Reading retirement flat dispute ends as family agrees to leave after two years

Shahidul Haque, 59, has agreed to leave a one-bedroom retirement flat in Reading with his wife and twin daughters after an out-of-court agreement with Southern Housing. The accommodation was intended for single occupancy by people over 55, and the dispute over his family’s residence there lasted more than two years.

Haque had argued that his family should not be forced out without larger accommodation and cited his rights to family life; he also said he could not understand the original agreement because it was not in Sylheti. Residents complained of prolonged noise, while Southern Housing’s court submissions cited antisocial behaviour and repeated use of an emergency assistance cord. At Reading County Court, a judge declined to award legal costs to either side.