Maureen Crum, 79, was told she needed to leave her home, which she had for the past 32 years, and faces being kicked out – although a housing provider said it would offer her a “suitable alternative”
A woman is being threatened with eviction from her home of 32 years in order to make way for a family to move in.
Maureen Crum, 79, has been told that she must leave her home, despite living with her family in the house in Feltham, West London, since 1993. The grandma moved the tenancy to her son, Jay, as he struggled with his mental health.
She had feared when she died that he would be kicked onto the street should the tenancy remain in her name. But Jay died aged 37 back in 2021.
Now Maureen faces being kicked out of her family home as housing association Notting Hill Genesis refused to transfer the tenancy back to her, arguing the property was too big for her needs. She tearfully told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Every time I hear the door, I think they’re here to take me away.
“You don’t expect to outlive your children, I was worried if I passed away, Jay would be kicked out, which would be even worse because at that stage he was so bad mentally he didn’t even leave the house. I never thought he’d die before me… I would rather die than have to leave my home and move to a new place that I don’t know.”
Notting Hill Genesis said it would offer Maureen a “suitable alternative home,” but her daughter Lisa, 45, is concerned. She said: “If I’m not with her and she has a fall, everyone knows who to call and how to help because they know her.
“If they move her, she will end up in streets she doesn’t recognise, surrounded by people she doesn’t know – she’ll get lost. Notting Hill Genesis lacks humanity, they are treating my mum like a number on the sheet. What they are putting her through is awful – her anxiety is through the roof, she’s constantly shaking and on edge.”
Just weeks after Jay’s death, Maureen applied for tenancy succession but she claimed Notting Hill Genesis ignored the application for three years – in which her health had deteriorated. Notting Hill Genesis apologised for “the time it has taken to reach a resolution on this matter”.
But the association reiterated its stance on moving Maureen out. Lisa claimed when Notting Hill Genesis asked for proof of residence between 2022 and 2024, she was able to give it in full. When they rejected the application, they asked for proof from 2020 to 2021, something Lisa describes as intentional difficult.
She added it had been a struggle to obtain the documents as companies only keep records for 24 months. “We had communication, then they went silent. It was only in November 2024 they were chatting to us about repairing the kitchen floor – a month later she got a notice to quit, they wanted to evict her,” she said.
Maureen continued: “I burst into tears when they told us that. I’m devastated, I can’t pack up and move at this age, I’m frail, I’m 79, not 29.” A petition has now been launched to keep Maureen in her home and it has reached more than 50,000 signatures in the past week.
Lisa said: “I will fight this to the end for my mum, she’s given her life to me, she’s made me the person I am now. I will do right by her, now is my chance to pay her back. I just couldn’t believe it, almost 50,000 want to help my mother, all this time we’ve felt so alone, but we’re not anymore. I hope Notting Hill Genesis takes a long hard look at this and gives my mum some humanity – what they are doing to her is awful.”
Maureen said of the petition: “It’s inspiring. I’m still in shock that people care, it shows their humanity. Almost 50,000 wanted to help me, even though they don’t know me, it brings me to tears.”
A Notting Hill Genesis spokesperson told LDRS: “We apologise to Maureen and her family for the time it has taken to reach a resolution on this matter. There are strong regulations around the succession of social homes to ensure the right home goes to the right household. In this case the tenancy only allowed for one succession, which took place in 2008 when Maureen’s son took over the property.
“We understand Maureen’s preference to remain in the home she already occupies, however we also need to take into consideration other families across London, many of whom are currently living in overcrowded conditions or temporary housing. For these families, the chance to move into a three-bedroom home would be life-changing.
“We want to support Maureen and have taken the discretionary decision to offer her a new tenancy. We are now working with her and her family to find a suitable alternative home that is an appropriate size and meets her needs. Once that is found, we will fund a professional service to pack up her belongings safely and securely and move them to the new home.”
