Saundersfoot grandmother's eviction by church 'immoral', says family

An 85-year-old grandmother is facing eviction from her home of 27 years by the Presbyterian Church of Wales.

Ann Allsop has rented the property from the church in Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire, since 1995.

But she has been left "in tears, frustrated and angry" after being served with a "no fault" eviction notice as the church looks to sell up.

The Presbyterian Church of Wales said it "needed to sell the two houses and notice was served".

Pembrokeshire council said it was "aware of Ms Allsop's situation" and its officers had "been advising her on her options".

Ann's son, Stephen Allsop, said: "It beggars belief that a religious organisation could stoop this low."

Speaking on Radio Wales Breakfast, he added: "It's incredibly upsetting. We've had a lot of tears, she doesn't know what's going to happen. She's very strong and now she's angry, very angry. I've never seen her like this before."

The family said Ann had repeatedly been given assurances over the years that the church was happy for her to stay in the property until she dies.

However, in a move which came "completely out of the blue", the pensioner was told to be out of the home by 21 July, but is staying there as long as she can.

Mr Allsop said: "The way they went about it was strange. My wife had a message to ring a number at 8 o'clock on a Friday night and she was told her mother-in-law was being evicted. They were giving her six months but a couple of days later that became two months.

He added: "The council said they are trying to do something. What the church is doing is absolutely legal but it's completely immoral, especially considering its beliefs.

"They've offered nothing and have not once been in touch, which is part of the frustration."

Mr Allsop said the church had told his mother she was the best tenant it had ever had and she had paid for much of the maintenance of the property out of her own pocket.

"We asked if we could buy the property and were told we could but only once it was on the open market - and therefore empty."

"She can't afford to move, property and rental prices are through the roof, and she doesn't want to move after 27 years."

A section 21 notice allows landlords to be evicting tenants and take back possession of the property on a no fault basis and without giving a reason.

They are banned in Scotland for tenancies starting after 1 December 2017 and are set to be banned in England under the Renters Reform Bill.

The Welsh government plans to extend the notice period for no-fault-evictions to six months for new tenants by the end of this year.

There are about 13 million people in the UK renting from private landlords and more than one third of those live with children.

The Presbyterian Church of Wales said notice was given "in accordance with the law".

A spokesperson for the church said: "We are concerned that the current housing situation in Wales is in crisis and as a responsible landlord we seek to look after our tenants where we can.

"In this particular situation, unfortunately, the church needed to sell the two houses and notice was served in accordance with the law. 

"On a wider note, there have been occasions where we have sold properties to housing associations to provide affordable homes and we are committed to working with other agencies to secure fair housing in Wales."

A spokesperson for Pembrokeshire council added: "We will be continuing to provide support and assistance to [Ms Allsop] in securing alternative accommodation.

"The demands on our social housing stock are extremely high leading to longer waiting times for accommodation, as well as significant shortages of suitable accommodation in people's areas of choice to live."