Help an Elderly Couple After Kindness Turned Into Crisis

My husband Sammy (84) and I have spent 14 years opening our home to people who had nowhere else to go. In January last year, we welcomed a struggling single mum and her young son into our home — buying a bed for the child, sharing meals, and doing everything we could to give them stability.

We never imagined that this act of kindness would leave us fighting for our safety, our wellbeing, and our home.

What Happened

After months of unpaid rent and ongoing issues, we finally reached a VCAT hearing. We were devastated when the tribunal granted the tenant everything she asked for — including more than two years to repay the arrears, an extra two weeks of free rent, and forcing us into a monthly rental arrangement we never agreed to.

Our concerns as an elderly couple — including my husband’s heart condition — were not considered. It felt as though the priority was simply to tick a box that the tenant had “lodging,” regardless of the impact on us or the behaviour we had endured, and is ongoing.

Throughout the tenancy, our concerns about her continued stand‑offish, dismissive, threatening and disrespectful behaviour — including manipulation, intimidation, and a clear lack of care for the impact on us — were ignored.

How Things Have Escalated

Since the VCAT decision, the situation has become frightening. We are now receiving a stream of demanding, demeaning, humiliating and intimidating emails — ordering us to “fix this,” “store that,” unilaterally changing lease terms, and threatening to take us back to VCAT if we don’t obey.

We have also endured an aggressive confrontation and a pattern of misleading emails filled with false information and broken promises. The tenant is now enjoying repeated breaches of our agreement and basic tenancy obligations, with no consequences, while we are left to absorb the impact.

Living only metres away from the tenant makes this constant pressure extremely distressing. As an elderly couple on a limited income, this behaviour has taken a serious toll on our health, finances, and sense of safety in our own home.

Why We Need Help

We urgently need proper legal representation to protect ourselves, navigate the court process, and restore peace and stability to our lives. We are not seeking revenge — only fairness, safety, and the ability to live without fear.

How Your Support Helps

Any contribution, even a small one, will help us:

• secure legal support

• manage the court proceedings

• recover from months of financial strain

• regain stability and peace in our home

Our Promise

Once our legal costs are covered and we are back on solid ground, any remaining funds will be donated to The Smith Family, a charity we have supported for many years.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for caring enough to understand what we are going through.

Kez and Sammy