A court fight over eviction by an unfriendly landlord that resulted in an 82-year-old woman ordered from a home where she spent half her life illustrates the precarious position of seniors renting in an island where accommodation is scarce and rents increasingly out of reach for seniors, according to the group Age Concern.

After The Royal Gazette followed one case over a six-month span, the charity said last week: “Older adults in Bermuda generally have the same housing and tenancy rights as the wider population.

“However, there are limited age-specific protections for individuals who have lived in a property for many years, particularly if they are renters rather than homeowners.”

The matter came to light in July 2025, when the newspaper was contacted over an open dispute at a Warwick premises between the elderly tenant and her new landlord.

Interviews with both sides revealed an impasse in which the landlord and tenant, near-neighbours at a family complex of homes, acknowledged an unworkable relationship.

The landlord said he was unmoved by the plight of his tenant, who he said had unreasonable expectations of staying, even after decades in the same apartment.

With his son moving back to the island and in need of a place, the landlord said he had been left with no choice but to serve notice on a tenant unwilling to find somewhere else.

“He has no reason to evict me,” said the woman, who moved into the freshly built apartment in the early 1980s and maintained that “race” motivated the owner to order her out as a White woman living in a complex of homes owned by a Black family.

Long retired, she pointed to extensive renovations and upkeep of the kitchen and bathroom over the years since, along with trees she planted in a garden she maintained.

However, the death of the new property owner’s father drastically changed the tenor of her residence.

She said: “So now I’m here, 42 years later. I always asked for approval to redo it. I told the reason he wants to get me out is he wants to renovate the apartment so that his son can live here. The place doesn’t need renovating.”

The woman said bad blood with the new landlord had begun the year before in a confrontation over bags of garden waste outside, when she retreated inside because he was “yelling” at her.

Calling it “abuse”, she said she had been afraid to argue further with her landlord.

She added: “I can’t say anything back because it’s so frightening.”

That May, she was sent a letter from the landlord’s lawyer telling her to get out by the end of August. She hired a lawyer of her own, Bruce Swan, who confirmed the case when contacted.

The woman initially attended Magistrates’ Court that July in her attempt to challenge the eviction.

She said she found the experience bewildering, adding: “I couldn’t hear what they were saying.”

Attending again with her lawyer, she said she was bluntly told by the magistrate that she would have to comply, regardless of her length of stay or her contribution to the premises.

“They just said, you have to be out by August. I was crying. I couldn’t believe it.”

Every recent interaction with her landlord had turned “vicious”, to the point where she reported it to police, accusing him of being abusive and threatening.

She said police attended, but nothing further happened after her landlord discussed the matter in a police car with officers.

“Friends said, you have to get out. But then I think about my beautiful garden. It was just rubble out there, and I made the property look beautiful. I got on well with all the other tenants. I maintained the place and brought it up to date.”

In the meantime, her rent, which had been $400 a month 40 years ago, had climbed to $1,200 monthly — a notably good deal for a one-bedroom apartment under today’s prices.

“I know I have a good rent,” she said. “But I have spent many, many thousands here. It’s always been worth it to me.”

The woman said she had called Age Concern for advice, trying to buy for time before having to leave, and was told “there’s nothing that they can do”.

As of that July, she said the fight, even if she had a case, no longer seemed worth it.

“I don’t know what to do. The point is, I can’t stay here. Even if I win and I stay here, you can imagine — I can’t believe he is doing this to me.”

The landlord, who agreed to be quoted if he was not identified, took a different view.

He said: “My father always had issues with this tenant. He often told her, you don’t own this house. This woman is poison. At the end of the day, you have to respect the landlord.

“My father never said she could stay here the rest of her life. He gave her leniency and compassion. After my father passed, she grew progressively worse.”

At the time of speaking with the Gazette, the landlord said eviction notices had been served five times on a tenant who stubbornly refused to move, to the point where he had threatened to get bailiffs to force her to comply.

He added: “She thinks she owns this property and I keep telling her, you rent.”

During the dispute, he said his son had been left waiting for 16 months for a place to live.

He said: “She doesn’t like the idea that this house was always coming to me, and she doesn’t like the idea that I’m the landlord.”

The landlord rejected any assertion that the eviction had been racially motivated, adding: “That type of stuff is disturbing to me.”

Ultimately, the elderly tenant complied with her eviction and moved out with the help of friends.

The Gazette contacted friends of the former tenant last week, who said the woman had managed to find accommodation after a difficult search. She no longer wished to discuss her case.

Age Concern said the situation was far from unusual.

“When long-term housing arrangements end, whether due to sale of property, changes in ownership or other circumstances, older adults may find themselves especially vulnerable.

“Many are on fixed incomes, may not be familiar with the current rental market and may face challenges related to health, mobility or access to information.”

Asked if such cases were on the rise, the charity responded: “Yes. Age Concern is increasingly encountering older adults who are facing housing insecurity later in life.

“Rising rental costs, a competitive rental market and minimal affordable, age-appropriate housing options have made it particularly difficult for older adults to secure stable accommodation after displacement.”

“For someone who has lived in one home for decades, being required to relocate can be deeply destabilising and may have serious emotional, financial and social consequences.

“The impact can be significant.”

Bermuda’s high rents have been persistently highlighted as a major driver of its cost of living.

The Landlord and Tenant Act 2025, which remains in progress following consultation, is aimed at modernising the “outdated statutes” governing the island’s rental market for the past 50 years.

Alexa Lightbourne, the Minister of Home Affairs, told MPs in November that updates would include protection from “harassment or unlawful eviction”.

The House of Assembly heard that dispute resolution was still reliant on Magistrates’ Court, which Ms Lightbourne said was “too often costly, adversarial and difficult to access”.

Age Concern cited a spectrum of issues confronting seniors on long-term rent who had to move: “Sudden financial strain due to higher rents or upfront costs; emotional distress, anxiety and loss of stability; social isolation if relocation disrupts established community ties; and difficulty navigating modern rental processes, applications or digital platforms.”

The charity added: “These challenges are often compounded when displacement occurs unexpectedly or without sufficient time to plan.”

The charity said there was a “notable gap in age-specific housing protections and a shortage of affordable, suitable housing options for older adults”.

“Many individuals aged 50-plus fall into a difficult middle ground — earning too much to qualify for certain assistance, yet not enough to compete in the private rental market.

“Greater attention to long-term housing security for older adults is essential to prevent unnecessary hardship and displacement.”

The charity added: “Housing stability is a key component of healthy ageing. When older adults lose long-term housing late in life, the consequences extend beyond accommodation alone — they affect health, independence, dignity and overall wellbeing.

“Proactive planning, increased awareness and stronger support structures can help reduce the risk of older adults experiencing crisis-level displacement.”