A disabled woman in her seventies and her terminally ill son say they are “terrified” after being served an eviction notice to leave their Wokingham home.
Lynne Antink, 71, and her son Colin, 34, have lived in a chalet bungalow on Denton Road since May 2009, but now are expecting to be split up and moved into homes of multiple occupancy.
On April 24, just days before stronger tenant protections came into force, they received a Section 21 no-fault eviction notice – a type of eviction which the government banned on May 1.
Lynne said: “They got it out very quietly, very carefully in the last week in April. We’ve got to the point where we’re really scared now.”
But Steven Wild, managing director of Co-op Homes, said: “We know any such change in housing can cause uncertainty, and the decision… has not been taken lightly.”
When the letter arrived Colin found his mother sobbing her heart out in the kitchen, went into shock and had to be given strong medication to prevent adrenal collapse.
She said: “No one has bothered to respond to my letters, my emails or anything from Co-op homes.”
Both are registered blind, hearing impaired and have severe mobility issues, and need each other both as carers and for emotional support.
The property has been heavily adapted, including a stairlift, walk-in shower and wheelchair access.
She added the family feels “effectively homeless and terrified”, and accused the housing provider of prioritising profit over tenants.
The situation is particularly serious for Colin, who has terminal Addison’s disease and kidney failure. In the past when he had tried to move out and get a place of his own, he kept collapsing.
Lynne said: “We do support each other, but we also have carers who support us.”
For Colin, stress can trigger a life-threatening adrenal crisis requiring an emergency injection within minutes and a category-1 ambulance response.
The home had previously been rented by Lynne’s relatives, and the family say they always expected to remain there. They also questioned why a neighbouring property owned by the same provider was not subject to eviction.
Middlesex Housing Co-op (MHC), managed by Co-op Homes, confirmed it plans to sell the property.
Steven Wild, managing director of Co-op Homes, said: “As a small not-for-profit provider… [we] have to carefully consider the best use of all their properties… The sale of Denton Road will provide… new co-operative housing developments in West London.”
He added: “We have been in regular phone and email and in person contact… and will work with Wokingham Borough Council to ensure a suitable new property is identified.”
Lynne disputes this, saying attempts to contact the provider have been ignored, although they have been receiving help from the parliamentary office of Clive Jones MP.
The family say finding a suitable, adapted home will be extremely difficult and fear for Colin’s health as the eviction process continues.
Lynne said: “I have to be out by July 18, and I haven’t finished packing yet. They can’t throw us out on a park bench, surely?”
