A GRIEVING council house tenant says he is on the verge of being turfed out of his home by heartless housing officials after his dad and brother died only months apart.
Heartbroken Darren Evans, 51, has lived in his home his whole life.
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But he faces eviction from the three-bed semi in Cardiff, Wales, which his parents first moved into 55-years-ago, after officials say it is now too big for his needs.
He told WalesOnline: “I just feel suicidal and depressed all the time.
“I won’t be able to carry on if I have to move.”
Desperate Darren shared the home in Heol-Yr-Odyn with his brother, 53, and dad, 77, both named David.
But Darren’s brother died suddenly last July and in November he tragically also lost his father to sepsis – leaving him with crippling anxiety and depression.
Shortly afterwards the council told Darren he needs be rehoused in a one-bedroom property.
Darren also has severe learning difficulties which mean he is unable to read or write.
Family members have been staying with him to help him cope and give him the support he needs.
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But this will be impossible in a one-bed home, his niece Amy Lesauteur, who has launched a petition with over 160 signatures to stop Darren’s eviction, said.
Amy, 29, added: “The housing manager came out and said, ‘You aren’t keeping the house, it’s as simple as that’.”
Darren has been snared by the rules around tenancies because Welsh law only allows one succession per tenancy.
This happened when Darren’s dad David was handed the tenancy after his wife and Darren’s mum Barbara died in 1994.
And although the Welsh Government passed a law in 2016 which will potentially allow two, the change is not coming into force until this December.
Cardiff Council told WalesOnline that even if the new law was already in place, it would still be able to apply for an eviction on Darren’s house because they claim it is too big for a tenant’s needs.
Amy added: “He was offered a one-bedroom flat in one of the worst estates in Ely, Spinney Close. It has a big drug issue.
“He was told, ‘You have to view it on Monday and if you don’t, you’re not going to be offered any property’.”
Darren waited outside the home for a whopping “hour and half” but no one turned up, Amy said the council haven’t offered an explanation.
But the council insist there was a misunderstanding over the appointment.
A spokeswoman told WalesOnline the property where the viewing was taking place is in fact not ready so a viewing would not have been offered.
Amy however claimed the family have been given no date or guidance for when Darren has to leave adding the situation is “so stressful”.
She added how Darren’s neighbours play a “big part” in his life by cooking and taking care of him and they’ve written letters to the council pleading for justice.
A council spokesperson said: “The law on tenancy succession is clear and currently allows only one succession to take place, which has already occurred in this instance.
“There is very high demand for family-size accommodation across the city and as Mr Evans has been assessed as requiring a one-bedroom property, the three-bedroom house he’s currently in is too big for his needs.”
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