News / easton
Housing association sends man eviction notice after mother dies of Covid-19
A man who has been living in a housing association property in Easton for the last year has been sent an eviction notice after his mother – whose name was on the tenancy agreement – passed away from coronavirus.
Mr Eid Osman was asked to provide evidence that he had been living in the property for at least 12 months in order to avoid being evicted.
After supplying United Communities housing association with the relevant documentation, the tenant was informed that he did not meet the requirements for succession of tenancy. The rental agreement for the one-bedroom property stated that only a spouse could succeed the tenancy.
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Mr Osman, who had been a carer for his mother before she passed away from coronavirus in August 2020, has been told to vacate the property by February 8.
Labour councillor for Easton and cabinet member for climate, Afzal Shah, along with Mohamed Abdi Sayaqle from Bristol Somali Youth Voice, have supported Mr Osman in submitting the relevant documents.
Afzal Shah expressed his outrage over the housing association’s decision on Facebook: “Following communication with the housing association, I ensured all requisite documentation, as agreed with the manager, was provided showing he’d resided at the property for over 12 months.”
Shah said he was “horrified” to learn that United Communities had demanded Mr Osman vacate the property “‘within 14 days, else legal proceedings will be initiated’”. “Forced eviction in the middle of a pandemic?” he questioned.
“Most people don’t understand the implications of smallprint, especially when English is a second language. They should be conducting themselves with more empathy,” Shah told Bristol24/7.
Have been assisting a local resident, a tenant of a particular housing association, regarding a succesion matter,…
Posted by Afzal Hussain Shah on Tuesday, 19 January 2021
Mohamed Abdi Sayaqle said: “I believe the housing officer was willing to make the gentleman homeless. He hasn’t shown any remorse in regard to this inconsistent correspondence and the confusion it has caused to the tenant, who has been struggling with the loss of his mum and the unprecedented situation of the pandemic.”
Both Shah and Sayaqle say they tried to contact United Communities several times on the tenant’s behalf but did not receive any reply to their emails. They feel communication has been poor, as it was only after submitting the documents that they were made aware of succession of tenancy being limited to a spouse.
According to information published by homelessness charity Shelter, it is not unusual for tenancy agreements to allow succession from children:
“Many housing association assured tenancy agreements allow a relative to succeed when the tenant had no spouse, civil partner or cohabitee living with them. It is normally a condition that the relative was living with the tenant for at least 12 months before they died.”
Following a decision made by the housing association on January 19, the case was escalated to the board at United Communities, with support from the organisation Stand Against Racism and Inequality (SARI), and councillor Helen Godwin, cabinet member for housing.
United Communities say eviction proceedings will not be enforced while there is still a ban on evictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo by Yvonne Deeney
They have since been in communication with David Bull, operations manager for United Communities.
David Bull told Bristol24/7 in an email: “This matter was passed to me late yesterday afternoon (Wednesday January 20) and I am currently investigating this matter. Once I have completed my investigation, I will respond to the agencies that have contacted me regarding this situation.”
Due to a current eviction ban, the housing association does not legally have the right to enforce the eviction through bailiffs until after February 21.
David Bull has since responded to SARI, confirming the eviction but explaining that they will not begin with any legal proceedings until after the eviction ban:
“I can appreciate that this is a very distressing time for Eid and we will delay any legal proceeding until after February 22. In the meantime, I will arrange for a member of the tenancy impact team to contact Eid to discuss how United Communities can support him.”
United Communities say they are “committed to supporting Eid to find a suitable alternative property” through Bristol City Council’s HomeChoice lettings system.
Main Photo by Yvonne Deeney
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