A tenant has slammed his landlord for booting people out and then leasing the empty apartments to foreign workers.

Bermuda Project Managers asked tenants to leave the Woodbourne Place Apartments on Bermudiana Road, Hamilton in February to allow renovations to go ahead.

But taxi driver Tyrone Turini is still fighting eviction after seeing apartments rented to building workers just days after becoming empty. Mr. Turini said he had put up with noise, dust and inconvenience from living opposite the ACE building site for two and half years and was now being thrown out.

He said: "As a tenant of 11 years I know my rights have been violated.

"I have tolerated these living conditions because there was no affordable apartments available in this country."

Adam Hawley of Bermuda Project Managers said the apartments had gone to ACE building workers.

He said: "As people leave we are providing those spaces vacated on a short term basis.

"We could have them vacate them tomorrow. Our plan is to have everybody out by the end of July.

"We have extended the notice period to the original tenants and we are working to find alternative accommodation to everyone except Mr. Turini.

"He's embarked on a court process and I can't say too much about that, we are in court proceedings."

"Mr. Turini said that when the eviction letters went out, planning applications for the building work had not even been submitted to planning.

He added: "They still were not submitted when I went to court on April 20.

Mr. Hawley said: "I cannot comment on that. It's part of the court process."

Mr. Turini said: "There's no provision for the tenants to return. Normally tenants are given first option.

"My guess is when we come out of that building they are going to put executives in."

However Mr. Hawley said: "I don't believe he has not been given the option to come back. All the flats will be available for residential rental.

"I don't know if he is looking for that in writing. It never came up in the discussions."