A BEREAVED West Linton woman has hit out at a landlord’s policy of only granting grieving families seven rent-free days to clear homes and return the keys after the death of a tenant.

Caroline Graham was at the bedside of her father Dave McEwen when he passed away in the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh on Saturday, July 15.

The 71-year-old retired businessman, who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease, died as a result of complications following back surgery. His funeral took place at the Borders Crematorium on Wednesday.

For the past two years, Mr McEwen had been a tenant of Oakwood Park, a 19-flat Eildon Housing Association sheltered housing complex in Galashiels.

Mrs Graham said: “My husband and I have taken care of dad since he moved into Oakwood and our lives have revolved around him completely. I did nothing but cry for two days after he died and on the Monday, having had no sleep, I reluctantly drove from West Linton to his flat to look for his insurance documents.

“The staff at Oakwood are lovely and one of them told me to take my time in the flat as she thought we would have a few weeks to get things sorted. She returned half an hour later and apologetically told me she had made a mistake and we only had one week from day of death to clear the flat and return the keys.

“I was told we were not being put out but if we kept the keys longer than a week we would have to pay £14.50 a day until we were finished. 

“I was also told that Eildon would be advertising the vacancy this Monday – two days before the funeral. My dad was so happy at Oakwood and made so many friends, some of whom are too frail to come to the funeral, so we’d arranged a wee memorial service for him in the Oakwood lounge before we head to the crematorium.

“I had visions of people viewing his flat with the hearse outside the building and it really upset me.

“To my mind, Eildon’s policy is wrong. I understand it is a business which must make money, but it would not bankrupt them to allow a family, overwhelmed with grief, to at least lay their loved ones to rest before asking them to rip their homes apart. I have found it heartbreaking, especially when I still have the funeral to get through.

“I believe all housing associations should give you at least a couple of weeks after a death to let people come to terms with their loss first.”

Amanda Miller, Eildon’s director of housing and care services, said: “Our local staff have been advising [Mrs Graham] on arrangements should the family require more than seven days. This includes practical advice on clearing out the property as well as confirmation of the £14.50 daily charge.

“Mrs Graham has confirmed that our staff have been supportive and sensitive in the handling of this matter which is reassuring.

“We make assumptions around how many tenancies will change in a year and factor assumptions about the level of rent-free periods in the same year. To increase this would impact on our costs and, ultimately, on the rents of all our tenants.

“We have adopted the seven-day rent free policy as we believe it offers a balance between being sensitive about the recent loss of a family and meeting our needs to fund ongoing costs and services relating to the property, solely funded through rent charges.

“A number of other housing organisations do not apply any rent-free periods after the death of a tenant, so I feel we strike a balance with our current approach.

“On the matter of advertising 3 Oakwood Park [Mr McEwen’s flat], I have advised Mrs Graham this will be held back until after her father’s funeral.”

Mrs Graham said she appreciated the delay in advertising the vacant flat and that the family had started paying the £14.50 charge from Monday of this week.

“This is not about money, but about a policy which is wrong and insensitive,” she told us.

No-one should have to go through a loved one’s belongings or clear their homes before they have even laid them to rest.”