Inverness mother still waiting to move from mouldy Highland Council flat as housing repairs loom
An Inverness mother whose council flat has been plagued by severe damp, black mould and pest infestations remains in limbo months after raising concerns about the dangerous living conditions.
Despite a provisional move date of November 3 and scheduled repairs by a council contractor, Highland Council has yet to confirm where Kayleigh Ross and her two-year-old daughter, Aria, will be temporarily housed - or for how long.
Ms Ross, who lives in Dalneigh, has endured worsening conditions since she moved in January last year, reporting spreading mould, rising damp, and infestations of silverfish and other pests - all confirmed in an independent report.
Her daughter, Aria, has been in and out of hospital with a persistent cough and regularly uses an inhaler - problems Ms Ross believes have been worsened by prolonged exposure to mould.
“I am happy they're finally doing something, but it's just very stressful,” she said. “I've only packed one box, because I’m worried it might get to the third, and then they say: ‘because we haven't found you anywhere, it's going to be another month’.”
The long-awaited repair works - due to begin on November 4, the day after Ms Ross is meant to move - include uplifting carpets and underlay, cutting hatches in external walls to inspect cavities, drilling hydro sleeves into the original plaster, and removing skirtings along external walls to address water ingress and damp. But without confirmation of where she’ll go, or how long she’ll be displaced, the uncertainty has taken its toll.
Ms Ross has expressed concern about her personal belongings, including carpets and bedroom furniture she purchased herself, which will also need to be removed.
Meanwhile, conditions inside the flat continue to deteriorate. Ms Ross says she has seen silverfish and small red insects throughout her home, particularly under carpets where mould is visible.
“They're really hard to see because they're tiny - but they're everywhere,” she said. “They're under the wee one's carpet - I've lifted up a bit of her carpet where I can see mould, and they're all in there.”
Her daughter’s health remains Ms Ross’s biggest worry.
“She’s terrified of her inhaler,” she said. “So she's howling, and she had her mummy let go of me, and then I'm howling because I feel so guilty.”
Ms Ross first made her plight public in September 2025, when she shared details of the unsafe living conditions in her flat.
An independent inspection carried out in September found that the issues were not caused by tenant behaviour. It described the flat at “clean, tidy and well looked after.” Instead, it identified structural, ventilation and environmental failings and “insufficient property maintenance” as the root causes, warning that “without remedial action, these issues may worsen and lead to potential health risks for occupants.”
A follow-up inspection commissioned by Highland Council confirmed that significant structural work was required, prompting the planned temporary move.
A wider issue across the Highlands
Ms Ross’s experience highlights growing concerns about damp and mould in social housing across the region - with complaints from Highland Council tenants up 38 per cent in the past two years.
The rise comes ahead of Awaab’s Law, due take effect in March 2026, which will legally require social landlords to fix damp and mould within set timeframes.
Named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 from mould exposure in his housing association home, the new legislation aims to prevent similar tragedies.
A Highland Council spokesperson said: “Officers have been in contact with the tenant directly to confirm arrangements for the forthcoming repair work and will continue to liaise until the matter is resolved.
“The Highland Council takes reports of damp and mould seriously and are committed to working with our tenants to resolve. We encourage tenants to report their concerns directly through the Repairs Service Centre on 01349 886602.”
A spokesperson for the contractor said they were unable to comment on individual cases.
Ms Ross said she has yet to receive confirmation of where she and her daughter will be temporarily housed - less than one week before the planned works are due to begin.