this period, Ms X was in full-time education, and prior to that, she worked for the NHS as a healthcare assistant for over eight years. She is now a nurse.

Due to the damp and mould in her bedroom, the nurse was forced to sleep in her living room and had to miss lectures as the issues affected her asthma.

She said that her respiratory nurse told her that the mould was worsening her asthma and that she "should not be living in these kinds of conditions".

Ms X says she was "decanted" from her property in 2025 and that the council put her in a Travel Lodge, where she discovered bedbugs.

She was then moved to a Premier Inn, but she says, "at one stage, the council forgot to rebook the booking, and I had nowhere to go".

The nurse says that the council asked her to go to Mitcham or Croydon, but she said that it was "not feasible".

Thus, she says, the council told her she will either have to return to the Travel Lodge with bedbugs or re-sign the housing register.

Ms X added: "After all that trauma, their response really wasn't ok. It wasn't acceptable."

She says that the council then put her into a self-contained flat without asking her to "sign any kind of register" which she says it "should have done in the first place".

She continued: "I just feel like they've been ignoring me and very careless with funds."

Ms X says that no one has visited her property since the woodworm inspection in February and claims that the council blamed the "protruding wood to soil stacks on the roof".

She said: "They said that they fixed the soil stacks in the roof, and it will dry everything out, all will be fine and dandy, and then I think it was August when they knocked out part of that wood, and said, 'Oh, I don't know why the meter reading's still very wet'."

The nurse added that the council have said they need to knock her wall down and re-plaster it. She says that her neighbour has had a similar issue.

Ms X is currently living in the self-contained flat the council put her in and says she will have to stay there until the work to her home is completed.

However, she claims that the council has asked her to keep paying her home bills since she has been decanted from the property. This includes electricity bills caused by a dehumidifier being used to fix the mould issues.

She said: "They're saying, 'well, you keep paying your bills, we'll put you up in a hotel, we'll put you up in temporary accommodation whilst these repairs are being done'.

"But these temporary accommodations haven't always been the best. Travelodge themselves, I think they're quite disgusting in terms of cleanliness, the fact that there were bedbugs there, and I was getting eaten to smithereens."

The nurse says that the situation has had a toll on her mental health and she does not know how she graduated with a First Class Honours.

She said: "Yes, they've decanted me, but that was only after me providing my health record saying this is really affecting me.

"And I was told, 'Oh, you can't go in the property', but I was allowed in and was told to pack up my bedroom. So, I packed my bedroom up within two days.

"I have been speaking to my doctors and other people for support, but it's messed with my mental health. A lot of time has been wasted, I've taken time off from work and out of education.

"A lot of my valuable possessions have been damaged by this. And I'm being told by them that I need to provide receipts or that things can be washed and things like that, but some things are irreplaceable."

Ms X continued: "I feel like I'm being bullied by the council, but I don't know how to put that into words. I've put these complaints in from stage one and stage two complaints. They said 'communication will get better'."

Ms X says that she has now had to involve a solicitor and says she is happy to be moved to another one-bedroom property in the area.

In response to Ms X's claims, a spokesperson for Kingston Council told Nub News: "In November 2025, a resident of Kingston was temporarily relocated after damp, mould, and woodworm were identified in her home.

"We acted quickly to provide alternative accommodation at no additional cost while repairs were carried out and have continued to support the resident throughout this period.

"When concerns were raised about the initial hotel, we arranged a move to alternative accommodation and worked to ensure her comfort and well-being, despite limited availability and challenges in securing longer-term bookings.

"We are in regular contact with the resident, offering ongoing assistance and exploring suitable options until repairs are completed.

"We recognise this has been a difficult experience and we will continue supporting our resident until she can safely return to her home."

However, Ms X says that the council has not been in regular contact with her.