A neighbour has reacted with anger as a mum from Bracknell, who has been a social housing tenant for decades, has been evicted.
Kim Gardner has lived in social housing in urban Warfield for years.
The property in Hamlet Street is divided into flats.
Initially run by London & Quadrant (L&Q), it was recently taken over by Housing Solutions, based in Maidenhead.
Liam Musgrove, her neighbour, has reported that she is being evicted and has been forced to give up her pet cats.
He said: “They are evicting my neighbour, she is 66 years old and she has lived there for 37 years.
“She was getting letters, but they were getting sent to the wrong address.
“They’ve changed her locks, I’ve had to take her in, and she’s had to put her four cats up for adoption.”
A photo Mr Musgrove sent showed Ms Gardner’s cats and her other items piled outside in Hamlet Street.
Ms Gardner said: “They were my beloved cats, but what could I do? And they’ve been there for eight to nine years as well. ”
She was in a two-bed flat where she raised her two daughters.
Mr Musgrove said: “ To do that to someone who’s been here from day one, is mad.
“They’re turfing her out, she had he two daughters here, she lived there all her life.”
Ms Gardner also has physical illnesses which make her vulnerable.
Mr Musgrove said: “It’s over rent arrears. She was working under the impression that part of it gets paid, and she can prove that with letters.
“Plus they are sending the evictions to the wrong address, it makes you wonder where the letters are going.
“The rent has gone up from £700 to £1,200.
“We’re in a great location, five minutes from town, and no one else’s house rent is like that, it’s crazy.”
He previously complained – an issue he says still hasn’t been resolved.
Mr Musgrove said: “No, it hasn’t been resolved – it’s frustrating, I’ve got rats still, I hear them scratching in the loft, it’s a shambles really.
“If you’re a housing association, you have a duty of care to maintain an acceptable standard in a property.
“This was sold off by L&Q to Housing Solutions, now everyone is jumping around like dragonflies.
“She [Ms Gardner] is like my mum, who I lost years ago.
“There is no duty of care, it’s bad.”
Ms Gardner added: “I’ve waited two and a half years to get my roof done to defend it from squirrels, but it hasn’t been solved.”
Housing Solutions was asked to reverse the eviction action and solve the issue of dead rodents in the loft.
A spokesperson said: “We recognise that losing a home is an extremely distressing experience, and it is not something we ever want to see happen.
“Keeping people safely housed is at the heart of what we do, and our priority is always to support residents to stay in and sustain their homes.
“While it would not be appropriate to comment on the specific circumstances of an individual case, we often work with residents over an extended period to prevent situations reaching this point.
“Eviction is never taken lightly and is only considered where we have been unable to resolve matters in any other way.”
