Maureen Noonan, 62, was forced to move out of her house on St Andrews Street and into a temporary flat when her next-door neighbour’s house went on fire back in late December of 2023.
Almost a year later she was told her home was ready for her to move back but when she got her keys she realised that the walls were wet and damp.
She told the Press: “[My neighbour’s] house went on fire two days before the new year.
“I’ve been out of my house for 11 months through no fault of my own because of the fire. I had to go stay at my pal’s for nine weeks and then they gave me a flat.
“At first I was told by building services that I would only be out six weeks, then in August they said it was six weeks and that’s me just getting back in now.
“The council said it was ready to move in but when I went down there was no gas, no water and no TV aerial.”
Those issues were later fixed, but Maureen said she soon found that 11 months after the fire the property was still damp.
As well as walls that are wet to the touch, Maureen said that everything in her loft was damaged from the roof not being sealed after the fire was put out, the front and back garden were damaged, the workers had trailed dirt through her house and the whole property smells of chemicals.
However, when she raised this with the council, they said that the house was in a liveable condition and only needed to be ventilated and heated.
Maureen continued: “I said I wasn’t moving in, that I have asthma and COPD and that the walls were wet. They said that the house is liveable, it only needs ventilated and they’ll pay my gas and electric.
“If it was sealed, why were my walls all soaking? I had to stand back and watch them let my house deteriorate. I’ve been there 25 years, I’ve been stressed for the last 11 months and it’s made me ill.
“I feel I shouldn’t be responsible for the damage. I just don’t want my health to get worse.”
Maureen also worries that if she does redecorate the house to make it more comfortable for her, the damp will come back and she will have to completely replaster and replace the carpets.
Fife Council have said that the property is safe and is not damp and has confirmed that any issues with the walls will be fixed once the house has been heated.
Taylor McQuilan, housing lead officer at Fife Council, added: “We understand that this has been a very unsettling time, and we want Ms Noonan to be back home as soon as possible.
“We’ve inspected the property, and it’s not damp, and is safe to move back into. However, after being unoccupied for a long period of time, it needs to be ventilated and heated once Ms Noonan moves back in. We’ve offered financial assistance to help with the additional energy costs while she does this.
“If there are any issues with the plasterwork or paintwork once the property is properly heated, we’ll arrange to have them fixed.”