A family have been devastated to discover their father's landlord threw away his belongings after he died.
Gary Concepcion, in his fifties and known affectionately as Gaz, had been living in a flat in Belgrave, Leicester, when he became unwell and was admitted to hospital in July.
He was diagnosed with pneumonia and died in hospital later the same month - which came as a huge shock to his three children and former partner, Ruth Bishop.
Ruth and the children then learned that Gary's personal items, including clothes and a CD collection, had been disposed of.
She told Leicestershire Live: "One day the nurse called and said he wasn't going to make it and that he only had a day or two.
“It came as a total shock we just thought he was going to get better and be fine, we never expected him to die.”
Ruth described the next few weeks as a blur, saying she was "in shock" and only remembered to inform his landlord when he asked her for the rent.
While Gaz was in hospital, Ruth - who was also one of his guarantors - said she paid his rent with his money and was advised by the Department for Work and Pensions to use the money left in his account to pay for his funeral.
After he died, she visited his old flat and began to clean it, packing a few of his things away.
Gaz did not live with his three children - Gary, 20, Lily, 16 and Ruby, 10 - but remained a big part of their lives, spending most evenings with the family.
After the funeral in August, Ruth took her children on a "much-needed" holiday but was contacted by the landlord while she was away.
When the family went to collect the items on their return, they found the flat was already in use by a new tenant.
"The locks hadn't been changed so I went in and all of his stuff was gone," Ruth said.
She added that the landlord had texted her during her holiday seeking rent payment but she was not able to do anything at the time.
Ruth said she was told that the flat would be decorated and when she asked about what would happen to Gaz' leftover belongings, she was informed that the items would be moved carefully out the way.
Weeks later a contractor who had been working at the flat visited Ruth to drop off a personal care alarm that Gaz used as a result of mobility issues he had after an accident several years ago. That was all they dropped off.
"I asked him where the rest of his things were and he said he was told to throw them in the tip - I couldn't believe it." Ruth said.
"I was just in shock. He had some football shirts and things that the kids wanted and I promised my 10-year-old his CDs because they had the same taste in music."
Despite taking up the matter with the landlord she said she has got nowhere and had been asked not to contact him again.
"Me and my kids have just been left," she said.
"What are you supposed to tell them after that when they're already grieving?"
Leicestershire Live contacted the landlord, who declined to comment.
