Widower can stay in Glasgow flat despite threat of eviction

A widower facing eviction from his flat by the Glasgow housing association has been told he can stay four more months while he mourns for his wife.

Joost ten Wolde had been asked to vacate the property just two weeks after the death of his wife Stacey.

His attempt to take over the rent failed as he was not listed as a resident of the flat.

However, now the Glasgow West Housing Association (GWHA) has given him more time.

He told Mr ten Wolde in a letter last week that he had rejected his tenancy succession application because he was “satisfied” that the Colebrooke Street property was not his only or principal home.

But the 39-year-old met with housing officials on Tuesday and was granted permission to stay in the ground-floor property until the end of September.

“My wife was very ill at the end and had problems with direct thinking,” he said.

“You don’t think about the paperwork. You think about making things as pleasant as possible…you don’t think about what happens when someone passes away, you don’t want to think about that.”

“People should learn to put things on paper and make things easier when the day comes.”

Ten Wolde plans to return to the Netherlands after the summer.

BBC Scotland reported last week that he had been asked to vacate the property within 14 days of his wife’s death.

Stacey, 39, passed away after a battle with brain cancer on April 14.

She had suffered from the genetic condition Li-Fremeni syndrome, which makes a person susceptible to developing cancer.

After being asked to vacate the property by April 28, Mr. ten Wolde applied for succession of tenure as his spouse.

However, this was rejected last Thursday because he was not listed on the lease, it was not stated that he lived in the property and he had another address in the Netherlands.

Mr. ten Wolde asked the housing association for more time in the property.

GWHA has been contacted for comment on the latest development.

He had previously said that he was providing housing advice to Mr ten Wolde and stressed the importance of keeping information up to date throughout the course of a tenancy.