Overview
- Southern Housing’s possession case is on hold, keeping the family in place as the landlord, West Berkshire Council and legal teams work on a rehousing plan.
- Shahidul Haque, 59, lives with his 28-year-old wife and their twin daughters in a one-bedroom unit reserved for older single residents after moving in July 2024.
- Haque’s defence cites Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, arguing eviction would disrupt family life, and says tenancy terms were not explained in his first language, Sylheti.
- Southern Housing says he breached the agreement by adding occupants and points to neighbour complaints about noise and children pulling emergency alarm cords in the sheltered block.
- At an August 4 hearing, the judge called the case complex and declined immediate eviction, noting unresolved questions about how the family came to live in the retirement flat.