A GRIEVING son is set to be evicted from his home just months after his mother, who took part in a ‘miracle’ cancer drug trial, died.
Back in March last year, Terri Hurdman took part in an experimental drug trial after being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in February 2020, which saw her tumours shrink in half.
However, Terri’s cancer then progressed, and she died aged 50 in August.
Now her son Robert Pinfield and his partner Shanice Hallett are being forced to move from the home on Brine Well Crescent they shared with Terri.
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Robert aged 28 said to move from the house, which he has lived in for three years, ‘would be horrible’ and it would be ‘hard for a very long time’.
Social housing provider, Bromsgrove District Housing Trust, which owns the property said they are doing all they can to resolve the situation so Robert can ‘move home as soon as possible’.
However, Robert says he feels that he has not been supported throughout the process.
He said he appealed the eviction notice which was served by bdht last September and thought ‘they would be able to fight it’.
Unfortunately, he has been unsuccessful as bdht say ‘a succession can only take place once as stated in the Housing Act 1988 and as this is the second request to succeed the tenancy, unfortunately, Mr Pinfield does not qualify.’
Robert, who works in a factory in Droitwich said: “They have offered me a place in Rubery which is one bedroom but Shanice and I are trying for a baby so we need two bedrooms.
“It is also a while away from where I work.
“They then offered us a place in Sidemoor, which is also one bedroom but said if we don’t accept that one then we will have to go to court.
“The whole process has drained me to the point where I don’t even want mum's house anymore.”
Since Terri’s death, all her items remain in the house and her car is on the drive.
“All mom’s things are in the house so it would be so hard to move everything out," added Robert.
“I also want to keep mom’s car as it still smells of her, so any house we want to move to must have a garage or a drive to keep in it.”
Robert is calling for bdht to provide more support for tenants who do not have rights to succeed the tenancy of a property.
He said: “People need support when going through something like this, we feel let down.
“I would obviously love to keep the house, but that’s not going to happen.”
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Matt Stus head of sustainable homes at bdht said: "We have been supporting Mr Pinfield since August last year and appreciate that this is a sensitive situation.
“A shortage of properties means that we don’t have an exhaustive list of availability, and successions ensure that the limited stock of social housing is used as effectively as possible.
“We have taken into account Mr Pinfields housing needs, as he is in a two-bed house, and have offered him two alternative one-bed properties, which allows us to provide a two-bed house for a family that needs it.”
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