A single mother has been instructed to return to her home despite medical advice warning that damp and mould inside the property are affecting her health.
Hollie Monks, 46, has lived in a house in Coalpit Heath managed by the Sovereign Network Group housing association for three years. Over the past year, she says she has struggled with persistent damp and high humidity levels.
Last autumn, Ms Monks and her two children were temporarily moved into a local hotel while repairs were carried out. After months of work, she has now been told that the property is safe for them to move back into.
In July, Ms Monks was taken to hospital following a severe asthma attack. However, the housing association has since stated that its most recent checks found the humidity in the property to be “manageable.”
She first began noticing damp and water leaking through her front door in the autumn of 2024, an issue made worse by the downward slope of the land outside her home.
During the family’s three-month stay at the Travelodge in Emersons Green, the porch was removed and the front door replaced to help improve drainage. A dehumidifier was also provided to help manage the moisture levels.
Despite these efforts, Ms Monks says the problem remains unresolved. Speaking to the BBC, she pointed out areas of mould near the front door and in both bedrooms.
“I’ve just come back into my house, and you can hear how I’m struggling to breathe—the moisture is too much for my asthma,” she said.
“They tell me to keep putting towels down, and I have to empty my dehumidifier three times a day,” she added. “We’re sleeping surrounded by mould, and my son has to use a fan just to help him breathe.”
Her situation comes as new rules under Awaab’s Law require housing associations and councils to deal with damp and mould problems within stricter time limits. The law was named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 after being exposed to mould in his family’s flat in Rochdale.
In August, a nurse from Southmead Hospital’s Severe Asthma Team sent a letter—seen by the BBC—to Sovereign Network Group, warning that Ms Monks was “showing symptoms consistent with the harmful health effects of damp and mould exposure.”
The nurse noted that because of her medical history, Ms Monks was “at increased risk of further complications” if the issues were not resolved promptly.
Nicole Sharp, chief customer officer at Sovereign Network Group, said the organisation had “thoroughly investigated the humidity levels” and concluded that the home was safe to live in.
“Our surveyors confirmed that humidity can be managed with proper ventilation, and no mould was found during the most recent inspection,” she said.
She added that sensors had been installed to monitor humidity levels, and that the back door as well as the kitchen and bathroom extractor fans would soon be replaced.
BBC News, November 2025
