A Gateshead man facing eviction from his home of more than 60 years has been told to clean-up or clear out.
Ken May faced landlords from Gateshead Housing Company in County Court on Tuesday in a dispute over a dispute over the state of his property.
The 65-year-old, who moved in to the address in Standfield Gardens, Wardley, in 1955, previously claimed he was under threat of eviction due to £1,200 rent arrears which accrued due to the bedroom tax.
However, Gateshead County Court heard the main point of contention was the amount of clutter.
Gateshead Council solicitor Roddie Currie said: "The main issue of concern is Mr May's property was found to be in a very cluttered, untidy state on a couple of occasions."
Now, he has been given a last minute reprieve, but has been told to work with the housing company and clear out his house.
Mr Currie said the hearing should be adjourned to give the tenant a chance to get his house in order.
He added that despite the arrears, Gateshead Housing Company was still receiving direct rent payments from Universal Credit.
He continued: "We will make an appointment to inspect the property, give Mr May a list of things we want him to do, re-inspect and come back to court."
Because of the festive period it is expected that Mr May's next hearing will be in around six weeks.
Mr May told the court that his arthritis made physical work difficult but agreed to the inspections.
He said: "I find it no problem if they want to come in and do an inspection and see the progress I'm doing."
Speaking after the hearing Mr May said a lot of the items in his house were valuable motorbike parts that he was reluctant to throw away, but he would follow the housing company's instructions.
He added: "I have a lot of interesting things, they were wanting me to get rid of hobby stuff like motorcycle spares but they are worth a lot of money."
