An estate agent has apologised after drawing criticism from local residents for putting up a gate at its Grade II listed branch that stopped a homeless man and his dog from sleeping in the entrance.
Locals in Whitstable, Kent, took to Facebook to complain about the gate and national newspapers picked up the story, highlighting that the agency helps to sell £1m properties.
Rory Patterson, director of Harvey Richards & West, said that the gate was put up as a “last resort” after more than two weeks of access disruption, client complaints, litter, uncleared wet dog food and strong urine smells.
The gate has now been removed and Patterson said a member of the agency staff has contacted homeless charity Porchlight to help the individual and were told to direct him to a shelter in Canterbury.
Patterson said: “As a small independent business which operates outside of normal working hours, sometimes up until 7pm or 8pm, staff have been having trouble accessing the office late in the evening.
“We have had a few conversations with the young man explaining this but unfortunately the office access remained an issue.
“We received several phone calls from clients and members of the public expressing concern about him and the mess outside our shop on weekends.
“We were not initially that concerned as we fully understood the poor guy’s situation so left him alone.
“We then had a report from close friends that one of them had approached him last Saturday evening to check on him and he reacted in an extremely rude manner using the C word towards the wife at which point the husband called me.
“Another resident of the town reported to the staff that he had witnessed him packing his belongings early to leave then turned back and urinated in our doorway.
“This has been an extremely difficult issue to handle especially at this time of year and we hope he is found accommodation soon and can categorically state that we did not intend to cause him or anyone else offence or upset so profoundly apologise.”
Comments (25)
Good News that something Positive came out of it.
Bit sad the business owners feels the need to apologise.
No different to council making it impossible for homeless to sleep on benches due to the design. Or the fact the council don’t have enough facilities to help.
Part the problem also stems from planning for new shop fronts, when we look to change a shop front our council insist on a doorway stepped into the office not a flat shop front.
When I was 16 I got told off by an Agent for taking shelter and sitting on the step outside their office whilst I waited for my dad to pick me up after working in the clothes shop up the road. It was dark, cold, raining and this office had a wide door and window set back from the pavement with an overhang so I wouldn’t get rained on. I was literally huddled into the corner so people could get in and out of the office with ease, and I don’t even think I was blocking any property details, so I couldn’t see the problem with sitting there for 15 minutes on a Saturday evening. Coincidentally, due to the inbred nature of our business, I ended up working for the woman who booted me off the doorstep!
If he was just there overnight and left no trace, then I think it was harsh of them, but as he was blocking access and exit and causing a nuisance and leaving a mess I think they were within their rights to safeguard their staff and premises. We had a couple in our town who basically packed all of their possessions into an empty retail unit’s doorway, set up a tent and hurled abuse at anyone who offered information on shelters and soup kitchens, or tried to give them food/drinks as she wanted the money instead! She also had a go at someone who bought her a Gregg’s sausage roll as she is vegetarian… They were unceremoniously removed and the doorway boarded over. No-one was upset to see them go. Apart from the owner of the empty retail unit down the road…
Man protecting his business and livelihood gets lynched by media?
Feel for the chap sleeping rough of course, but the business owner can’t be blamed?!
Imagine a night that you choose a doorway as a safe place to sleep?
……and that doorway isn’t just for Christmas!
Let me just be absolutely clear though…..
A dog owner standing outside my or any office/business/shop/doorway, whilst their dog lifts its leg and p!ss@s against the door/window frame/shop front?
…….that’s acceptable ……is it?!
This comment really intrigues me…
As an estate agent who takes his dog to work every day, I obviously try and avoid him cocking his leg on the shop windows…
Sometimes, unfortunately, it’s impossible – what do you want me to do; have a chat with the dog and tell him to stop having a wee?
hilarious
It is little surprise that the chap chose that location. Lights on when most others went out hours before and generally perceived a more ‘safe haven’ than the doorways of many other business types.
It is also an irony overload when a homeless person sets up camp in the doorway of an Estate Agents – and of course the press love to stick the boot in wherever they can so it is double bubble for them.
The Agent was in a lose:lose situation.
I sympathise with the homeless man, but quite frankly to turn around and urinate in the doorway didn’t really help with goodwill!!
The agent had nothing to apologise for. If it were any other type of shop it appears it would have been acceptable, but because this shop sells homes it isn’t?
We can make anyone out to be the bad guy these days, a sweetie shop owner selling sweets to an obese kid? Selling cigarettes to someone with smokers cough…….and estate agent putting up a gate to stop a homeless person.
This is not really news – its just the media pouncing on an agent.
I would find it hard to force a homeless person from my business doorway as I know from my time working as a Police Officer that many are not what you think they are.
Yes, the Government, Local Authorities etc must do more however if I had to wash out my doorway every morning I would do it. It’s a sad thought that as we fall asleep in our beds, the only option for them can be a shop doorway.
A lasting legacy of Mrs Thatcher’s Care in the Community social engineering masterpiece.
every political party and government is at fault don’t politicise it.
If in doubt, blame Thatcher…
zzzz
ps. Core-bin lost the election!
I congratulate you. I help to run a homeless charity (over 200 residents every night) so have a little knowledge in this.
Don’t be surprised if he reacts badly when his space is threatened. He will, wrongly, consider the doorway as much his as yours.
Please also be aware that about 75% of homeless people have a serious mental disorder. If you can get him to a shelter that would be ideal but there are plenty of rough sleepers who cannot live with others and cannot be regimented. One other point worth thinking of. If you can, any interaction with him can be very good as most homeless people are very lonely and only used to abuse. A conversation and a hot coffee can go a very long way!
Good luck and keep at it.
You make very valid points but it is for specialists and the authorities that need to deal with this. People with problems need help and I don’t think many people would deny that. Equally any person trying to run a business cannot have his entrance smelling of urine and people afraid to look in his window. The agent is making his living and contributing his taxes so less fortunate can be helped. Shelter with its millions of pounds should be helping not attacking agents and landlords.
It’s not his door though. Be a strange world if everyone behaved like that.
There is some truth – validity in all the replies, despite some agreeing and others disagreeing.
But I think Will2’s point is the most accurate.
I agree with All sympathy for this gentleman but also, that the Agent has Nothing to Apologise for. Business and private space cannot be invaded or used by anyone who pleases. ( the key is in the word ‘Private’ especially when it has a business impact )
I like – agree with NewsBoy’s point about engaging, speaking offering a hot drink, but as he points out, there is Mental Health, more often linked to substance abuse, and some Rough sleepers are ‘not easily helped ‘
This may be a little controversial, but I think there is a lot of merit – truth in Professor Kaplan’s 2019 Hayek lecture on You tube ” Poverty, who’s to blame “
Fortunately the vast majority of us have a roof over our head and don’t suffer from a sever mental illness!
By serious mental disorder you mean ‘serious mental disorder probably brought on by excessive or prolonged drug or alcohol abuse’.
It is a local authority and government responsibility. This agent and shop owner have nothing to apologise for. It is the authorities failing this poor young man not the property owner or leaseholder. Society as a whole needs to take its social responsibility’s via the authorities. This guy clearly needs help.
Give it two weeks and he’ll be back…
Why not show some real chara-tee and let him sleep in the office over Christmas? The dog could answer the phones and this chap could organise viewings..!
Two birds?
Please don’t be flipant with someone’s life!
What about the agents livelihood..?
PS. Boris says we can do jokes now.
In that case, what about the apostrophe?
Love the grammar polis. Can I blame Thatcher?