Exclusive:'I thought I'd be here when the coffin arrived' The devastated residents of Fife village facing eviction
The Scotsman has spoken to some of the families in West Wemyss who are being faced with eviction after their landlord sold their properties to a new owner
Anne Cation and her husband thought their home overlooking the sea was their “forever home”.
After 18 years, the 72-year-old retired teacher loves her home in the picturesque village of West Wemyss and the community she has around her.
However, she is one of dozens in the Fife coastal village who have been served with eviction notices after their properties were sold by the Wemyss Estate to Torah Capital.
The notices were issued by MBM Home Lets on behalf of Torah Capital with the earliest notice to quit date being March 22.
“We didn’t have any wind that this would happen until a letter came through our door,” she told The Scotsman. “I just couldn’t believe it.
“We love it here and thought this would be our forever home.
“We’re now looking at things and wondering if we need to start getting rid of our belongings in case we need to move.
“We have done a lot to the house and the garden, and we have a lot of memories and friendship here - the dog will be upset to go.
“It is a really good community here.
“There is no compassion and no shame - this will take everything out of the village.”
Mr and Mrs Cation have been given until April 10 to leave their home. Their other option is to buy the home for £225,000, but the couple worry they will not get a full mortgage because of their age.
She said: “We are in limbo.”
William Crane, 72, is another one of the residents who has been served an eviction notice.
The retired whisky auctioneer has lived in his house in the middle of the village for nine years, but has been told to leave by April 1.
He said: “I thought I would be here when the coffin arrived.
“It is a lovely community - I know most of my neighbours and we are on good terms and socialise together, so this will really upset the community.
“There is all the upheaval and uncertainty that goes along with it too.”
Mr Crane believes the eviction plan from the new owners is a “fait accompli” and they have no intention of listening to the tenants’ protests.
He said: “It is not good, there has been no communication at all from Wemyss Estate and it feels like nothing is going to change now.”
One of the other residents told The Scotsman the eviction notice “came out of the blue”.
She said: “I have been here for eight years and I have issues leaving the house.
“I was horrified, I got this tenancy because I thought it would never sell. I thought I would be here for the rest of my life.
“It is horrible, you get up in the morning with a horrible, fizzy belly like something tragic is about to happen, and it is - you are losing your home.
“My neighbours are fabulous and I have a nice support network here because we all look after each other.”
She was told by the new owners she could buy the property for £200,000, which she said is a “massively inflated price”.
Last weekend Fife Council told a village meeting they are looking into potentially bringing the affected properties into public ownership, and that the local authority has hired an external legal service.
John Mills, head of housing services at Fife Council, said: “Our first priority is to do everything we can to prevent these longstanding Wemyss Estate tenants from becoming homeless and help them remain in their homes.
“We have now successfully made contact with Torah Capital’s selling agents who are the new owners of the properties to investigate options on bringing the properties into public sector ownership.
“In the meantime, we have reassured tenants that we are looking into all the legal options open to us, including potential action through the housing and property first-tier tribunal.
“Hopefully this brings some comfort to the people who have been adversely affected by the actions of their private landlord.”
Mrs Cation said: “The council has been quite reassuring, so we are now just waiting to see what the council is willing to do.”
However, another resident said: “The council has no other homes for us and they are already stretched to their limit.
“I am in a two-bed at the moment and I want to stay here, but it doesn’t look like the council can offer us anything else, so I really hope they are able to make a deal with Torah Capital.”
Richard Baker, the MP for Glenrothes and Mid Fife, said: “One of the most worrying aspects of the recent Torah sale - other han the immediate need to fight eviction notices handed to 17 households - is the fact that it illustrates only too well that current legislation doesn’t provide the best protection for vulnerable tenants.
“We’re in a housing emergency, yet there’s little to stop a wealthy landowner or private landlord with an extensive portfolio from deciding to offload housing stock in bulk in the future.
“We could be dealing with a similar situation again within months, or years. That needs addressed.”
Mr Baker said he will be highlighting the issue in the House of Commons with the Prime Minister “at the first opportunity possible” and working with MSPs in the Scottish Parliament “to support strengthening legislation in Scotland”.
Torah Capital could not be contacted for comment. Wemyss Estate and MBM Home Lets were contacted for comment.
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