I was told I'd be kicked out of my home on Christmas Day after housing association error – I’m 73 and I feel terrified | The Sun
A DISABLED pensioner was terrified of being booted out of her home on Christmas Day because her housing association thought she was dead.
Jacqueline Bennett, 73, was sent a notice to quit and told her home of more than 40 years will be repossessed.
Clarion Housing Group addressed the letter to a 'Personal Representative of the late Jacqueline Bennett' last month.
And it listed her two-bed semi-detached home in Leatherhead, Surrey, as the "deceased's last known place of residence".
Clarion Housing claims they apologised and told her to disregard it two days after sending the letter.
But Jacqueline said she has been terrified bailiffs could have turned up on Sunday and ruined Christmas with her son.
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Speaking from her home and surrounded by Christmas cards, Jacqueline told The Sun: "I'm very much not dead. I'm alive.
"I was absolutely flabbergasted. I was extremely upset. I'm astounded to be quite honest. I felt powerless against them."
It was thought the letter was prompted after Clarion claimed she missed a gas safety inspection
But documents proved she passed the gas safety inspection 12 days before Clarion sent a warning about it in September.
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Jacqueline, whose Parkinsons has got worse from the stress, phoned them up demanding an apology and for it to be sorted.
The huge housing company manages 125,000 homes across Britain and has a fat cat CEO on a staggering £343,000.
Jacqueline added: "I went to my exercise class and I came home and my son who lives with me was absolutely livid.
"He said 'read this mum'. It had been hand-delivered through the door and was a notice to quit.
"I phoned them up and said I am far from dead. I want to know how it came about. I want to know is anyone going to get punished for this.
"They wouldn't have kicked me out because according to them I'm six feet under, but they would have evicted my son."
Jacqueline, who had planned a quiet Christmas with just her and son Anthony, 49, said the support from friends and neighbours has been helping her through.
And she demanded to know how the mistake has been made and what is going to happen as a result.
She added: "I have had a very bad year. I spent August in hospital. I was just beginning to come to terms with that and the letter came. I want an apology."
Michelle Reynolds, Chief Customer Officer at Clarion Housing Group said: "I am devastated by the experience Mrs Bennett has had as a Clarion resident over the last month.
"On the 24th November, within two days of the notice being received, a Clarion colleague called Mrs Bennett to apologise unreservedly and asked her to disregard the notice completely and said definitively that we would not be evicting her.
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"As Chief Customer Officer, I spoke to Mrs Bennett personally on the 20th December to say how sorry I am, on behalf of the organisation.
"We will provide all the support to Mrs Bennett we can and I will personally lead an investigation, to understand what went wrong and to ensure these serious mistakes are not repeated."
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