A Gateshead woman claims she has been unable to enter her flat for more than a year after the council boarded up her front door.
Tracy Naden, from Low Fell, said she was left with just the clothes on her back and had to spend 14 months living with friends after returning home to find that her front door had been sealed off. The 52-year-old told ChronicleLive that police had broken down the door of her council flat in November 2021 following a report of concern for someone who did not live at the property.
Tracy said she was staying with a friend at the time of the reported incident and was shocked to find that the front door of her flat had been boarded up when she returned home. Left with no access to her property, Tracy said she was "homeless" for more than a year as she repeatedly contacted Gateshead Council asking them to replace the door.
Gateshead Council has told ChronicleLive they have 'repeatedly tried to contact the tenant to install a new door' and said it has offered to deep clean the flat
"The council left me without any access at all to my flat for 14 months all for the sake of buying a standard fire door," Tracy said.
"The police put the door in for a welfare check on someone who doesn't live at the property while I was staying at a friend's house. No one informed me and when I came home I found the front door had been boarded up.
"For 14 months I have had no access to my clothes or personal items. The council never contacted me to see if I had anywhere to stay. It was ridiculous, they locked me out of my home.
"I had nothing but the clothes I was standing in that day."
Tracy, who has lived at the flat for 10 years, said the council replaced the door in January 2023 but said the flat had been left in a damp and "dirty" state as a result of being unable to access it for so long.
"They have taken off the boards now and when I went inside it was just unbelievable," she said.
Tracy believes she has lost around £200 worth of food that had been in the fridge and freezer and the stress of the ordeal caused her to drop three stone, meaning her clothes no longer fit.
"The council thinks it's just all well and good to come in and clean the property," she said.
"But those are my possessions, that's everything I own in the world."
Tracy said the way she has been treated was "shocking" and wanted to share her story to "stop it from happening to any other vulnerable person."
"I understand the police have to do welfare checks but why wasn't the door replaced straight away?" she said.
Northumbria Police confirmed they attended the address on October 17, 2021, following a report of concern for welfare.
Gateshead Council said they would only enter a property without a tenant being present in "exceptional circumstances." The council said they had repeatedly tried to contact the tenant to install a new door and said it has offered to deep clean the flat and provide compensation for the lost food.
A council spokesman said: "Following numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact the tenant, a new door was installed to the home on Monday, January 23. We will never make entry to a property without the tenant in attendance other than in exceptional circumstances.
"Since the property has been unoccupied for a period of time, we have offered to deep clean the premises, including all carpets, and have offered compensation for any spoiled food within the tenant’s refrigerator and freezer.
"Our housing team continues to work with the tenant to make sure they are receiving appropriate support – this includes reviewing the status of their rent payments."
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