OAP forced to sleep in his car after council kicks him out of his own home
Locks were changed while Gordon went on day trip
Official Sponsor of your Cup Winning football team St Mirren Alison Rennie
A pensioner was forced to sleep in his car after heartless council bosses kicked him out of the home he had lived in for over 30 years.
Gordon Forsyth, 74, returned from visiting his daughter for the day in Edinburgh last month to find the locks on his two-bedroom house had been changed.
Renfrewshire Council believed armed forces veteran Gordon had stopped living in the property and issued a notice of abandonment in July — despite him repeatedly telling them he
still lived there.
They then returned to his home on August 19 while he was out and changed the locks.
The pensioner, who is on medication and has recently undergone knee surgery, spent three nights in a homeless unit, then had to sleep in his car until he was able to go back to his daughter’s home.
Gordon said: “I’m at my wit’s end. I had to get the doctor to give me more medication so I could sleep at night.
“I feel as though the world’s against me.
“I had to sleep in my car in a car park for two nights.
“I’ve had to get friends to look after my dog for me and I’m staying at my daughter’s place in Edinburgh just now, but it’s tied to the Armed Forces, so I can’t be here for too long.
“My daughter has clothes for me at her place, so at least I had something to change in to.”
Gordon is fighting an ongoing battle with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over issues with his pension credit and believes it told Renfrewshire Council he was no longer living in his home in Hillview Road, Elderslie.
He said: “The DWP believes I had a woman staying with me in the house, but she lives over 100 miles away in Stranraer. Her father and I were best friends until he passed away.
“I’ve been keeping bus tickets and library tickets to prove I still live in my house and I’ve got food in my fridge.
“I’m not going to fill my fridge or freezer or hang my washing out the back if I don’t live there any more.”
Gordon, who served in the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy and was a surgical chiropodist, went to Renfrewshire Council’s homeless service for help, but was told because they believed he had intentionally made himself homeless, it couldn’t help him.
Jon Kiddie, from Renfrewshire Law Centre, has been keeping in touch with Renfrewshire Council about Gordon’s case.
He said: “Very clearly the law places the onus on the landlord to make enquiries about abandonment of properties. It’s not enough that the council acts solely on information from the DWP.
“The abandonment procedure requires the service of two notices. The purpose of the first notice is to give the tenant the opportunity to respond.
“Mr For s y t h responded immediately to say he still lived there.
“He lived and slept in the house for the next 28 days and when he was out of the house after the last day, he came back to find the locks had been changed.
“Landlords need to be very careful when treating tenancies as abandoned. For example, the Rent (Scotland) Act 1984 may apply in some cases and states that where someone deprives the lawful occupier of a property of their use of that property as their home, that person shall be liable to prosecution for a criminal offence.
“For us at the Law Centre, it is always very troubling when a person loses their right to occupy their home because their landlord has not complied with proper legal requirements.”
Just hours after being contacted by The Paisley Daily Express, Renfrewshire Council confirmed it would be reinstating Gordon’s tenancy.
A council spokesman said: “All tenancy matters are investigated thoroughly to identify whether action is required.
“When someone presents as being roofless out with office hours, they are offered temporary accommodation and can remain in temporary accommodation for a reasonable period while advice and assistance are provided to help them address their housing need.
“The individual was offered and accepted tempora r y accommodation.
“He was advised of his rights and could have remained in temporary accommodation whilst his claims were being investigated, but left without giving a forwarding address or notice of his intentions.
“Upon conclusion of this investigation, housing officers have provided the individual with his keys and we would like to apologise to the individual for any distress this situation has caused.”
I feel as though the world’s against me Gordon Forsyth