Preston man, 53, killed himself on day he was due to be evicted from his home
A Lancashire man killed himself on the day he was due to be evicted from his home, an inquest heard.
Richard Swarbrick, 53, was found hanged at his home in Three Nooks, Clayton Brook, near Preston.
Earlier that day a bailiff had called to serve him with an eviction notice, but got no reply.
Assistant coroner Richard Taylor recorded a suicide conclusion at an inquest at Preston Coroners Court into Mr Swarbrick's death, but he said it was unclear whether the eviction had played a role in Mr Swarbrick's decision to end his own life.
Places for People, through whom Mr Swarbrick rented a home, said it had already begun improving its practices regarding vulnerable tenants before Mr Swarbrick's death. It had now set in motion major changes which would be brought in this year.
Mr Swarbrick, 53, had rented a home through social housing association Places for People and had been in arrears on his rent since 2016.
However, in early 2024 he reduced the debt to £778.
The inquest heard that Mr Swarbrick lived with one of his sons. He last saw his father on September 16 2024 and when he returned home the following day he found him hanging.
Mr Swarbrick suffered from poor mental health and had attempted to take his own life in the past.
His sons had raised concerns about Places for People contacting him directly rather than through them.Angela Ratcliffe, regional customer accounts manager for Places for People, said Mr Swarbrick was in receipt of benefits and there was a pattern of arrears on his rent.
Court proceedings to begin repossession of the property were taken out against him in 2016.She said more recently there were attempts to contact Mr Swarbrick - telephone calls were made and voicemail messages were left, but there was no return call.
Sarah Potter, debt manager for Places for People, said there were several occasions in the past when the eviction warrant was suspended, usually due to payments being received.
On September 17 she went to Mr Swarbrick's home at around10.30am with a bailiff and a locksmith. No-one answered the door. They didn't go into the house because there was a dog inside.
She said the eviction date had been set and Mr Swarbrick had been notified. Before she left, she left a note asking him to call "urgently".
Katie Proctor, head of communities for Places for People, said there had been a breach of the court order and that was why proceedings were reactivated.
Ms Proctor said the company was aware of Mr Swarbrick's mental health issues. There had been communication with his sons in the past but there was no authorisation from Mr Swarbrick to discuss arrears with them.
Mr Ian Hellawell, group general counsel for Places for People, said its review of working practices with regard to debt enforcement and vulnerable clients began early last year.
New policies were being brought in and would be rolled out this year and into 2026.
He said it was important that when the company realised there was a problem that they quickly reach out to the client before problems arise. He said it was in no-one's interest that evictions took place.
Clients needed to talk to Places for People about issues they were having, but he realised that some may be frightened to do that.
The company was now committed to improving its services from the very start when clients arrived,and keeping in contact and making sure that communication was maintained.
Coroner Mr Taylor said a neighbour saw Mr Swarbrick on the morning of his death.If he was alive when the bailiff visited, he would have been aware of what was happening. He pointed out that Mr Swarbrick had been subject to eviction proceedings since 2016.
Mr Swarbrick left a note, which simply referred to his dog.
Mr Taylor said: “It is impossible for me to say that the proceedings that he was well aware of had any impact on him taking his life.”
He recorded a suicide conclusion and expressed his condolences to Mr Swarbrick's family.
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