Hundreds of Ashford residents could be ordered of their flats by the end of the year.  

The mass eviction by property magnate, Fergus Wilson, will begin on Monday with 90 tenants being served with Section 21 ‘No Fault’ notices. This will give them two months to vacate their homes.   

Fergus Wilson, 70, has said he hopes to sell his portfolio of 300 homes by the end of the year, leading to fears that those evicted will end up homeless. 

A tenant, who requested to remain anonymous, said: “It’s low-rent and it’s close to home. If I could afford to move anywhere else, I would but that’s just not possible right now. 

“I’m not one of the first lot getting evicted, but I do feel like it will happen anytime and it’s not right to live under Fergus’ guillotine” 

Another anonymous tenant said:“I understand that it’s his property and he can do what he wants, but it puts us at such a disadvantage financially.  

Having to find a whole new place to live makes the family so uncertain about what’s coming next. It’s frightening he can do that.” 

Other landlords have reacted to Fergus’ ‘no fault’ evictions: Director at Student House Gillingham Craig Sullivan said: “It can be catastrophic to the tenants as they are literally tossed out and have to re-root which can be costly and time consuming, assuming there are houses that will take them. 

“This could create homelessness and put massive strain on local councils who are already stretched. The timing is also not the best with families getting over Christmas.  

“A large surge of tenants coming to the market looking for rental properties will drive up rental prices, thus costing everyone that’s looking more in the long run too which is good for investors but bad news for local tenants.” 

Fergus said to Kent Online that he feels sad for people he is evicting. He said:“It will be hardest for parents with young children, because most landlords won’t accept them.” 

His most recent set of evictions came in regards to four mothers in the Ashford borough, where he blamed the district council’s “strict rules” on how quickly boilers need to be fixed.

In 2016, his letting criteria included ‘no battered wives’ and ‘no zero hours workers’. In 2017 his ban on ‘coloured’ tenants, because they allegedly smelt like curry, was overturned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. 

Councillor Gerald White, Ashford Borough Council’s (ABC) Portfolio Holder, said to Kent Online: “Mr Wilson is a landlord, he is well within his legal rights to do what he wants with his properties whether that’s to sell or rent them. 

“We will help them (evicted tenants) as much as we can. 

Craig Sullivan added: “It’s great news for first time buyers or families looking to upsize as a large surge of properties coming onto the market in a small area will create a big surge in supply and therefore prices can be negotiated as the demand is not there to match.” 

If you’re a tenant being evicted and are seeking help, contact ABC’s Housing Option at https://www.ashford.gov.uk/housing/i-need-advice/