Despite trying to do her own repairs, and constant complaints to the council, her house is crumbling around her
Louis Corbett Trainee Reporter
04:00, 17 Jan 2026
Kelly Bullous, 38, pictured at home in Lenton Abbey, Nottingham(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
A council has apologised after a single mother of two was left worrying that her house would collapse.
Kelly Bullous, 38, lives in Lenton Abbey with her two children, aged 12 and 8. Although she has been in constant contact with Nottingham City Council about the state of her home, she feels that her cries for repairs are being ignored.
However, since they first appeared eight years ago, the cracks have grown worse, and despite her attempts to carry out repairs on the walls herself, she claims the plaster just crumbles off, and with little help from her landlord, Kelly feels that she is stuck.
Subsidence occurs when the ground beneath a building sinks, causing the property’s foundations to become unbalanced and leading to cracks in the walls, jammed doors, and plaster starting to fall off the walls.
After visiting the council several times over the years, Kelly was awarded several small amounts of compensation from Nottingham City Council following the successful resolution of at least four separate disrepair claims, yet the 38-year-old only wants to move out of the crumbling house.
She said: “My children and I absolutely hate being in this house. We don’t feel safe in this house.
A general view of a section of damaged wall at Kelly Bullous’ home in Lenton Abbey, Nottingham.(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
“My oldest boy won’t stay here because he’s scared it will collapse.
“It’s absolutely destroyed our lives.
“They tried to say it was the guttering that needed clearing. I kept getting fobbed off for years and years.
“I tried to do some of it myself, but a workman came in and told me that there is no point in it, just falls out, and there is no point in doing any work on it, as it will just keep falling off.”
Kelly stated that when contractors discussed repairs with her, they informed her that the house could be classified as “decant”, meaning that her property would be deemed uninhabitable, and Kelly and her children would be relocated to either temporary accommodation or a different permanent accommodation.
“My mental health is so bad, I don’t want to be here. I’m absolutely terrified about being in the house.”
Throughout the house, plaster can be seen falling off the walls, cracks run from the floor to the ceiling in every room, and in her youngest child’s room, two holes showing wooden boards can be seen where the wall has fallen off, yet nothing that Kelly does herself will be enough to repair the extensive structural issue.
Kelly continued: “One of the workmen said that I could spend thousands on it and it wouldn’t matter.”
A general view of a section of damaged wall at Kelly Bullous’ home in Lenton Abbey, Nottingham.(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Eight months ago, contractors from Nottingham City Council erected scaffolding around Kelly’s home, yet she claims that no work has been done since.
In addition to the subsidence, the stairs have also begun to collapse, with a floorboard missing underneath the carpet, which Kelly deems a safety hazard. However, since reporting this to a contractor in person, she has received no response.
“I won’t even bring people to the house anymore. It’s horrible. I can’t even decorate either, as everything just falls off the walls.
“Every time a lorry came past, I could see bits coming off- there were cracks everywhere.
“My youngest boy’s room is blocked as well. You can’t open it. I don’t want the money – I want to move out.
“They are just pushing me from pillar to post, they keep trying to give me compensation. I can’t leave, I can’t get an exchange, I can’t even go private renting and I can’t fix it myself. I just want to get out.”
Since Nottinghamshire Live contacted Nottingham City Council, the council has apologised to Kelly and stated that it will carry out repairs to the property in the coming weeks.
A Nottingham City Council spokesperson said: “We have spoken to Ms Bullous this week and apologised for the delays in completing the necessary works to her home.
“Many of the external repairs have already been carried out, and Ms Bullous has asked that this work resumes on 19 January, to accommodate her family’s schedule.
“We plan to complete all external works during that week and remove the scaffolding the week after. “Internal repairs will begin at the same time, following confirmation that there are no structural concerns, and we anticipate that all works will be completed by mid-February.
“This timeline has been agreed with Ms Bullous.
“We are prioritising these works so that Ms Bullous and her family can live comfortably and enjoy their home going forward.”
