A retired carpenter says he is being evicted from his stunning cottage on a historic estate after 22 years, while new tenants are being offered similar properties for hundreds of pounds more rent.
Tim Harman, 68, claims to have spent £25,000 of his own money over two decades improving the two-bedroom terraced house where he thought he would live for the rest of his life.
But now he is fighting with his aristocratic owners, who insist they need their property back to house farm workers – and they need him out.
Mr Harman moved into the stone cottage with magnificent rural views in the small village of Tarring Neville, East Sussex, in March 2002, paying just £550 a month.
Over the years, its rent has only increased to £920 a month, but this is still substantially lower than market prices for similar properties in the area, around the historic county town of Lewes.
Tim Harman, 68, claims to have spent £25,000 of his own money over two decades on improving the two-bedroom semi-detached house he thought he could live in for the rest of his life. Pictured: Mr Harman outside his home
Mr Harman (pictured with his dog Paddy) moved into the stone cottage with magnificent rural views in the small village of Tarring Neville, East Sussex, in March 2002, paying just £550 a month.
Harman says she was given just eight weeks’ notice to leave the Victorian home in May and has been trying to fight the eviction ever since.
If they do not reach an agreement, they face a possible court appearance that could ratify their eviction.
The property at the centre of the dispute is part of the sprawling Glynde Estate, which is owned by Francis Anthony Brand, the sixth Viscount Hampden.
Lord Hampden, based at the stately Elizabethan house Glynde Place, home of the famous Glydnebourne Opera House and venue of the Love Supreme festival, owns the estate which rents out properties in some of Sussex’s most picturesque villages.
Mr Harman accuses the estate of treating him “awfully” and believes his relatively low rent is the reason they have chosen him this way.
The carpenter, who is not married and has no children, told MailOnline: ‘This has been my home for over two decades and when I first moved in it was little more than a sterile shell.
‘I have installed a completely new bathroom which I paid for and installed myself, installed new doors, re-tiled some walls, changed skirting boards and redesigned the back garden.
The farm spokesman said the farm worker would likely have the cabin as part of his employment at a subsidized rental rate.
Mr Harman is seen here in the garden of his Victorian home and has been trying to fight the eviction ever since.
‘I also installed a completely new kitchen, although to be fair it was the estate that paid for it.
‘But I’ve put a lot of love and work into the cabin and have improved it greatly.
‘I pay an affordable rent and it’s cheaper than some neighbours who pay over £1,300 a month for similar sized properties, but I’ve been a model tenant who has always paid on time and looked after the place beyond words.
‘At my age, I don’t want to have to leave and look for another place.
‘There has been no mediation. They have not even contacted me to see if I am willing to pay more rent. They have not offered me any other place to live.
“They don’t seem to care that I’m homeless. It’s disgusting.”
Mr Harman once ran his own carpentry business employing 50 people, but it went bankrupt during the 1992 recession and he subsequently worked as a self-employed carpenter.
She rented two previous houses on the estate when it was owned by the 5th Viscount Hampden, Anthony David Brand, who died in 2008, before moving into her current property.
Mr Harman said: ‘The previous Lord Hampden offered me this house because he knew I was interested in it.
Mr Harman said he had “installed a completely new bathroom that I paid for and installed myself, and put in new doors”.
“He offered me a decent lease and, to return the favour, I renovated the property myself, paying for most of the work. But my relationship with people since he died hasn’t been the best.”
Mr Harman said he was served with a Section 21 notice, which in the past has allowed landlords to evict tenants at any time after the end of their fixed-term tenancy without giving a reason.
But the Government is now introducing the Tenants’ Rights Bill, which would prevent tenants from being evicted unnecessarily.
Mr Harman said he hoped the new bill would give him more time before his case goes to Brighton County Court.
She added: “I was supposed to have left the house on July 31, but I’m still here and I don’t want to go anywhere. What they’re doing is outrageous.”
The current Lord Hampden, 53, lives with his wife Caroline and their children at Glynde Place, a magnificent stately home built in 1569.
The family has owned all of Tarring Neville and the neighbouring village of Glynde for the past 500 years.
Hidden away in the South Downs National Park, these chocolate-box villages are among the prettiest in the south of England.
In a statement, the estate said it sympathised with Mr Harman’s plight.
The property at the centre of the dispute is part of the sprawling Glynde estate.
They explained: ‘There are major changes in the way the Estate is being structured and that has created new jobs.
‘Traditionally, the farm cabins were reserved for workers.
‘We have recently recovered farms and properties that will now be managed by the estate.
‘The plan is to have a farm worker living on or near the land and this cabin is ideal for that.
‘There is a cottage directly opposite the property which is currently empty, but it is a six-bedroom house so not entirely appropriate for the position.
‘We have a lot of sympathy for Mr Harman, but this is a standard legal notice.
“We are aware that this means a great deal of displacement for the tenant, but there is no bad intention.”
The farm spokesman said the farm worker would likely have the cabin as part of his employment at a subsidized rental rate.
They had no plans to put the cabin on the open market for rent and said they are open to working with Mr Harman to provide him with alternative accommodation.
Will Wycherley, of Charles Whycherly estate agents in Lewes, said that if the 1850s cottage were put up for sale, the rent would likely cost between £1,300 and £1,400 a month.
He said: “I think a property of that size in that area could easily be rented for just under £1,500 a month. I’d say at least £1,300 or £1,400.”
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