Couple Feels 'Scared' And 'Unsettled' After Landlord Sells Their House Of 20 Years And Gives Them 30 Days Notice

Oct 13, 2022 by apost team

No one wants to get evicted from their own house – especially if that place served not just a physical structure where one can sleep at night or a shelter where one could take refuge from storms but a dwelling place one could call home. Sadly, that’s what happened to a couple who lived in a house that became special to them, only to get evicted 20 years later.

Gareth and Unni Williams met in 2001. But according to the Nottingham Post, they mostly messaged each other online at the beginning of their relationship. Both of them liked Rory Gallagher, an Irish guitarist, which made them instantly fancy each other. Gareth works at City Hospital, while Unni works at the not-for-profit organization The Renewal Trust.

In December of that same year, they decided to meet face-to-face in Norway. Having fallen for each other, Gareth popped the question to Unni.

Gareth had been living in Nottingham since 1987, while Unni only decided to move in with him at their home on Wigman Road in the same city. So, the house basically served as their sanctuary where they shared happy memories together for the past two decades.

As per the Nottingham Post, the couple never planned to leave the house and wanted to grow old together in the same house. Well, it’s not surprising at all since they spent most of their married life there and have held onto so many memories together.

Gareth and Uni, both 67 years old at the time they got evicted in 2021, lived in an apartment for 20 years. But they lost their home after someone bought the property at an auction. So, the couple had no choice but to follow the decision of the new landlord to evict them.

But the heartbreaking part was they weren’t given much time to prepare – they were only given a 30-day notice to move out.

Apparently, the new landlord had been living in a shared house and had to move to a house of his own for health reasons.

"I do feel their frustration but I have no other way as I need the place for myself. I bought the property via auction in good faith as my first home for myself to reside in and not an investment property. I am currently living in a HMO (house of multiple occupants) property,” he said.

Gareth said he didn’t know how to react to the devastating news, having felt mixed emotions after finding out about it.

“It's come completely out of the blue and is completely unexpected, it's made us feel insecure, scared, and unsettled,” Gareth told the Nottingham Post. "It's like our whole world has been as if a rug has been tugged from underneath us, we were both reduced to tears when we read the letter on Saturday (December 11).”

Unni, on the other hand, admitted she felt very upset and had become depressed over their situation.

"It's made me very, very upset - I feel angry too, but at the same time, I feel upset, overwhelmed and depressed about the whole thing. In almost 20 years, you accumulate a lot of things, and we're writing lists of what to do and in what order - our home is not perfect, but it is our home, and I love it, I love our garden,” she said.

The couple registered at Nottingham City Homes in hopes of finding a house they call their new home.

apost.com

What can you say about what happened to Gareth and Unni? Did you also feel conflicted about their situation and the situation of their new landlord? Let us know your thoughts, and pass this on to anyone who would love to read this story!