Newthorpe couple 'gobsmacked' as landlord forces them to leave home after 15 years

Linda and Antony Holmes have privately rented their house on Lindley Street for a decade-and-a-half, and have very much made it a home.

But the married couple, both aged in their 60s, were recently left devastated by the news their landlord had suddenly decided to sell up, giving them just two months to vacate the property.

Linda said: “We have been reassured in the past they wouldn’t be selling the property. They told us we’d be here until we died, but suddenly they just pulled the rug from underneath us.

“We’ve spent a lot of money on this place as well – had all new kitchens in, fireplaces and all new doors.

“Fifteen years is a long time to have lived somewhere and then not even be told face-to-face that we had to move out. We just got a notice through the door one day.”

Linda said she is prone to panic attacks, while her husband Antony is disabled and suffers with multiple ailments including rheumatoid arthritis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

As such, the pair have been hugely affected by the change, with Antony even ending up in hospital shortly after the news of the sale.

“He’s had breathing problems and chest pains, all down to the anxiety caused by everything,” Linda said.

“He keeps saying ‘what are we going to do’ and I keep telling him to worry about getting better first.

“It’s a lot of stress, the idea of packing up and moving on by the end of July.

“We’ve really looked after this property and this is a big shock to us.

“Nobody can believe it, our neighbours and everybody else is gobsmacked.”

The couple are now worried about their future and having to start over again.

“We’re 61 and 62, we don’t want to have to start lugging stuff around,” Linda said.

“If it was up to us we’d stay here, we’re settled here. Let’s just hope it somehow turns out to be a blessing in disguise.”

The landlord has recently moved home and the couple has no way of contacting them to fight their corner.

As such, your Advertiser could not contact the landlord for comment.