Newark hoarder evicted from property by Newark and Sherwood District Council now sleeps in Nottingham cemetery

A Newark man has been sleeping in a graveyard after being evicted from the council house he had lived in for 24 years, leaving him homeless.

Julian March was evicted from his Lombard Street property on October 16 because he was a squatter, in breach of his lease with Newark and Sherwood District Council. He had already lost an appeal against the eviction.

The 55-year-old, who suffers from mental health problems, was told that having an “excess of items” posed a risk to him and other tenants in the flats.

The day after he was evicted he moved to Nottingham, where his mother lives, but said he was unable to live with her due to family issues. Now he lives on the streets of the city, including spending a night in a cemetery.

He said: “The only thing I’ve done to break the lease is have too much stuff in the flat, and they say it’s a fire risk to everyone else, but everyone’s gone now, so there would only be one fire hazard to myself.

“It’s very difficult to prepare to be evicted because I’ve been there for 24 years and I was in this state because it was the emotional distress of it all.”

March claimed she was given 15 days notice before her eviction and asked for more time to move her belongings. His lawyers lodged their appeal at Nottingham County Court on October 15, the day before the eviction.

He submitted photos to show how they cleared some of the property space, but said they were not accepted in court because they were not taken by a lawyer.

He added: “I think they should have done more for me.

“They could have offered me something, or at least extended the eviction date to give me a chance to find another place, but they think I’m in serious breach of the lease, so they didn’t.

“They’ve been helping everyone and I feel backed into a corner because everyone else was allowed to put things outside and have the street watchers pick them up and when I asked them they said no, you can’t leave anything out.”

He claims that his neighbors were offered properties months ago and that he was the only one evicted and received no assistance or nuisance payments.

According to him, he was taken to Castle House by his community psychiatric nurse and advocate and began filling out paperwork for the homelessness process, as he had his eviction letter with him.

“Once I was left there waiting for them to find me emergency accommodation, the council told me that they had nothing to offer, without giving me the reason, despite the fact that I explained to them that I had no money and no somewhere else to go,” Mr March added.

He says he has not been offered a hostel or homeless shelter by the district council and that Nottingham City Council would not register him as homeless as a temporary solution because he has lost his eviction letter, which is proof of their homelessness.

Mr March is now hoping the district council will provide him with a new letter allowing him to continue the process and stay in accommodation and off the cold streets of Nottingham.

Councilor Lee Brazier, portfolio holder for Housing at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “It is a real shame that this situation has unfortunately escalated on Wednesday afternoon. We recognize that this will have been very distressing for everyone those involved and those who witnessed it.

“We cannot comment on any individual and their specific circumstances, but I want to confirm that our housing team have supported this individual throughout their tenancy and have always made sure they have access to the right help and support during their entire journey with us, as they do with all tenants.

“Unfortunately, due to a number of circumstances, about which we cannot go into detail, we had to initiate legal proceedings and the courts authorized us to take specific measures. Throughout this process, we have continued, as we would do this with any tenant, offering individualized advice and support.

“We never want to be in this situation, but unfortunately on this occasion, it could not be avoided. I would like to assure all our tenants that we are here to support and work with you; and our leasing agents do an excellent job of getting to know our individual tenants, working with them to foster great relationships.

“We have over 5,380 tenants and I, along with the housing team, really wanted a different outcome this time.”

Responding to Mr March’s claims about not being supported by the district council, Lee Brazier added: “While we cannot comment on individual cases, we can confirm that anyone involved in the process will be supported by our team of housing options.

“Anyone who approaches the town hall for help can be asked for information or evidence supporting their circumstances and, when this is provided, advice or assistance can be given.

“I encourage anyone who is homeless or at risk of homelessness to contact us so we can help.

“The property is being sold following a Cabinet decision and all tenants are being supported with rehousing. This is not related to any individual circumstances.”

The council is subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) policy, which describes how the council manages the personal information it collects.