Landlord 'kicking grieving sons out' after mum hid fact she was dying of terminal cancer

Mum Emma Smith, 49, died after she hid her terminal cancer from her three sons with the eldest now claiming they are being kicked out of their home by their landlord

A son has claimed he and his teenage brothers are being kicked out of their family home after their landlord wanted to raise their rent just weeks after finding their mum dead as she hid her terminal cancer.

Single mum Emma Smith was diagnosed with metastatic rectal cancer in August but decided against telling her children amid fears of worrying them and instead claimed she had an "infection." It was only when eldest son Jordan Smith, 27, found his mum dead in her room at the age of 49 in the morning of September 26 that he discovered she had been given just two weeks to live.

Jordan claims he and his younger brothers, aged 16 and 14, were visited by an estate agent a few days after their mum's passing to re-evaluate the family home in Consett, Durham. Despite having lived there a decade, the estate agent reportedly said that the brothers' home was now worth £650-£900pcm, compared to the £500 they pay each month in rent, and they would have to move out.

According to Jordan, the family were given only four weeks to find a new place to live and are due out by November 4. The 27-year-old says he offered to pay a few months' rent in advance in order to buy 'more time' for the brothers to spend Christmas in their family home, but the offer was reportedly refused.

The brothers search for a new home has not been successful as the family say it is difficult to find properties for rent in a small town like Consett. Due to the stress of finding somewhere to live, the family has not had the chance to 'grieve and heal' after the tragedy.

Jordan, who works in a factory, has had to take up the responsibility of organising the funeral, taking care of his younger siblings and looking for a new house, while dealing with the grief of losing his mother. He said: "My mum had cancer for a few months and it spread incredibly quickly. We didn't know anything. She didn't want any of us to know anything because she wanted to protect us.

"She didn't want the boys to know that she was dying. The youngest got told in school on the same day she died. The landlord came in a few days later because my boiler broke down, we had no water or heating which took over a week to fix and he came in a few days after as well and an estate agent came in and said the house is now valued £650-900 in the market.

"He said it wouldn't be possible to stay despite him telling me he wants to keep us here because this is where we lived for 10 years. He said he'll do anything possible and then I got a call the next day saying they have to let us move on, they want to get the place renovated. He said we have four weeks to find somewhere else.

"I asked if we could buy some more time, especially with it coming up to Christmas. He said no and that we only have that four-week period. I've not had time to think about anything. I'm just stressed and looking after the boys, making sure they're doing what they need to be doing.

"I couldn't believe it. We just lost our mum and not even a week later they come in to tell us that, during this stressful and horrific time we're going through, we have to look for a new home. It's very stressful and worrying."

Jordan's sister, who did not wish to be named, had already moved out and no longer lives with the brothers but explained how much stress the issue had caused while they were grieving. She said: "We literally woke up one morning and my brother found my mum dead in her room.

"We called the hospital and they said she only had [been given] two weeks to live. It was horrible. My older brother had to deal with everything. He had the whole weight of being the guardian of my two younger brothers, organising my mum's funeral, grieving, having to find a new house, the last few weeks have been incomprehensible.

"They will have to find temporary accommodation. Which is just the worst thing ever because their mum just died. They need somewhere to settle and heal. My little brothers are still in school so it's awful. This is my mum's house that they've lived in since they were kids, it has all my mum's stuff in it.

"Jordan was the one that found her and he immediately went into the mode of protecting the children, doing everything for them. My younger brothers didn't suspect anything, they went to school one day and when they got back they found out their mum was gone. I think they just feel like a part of them is just gone but they're doing okay.

"They can't properly grieve and heal until they find somewhere they can settle and everything going on with the house is just added stress. The family has reportedly applied for several properties but has not heard back.

The landlord declined to comment but said the facts were different to how the family had presented them and he was 'dealing with the situation as appropriate with the council'.

The Mirror has contacted Durham County Council for comment. A GoFundMe has since been set up to help raise money to go towards trying to find the brothers a place to stay.

As of Friday afternoon, it has raised £2,075 out of a £2,500 target. To view the fundraiser click here.