Couple 'facing homelessness' over MoD eviction

Colin and Coryne Hall have lived in their home for five years

A couple in their 70s facing eviction from the home they rent from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have said they will be homeless if they cannot contest the eviction.

Colin and Coryne Hall had been renting the four-bedroom house in Bordon, Hampshire, for five years when they received a notice to quit - a kind of eviction notice - in the post.

Mrs Hall said the private rental prices were "extortionate for the sort of property we would need", and that the council told them they could only get a one-bedroom flat, and that there was a waiting list.

The MoD said: "Civilian tenants who rent homes that are temporarily not required for service personnel sign-up to two months’ notice to vacate."

The spokesperson added that sub-lets were "always offered on short-term basis only and cannot be considered as an alternate source of social housing".

The couple have lived in the four-bedroom house since 2019

The couple have no link to the military, but the property is one of eight in Bordon that were let to civilian tenants.

Mrs Hall said they were not told the let was short-term.

"We specifically asked 'is this a long-term [let]? Are we going to get chucked out?'" she said.

"And the letting agent said 'no, that's alright, don't worry about that'."

Mr Hall said the notice came "out of the blue" and he felt "absolute sheer shock" when they received it.

Mrs Hall said they had to find a property that she could fit her research archives in

Mrs Hall is an author specialising in Russian history, and said their next home had to be able to accommodate her "two walk-in cupboards of research material", as well as her husband's arthritis-related mobility issues.

But the council has told them they will only be entitled to a one-bedroom flat.

The couple said they were going to contest the eviction.

"Tenants ought to be allowed to stay in their properties and that's what we're fighting for," said Mr Hall.

"If we can't, I don't know what we're going to do. I think we'll be homeless, quite honestly."