A paralyzed, bedridden man lives in fear of losing his home in Sunderland after his landlord issues an eviction notice.
dr. Harvey Cowe, 62, who lives in Hove with his wife Sheree, 55, received an eviction notice on Aug. 2.
dr. Cowe has been effectively paralyzed from the neck down since 1984 after a car accident in the Lake District.
The couple, who are originally from Sunderland, have been renting their detached house for 25 years and Sheree is now her husband’s full-time carer.
The property has been specially adapted to suit his needs, including a hydrotherapy pool and a voice-activated computer to ensure he can continue his work as an academic researcher.
After the landlords expressed their will to sell the Hove property in 2019, both parties agreed to make efforts to enable the Cowe family to raise the necessary funds to purchase it.
Dr Harvey Cowe, 62, and wife Sheree, 55, are facing eviction from the specially adapted home they’ve lived in for 25 years – despite raising the money to buy it
On March 22, the landlords’ legal representation told its attorneys: “Our client is willing to consider that proposal based on the fact that your client withdraws his request for the nullification of the property warrant and that our client, in turn, agrees to do so.” agrees not to carry out that order for three months.’
Rachel Lashmar, speaking on behalf of the landlords, said: SussexLive“We can’t say anything about the case itself, except that this has been an incredibly complex and emotional situation for all parties involved for three years.”
While Harvey and Sheree were able to raise money with the help of relatives, Brighton and Hove City Council also offered the family a loan to help buy the property, and ‘ensuring that everything was in place for the Cowe family’s proposed purchase ‘. .
Councilor David Gibson, co-chair of the council’s housing commission, claims the loan was based on an appraisal of the property and that the offer was “known to all parties.”
The Cowe family accepts that despite the three-month grace period ending July 6, they were able to complete the £900,000 bid two weeks after the deadline.
After the offer was made, the tenants received an eviction notice on August 2.
In correspondence with Dr. Cowe on July 26, and seen by SussexLive, the landlords state that they must “continue to market the property” and that they “welcome all offers consistent with the market value of the property.”
SussexLive has seen email correspondence in which the landlords explain their intent to put the property on the open market in order to get the highest possible sale price.
dr. Cowe, however, claims that multiple appraisals of the property were made prior to the decision to buy, with none exceeding £950,000.
After a court ruling on Tuesday, bailiffs are said to have arrived at the property the same day.
The property in Hove has received a maximum valuation of £950,000 and the Cowe’s are offering £900,000 but the landlords are looking to sell as much as possible
The couple, who live in Hove with their 17-year-old son, have described the terrifying ordeal.
“It was terrible,” said Mrs Cowe. “The bailiffs came and drilled through the doors. It went on for 40 minutes.
“Harvey can’t even get out of bed, we have nowhere to go. I naively thought that if you didn’t answer they would leave, but they managed to get into the side of the house.
‘I had to push the electric wheelchair against the other door so they couldn’t go any further. The bailiffs said we would go back for a higher order, and said they could return any day.
“They said the police could arrest us and put us in a cell. I was so scared, the thought of the bailiffs coming again is terrible.’
dr. Cowe told SussexLive: ‘I’m stuck in bed. I would have to be put on a stretcher through the doorway. I just feel so let down.
‘Why can’t they explain to us why they don’t want to sell to us? It feels like a punishment. I feel totally depressed and drained. It has been so painful for all of us.
“The logistics of moving would be a nightmare, we would have to carry so much equipment and supplies.
“Everyone has worked so hard for two years to make it happen, and now all of a sudden we’re not going through with it. It’s been a waste of time.’
Ms Cowe has said her mother and sister sold their homes to help her raise the money needed to buy the property, while her cousin sold a significant amount of cryptocurrency.
On the same day of the court’s decision to evict, the bailiffs drilled through the Cowe’s doors, while Sheree was unable to move the bedridden Harvey.
Cllr David Gibson, co-chair of the Brighton and Hove City Council housing committee, said it is “very sad” that the landlords are going ahead with immediate evictions.
“I am incredibly disappointed that the court has not exercised its discretion to stop the bailiffs and give them more time to allow the Cowe family to buy the property with the help of the council,” the statement said. declaration.
“Had they done that, maybe they could have stayed in the house they’ve lived in for the past 25 years.
‘Mr Cowe has very serious disabilities. We have previously made major changes to the property to enable the family to continue living there.
“The warrant was issued in April. It was suspended for three months. During this time, due to the exceptional circumstances, we have worked extremely quickly to make an arrangement to enable the family to purchase the property.
‘The municipality has agreed on a loan based on an appraisal to help the family with the purchase and we have made our loan offer known to all parties.
“We worked very closely with the family to ensure that they had the funds to purchase the property and also to ensure that the loan repayments would be affordable for them.”
Cllr Gibson says it is “highly unusual” for the council to intervene in this way, but believes the council’s financial offer was appropriate given the needs of the household.
“We made sure everything was in order for the proposed purchase by the Cowe family well in advance of the August 9 court hearing,” he continued.
“The arrangement we made to facilitate the family’s purchase would have allowed for a quick sale.
‘It would also have provided the landlord with a chain-free buyer. Ultimately, the legal situation is that this is a private matter between two parties.
“We have no authority to overturn or appeal the court order. But I am very saddened that the landlord is insisting on going ahead with an immediate eviction of a severely disabled man and his family.
‘The family lives in fear of the bailiffs. At this point, I am appealing to the landlord to agree to reconsider their decision and try to negotiate a sale to the family.
‘In line with our statutory duties, we are now working hard to find alternative temporary housing that suits the needs of the family.’
Councilor Robert Nemeth, who represents the Wish department in Hove, told SussexLive: “It was appalling to hear that eviction is still being proposed when it feels like there is still plenty of room for the discussions to continue.
“There is now a very practical issue about how Harvey would be removed from his home in accordance with the eviction notice which I hope will focus the minds on returning to the negotiating table.
“The idea of him being dragged onto his mattress is just outrageous and shouldn’t happen.”