Grieving sisters told they are to be evicted from their home just days after mother’s funeral

Two grieving sisters have been told they will be evicted from their home just three weeks after their mother’s death.
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Housing association Sanctuary Scotland told sisters Brogan and Taylor Webb that they had no claim to the home as the pair had moved into student accommodation.

Brogan, 23, said that the pair had been led to believe that they would be able to obtain rights to the home before their mother died from cancer.

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Their mother, Angela Agnew had been living with cancer since November. Brogan was a Glasgow City College student at the time, while Taylor was studying at the University of St Andrews.

The housing association has said that it has expended the sisters’ notice period and offered support.

Brogan, the older of the two sisters, dropped out of her course and moved home to take care of her mother who became terminally ill in December. Taylor has commuted between Glasgow and St Andrews since also moving home.

The pair sought advice from Sanctuary with the family deciding to list Taylor as a household member meaning that she would become the property holder when her mother died.

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However, three days after her mother’s funeral, Brogan received a call saying the pair had two weeks to move out.

Brogan told the BBC: "At that point I just didn't know what to say. I couldn't believe that was a conversation I was having so soon after losing my mum.

"The thought of losing her and all of her belongings and all of our household belongings in the space of a month was absolutely mind-blowing to me.

"We are willing to pay the rent, we have money, we are not destitute, we don't need to be destitute. This is a decision that was made by someone who doesn't know us, they've only read an email."

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Sanctuary Scotland defended its actions, stating: “while there is a huge demand for properties in Glasgow, which means it is extremely important this home is offered to a family in need of three bedrooms as soon as possible, we appreciate Ms Webb’s exceptional circumstances.”

Sanctuary Scotland claimed that the pair were liable for eviction as they hadn’t physically resided in the house for 12 months prior to their mother’s death.

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 states that anyone over the age of 16 can succeed a deceased family member as the tenant older if it was their “only or primary” home in the 12 months before the previous tenants death.

The Scottish Government has advised the pair ask Sanctuary Scotland to review their decision and to take legal advice.

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MSP Paul Sweeney told the BBC that the decision was “appalling”.

He said: “Student accommodation isn’t a permanent residence. [They] should have still had a right to that house which they’ve lived in for years and they’ve been in that wider community their whole lives.

“I just find the whole situation appalling and I hope the housing association recognise there’s been a gross failure of judgement here.”

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