Tenant claims eviction threat

Dunedin grandmother Ellen Pensom and son Damien outside her  flat yesterday. Photo by Linda...
Dunedin grandmother Ellen Pensom and son Damien outside her flat yesterday. Photo by Linda Robertson.
A Dunedin grandmother says a Dunedin City Council property manager ''threatened'' her with eviction and having her granddaughters put in foster care if the children were still living in her council flat today.

Ellen Pensom (63) said she was told by Graeme Dixon, the property manager of her council flat in Shetland St, her two granddaughters had to move out or she would be evicted.

She was told her granddaughters' stay of more than two months was a breach of her tenancy.

''But I said, 'They are homeless at the moment and have nowhere to go'.''

Her granddaughters, aged 4 and 6, were staying with her while her son, Damien Pensom (30), waited for a Housing New Zealand property, she said.

Mr Dixon told her if the girls were still living there today, he would have the children put in foster care and she would be evicted.

She felt ''threatened'' by his comments, she said.

''They threaten to take your grandkids and put them in foster care until your son gets a house. At the time, I said, 'They have nowhere else to go', and he said, 'I don't care'.''

Luckily, her son's Housing New Zealand property application was processed quickly and he was allowed to move in yesterday, she said.

Her grandchildren would remain with her until today, until their father had everything moved into their new house, so her eviction was still a possibility, she said.

''I hope not, but if he [Mr Dixon] comes around and sees them here, he might not even listen to the fact that my son has a new place and is moving them in.''

She had lived in the council flat for three years and had felt ''bullied'' by Mr Dixon's actions, she said.

Mr Dixon said he had issued the cut-off date of today to Ms Pensom to have the children out of the council flat.

''That was to get things moving.''

He had not bullied her and had not told her that he did not care her grandchildren had nowhere to live. He denied threatening to have them put in foster care, he said.

''I can't do that that sort of thing. No landlord can go around doing that.''

shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz

 

Advertisement