A Perthshire couple face being evicted from their home of 18 years by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS).
Chris Claydon and Scott Pringle Trotter have been told by the charity that they must vacate their Dunkeld home which is owned by the leading conservation organisation.
Chris has lived in the upstairs flat of the building, which is located at The Cross area of the popular tourist town, for 18 years.
‘Incredibly cruel’
Her partner Scott moved in around 2015 but both have lived in the community for 30 years.
Chris, who runs an online antique selling business with Scott, told The Courier: “It seems incredibly cruel.
“We’re set to lose our home, our business and our community of 30 years.
“It’s right in the cost of living crisis which doesn’t help either.
“It seems kind of brutal.
“It’s going to be a terrible loss if we have to move out of our home.”
Priced out of the community
With the price of rentals in Dunkeld far exceeding what they currently pay, the couple believe they will have no choice but to leave the area completely.
They fear their current rent price may also be playing a factor in their eviction or that their home will be turned into holiday accommodation.
“There’s nothing we could afford here,” explains Chris.
“We were speaking to people the other day who were renting a property, a private let, for £1250 and that’s just not doable for us.
“There’s a shortage of council properties, there’s a shortage of any affordable housing now and I think that’s what’s particularly galling.”
No-fault eviction
The couple were issued with a no-fault eviction notice in May and were later told the property needed essential structural repairs carried out.
The couple asked NTS if they could be temporarily rehoused – or even temporarily rehouse themselves – while the works were being carried out.
The National Trust for Scotland refused both requests.
There is nothing in the structural engineer report, seen by The Courier, to suggest Chris and Scott could not safely move back into their home after the works had been carried out.
Scott: “I thought doing structural repairs to a house was part of a landlords few obligations, so they should be meeting that instead of evicting us.
“But when we got in a conversation with them (NTS), we said, well we could put ourselves up somewhere and then come back to our home.
“But they said no to that. They just seemed determined to terminate our tenancy.”
Chris added: “It feels like they’ve got plans for the property that don’t include us.”
The couple claim to have paid over £96,000 in rent to NTS since Chris first moved in 18 years ago.
The antique dealer, who also sits on the community council and children’s panel, says she has never missed a payment in that time and has kept the flat in perfect condition.
However because Chris and Scott are still on the outdated Short Term Tenancies agreement, meaning the landlord can evict them without reason.
‘No legal requirement’
In 2019, concerned with rising rent prices, Chris and other Dunkeld NTS tenants approached the charity in an attempt to protect their living situation.
The group asked to be brought onto the newer Private Residential Tenancy agreements which was introduced by the Scottish Government in 2017 that would help protect them from no-fault evictions.
The National Trust for Scotland refused the request.
In a letter sent to tenants in 2019 and seen by The Courier, NTS operations manager Christopher Cassels, wrote: “The Trust will not be converting any existing Short Assured Tenancies to the Private Residential Tenancy as it is not current policy and there is no legal requirement.”
Community action
Chris and Scott are now working with tenants’ organisation Living Rent to try and fight the eviction.
On Friday evening a group of supporters delivered an open letter to NTS, signed by members of the Dunkeld community in support of the couple remaining in their home.
Chris said: “We’ve been working with Living Rent in the hope that we’ll be able to resist the eviction.
“We’re hoping to engage with other NTS tenants across Scotland and see what the situation is with them too.”
“The support in the community has been amazing and we’ve been getting lots of signatures on our open letter.”
Concern for others on a similar lease
Lachlan MacEwan, chairman of Dunkeld and Birnam Community Council, believes that NTS have made a “massive error of judgement.”
He said: “This is an issue created solely by NTS and one that only the NTS can resolve.
“The concern the community has at the moment, is yes, the plight that Chris and Scott have, but not only that, it is the concern of all the other residents that are in the area that have the same lease or a similar lease.”
Deputy First Minister John Swinney commented: “This is clearly a very concerning situation for my constituents and it is therefore my hope that all parties can come together and find a mutually-beneficial solution.”
Grant Laing, leader of Perth and Kinross Council said: “I think we should be questioning the reason why they (NTS) are taking this action.”
What are NTS saying?
When contacted by The Courier, NTS failed to answer why Chris and Scott could not rehouse themselves temporarily or if their home would be turned into a holiday let when restructuring works were completed.
A spokesperson for the charity said: “The National Trust for Scotland has had to seek vacant possession of this property to enable essential structural works to take place, as we are required to do, both as a private landlord and as a conservation charity.
“Unfortunately, we do not have any suitable alternative accommodation available to offer at this time.
“We have doubled the notice period to give the tenants more time to find suitable alternative accommodation.”
Conversation