Couple and four-month-old baby threatened witheviction over settee

A COUPLE and their four-month-old baby have been told by the Housing Executive they face eviction because they brought a settee into a furnished home in a hostel.

Warren Penney, Kirsty Watters and their baby son Christian were served with an eviction notice and told they had to leave their home in Killaney Avenue on June 11.

Warren, who has lived in the hostel since October, said that he received the eviction order on May 28, and told must comply with the Housing Executive rules otherwise they will be made to leave.

The Executive say that all residents are told the rules and are not allowed to bring in their own furniture into the hostel.

Warren said: “We just wanted something that is a bit more comfortable for us and the baby, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to bring in something like a settee.

“The chairs that were already there were like something you would get in a nursing home. But they told us bringing in a settee breaks the rules and then we were served with an eviction notice.

“No-one said at the time about the settee and we have had it a few months now.”

He said the couple were served the eviction notice after they complained about issues around the windows and complained they had spotted rats in the area.

He said: “How can they threaten us with eviction over a settee when we have a four-month-old baby?”

A spokesperson for the Housing Executive said the matter had been resolved and the couple have removed the settee. “This issue has now been resolved,” he said. “The tenants who are currently in temporary furnished accommodation have agreed to remove the piece of furniture in question.

“For Health and Safety reasons, temporary residents are not allowed to bring their own furniture into this type of accommodation.”