“I'M not moving, they will have to lift me out of this place.”

Those are the words of a Winchester resident who is one of four that could be forced to leave their home due to a no fault eviction order.

Those living at the property in St John's Road have spoken of the shock of receiving the section 21 no fault eviction notice from Bournemouth Churches Housing Association (BCHA), which is trying to dispose of its Winchester assets. 

One resident, Sharon May, 52, has lived at the property for seven years. Ms May told the Chronicle the notice was served in June but has now expired. BCHA will need to serve a new notice to follow it through. 

She said: “When we were given the notice, they (BCHA) said it was going to be a property inspection, but it turned out they handed us the section 21 order. We haven't heard from them since, I have been ringing and emailing them for the last six weeks and they just fob me off. It was a shock for us because we weren't really expecting it. It's not nice, especially with the lack of communication. There hasn't been an explanation.”

Sharon May (Image: Newsquest)

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Ms May is in an unusual situation because she owns five acres of land in Sparsholt, which currently has livestock and agricultural buildings on it.

She added: “I can't be put on the housing list because I have land in Sparsholt. Because they're saying I can sell my land to purchase a property, but I can't because it's against the law. It would be money laundering. 

“The council can either house me or give me planning permission. I've not been offered any alternative accommodation at all. 

“I'm quite lucky because I've got the yard where I can go to take out my frustrations. I work and keep busy. Nobody should be made homeless because of no fault eviction orders. We have been dropped like a stone."

Another resident, who didn't want to be named, said: “My anxiety has hit the roof, it has just engulfed my life. I've been very happy here. It has been really affecting me. I just want to stay here. I'm not moving, they will have to lift me out of this place.”

Residents have sought assistance from former city councillor Ian Tait, who also helped Jonathan Marsh who had been faced with four no fault eviction notices from BCHA from a property in Sussex Street. 

St John's Road, Winchester (Image: Google Street View)

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Mr Tait said: “The council should be liaising with outer housing providers and they should do a seamless transfer from Bournemouth Churches Housing Association to another. All the people would stay in situ.”

A BCHA spokesman said: "BCHA's lease agreement has ended and the property is returning back to Winchester City Council's stocklist.

“BCHA is committed to the wellbeing of our residents and is working with Winchester City Council to ensure the transition to new accommodation is as smooth as possible. 

“The process for an offer of accommodation requires the engagement of the customer, so that Winchester City Council's housing options team can assess the individual's needs and make an appropriate offer of accommodation. 

“Although the statutory duty to rehouse the residents affected by this rests with Winchester City Council, BCHA continues to offer support to our residents.”