A grieving man who has lived in the same family home is being kicked out by the council just weeks after his elderly mum died.
Gary Brookin, 63, was told he needs to leave the two-bedroom council home so another family can move in.
He had been a carer for his mum for the last 13 years and is only a few years away from his own retirement.
Mr Brookin has said the stress of having to leave the only home he's ever lived in has made him depressed and given him sleepless nights.
He says he's written to Alok Sharma, his MP, asking for help but hasn't heard back.
Reading Borough Council, which owns the semi-detached home in Tilehurst, Berkshire, said it wants to give the two-bed house to a bigger family even though Mr Brooking has been paying the rent, council tax and has even offered to pay bedroom tax on the spare bedroom.
Council red tape over "succession" of tenancy agreements allows only one change of tenant - and that was Mr Brooking's mum when his father died. It will not let their son take over the tenancy now both are dead.
Mr Brooking said: "It's been a horrible roller-coaster, my world has been turned upside down.
"I've tried everything I can think of to be able to stay in the house - I've been back and forth to the council but everything goes in one ear and out the other. You can't get through to anyone. They give me wrong numbers and anything they can to pass me off to other people who can't help.
"This is a two-bedroom house, they want me to move to a bungalow but I don't want to go - I will fight it all the way."
He claimed council officials promised him "a fresh start" in a new property but he insists there is nowhere else he wants to be.
He said: "Two weeks after my mum's funeral I went onto depression and am taking tablets. Universal Credit wanted me to go to work but my mind is not on it.
"I'm just getting upset all the time. I sometimes feel suicidal but the council is just pushing me to get out. They want it for a family, I could understand if it was a three-bed house for a family but it's only quite small with two small bedrooms. Where am I gonna start a new life in Reading?
"I'm not sleeping or eating properly it just gets me down, I can't go on much longer. Something has to be done, there should be a law that states if someone has been living in the same place for 50 years they should have the right to stay there.
"I was in shock when they told me to leave. It's disgusting, I've been physically sick over it - the whole saga is really getting me down.
"I know someone who is in a three-bedroom house whose mum passed away long before mine and he's still in the property, so why should I have to move?"
A spokesperson for Reading Borough Council told the Mirror: "A council tenancy is only allowed to pass from one family member to another once, known as a succession. In this case a succession has already taken place within the family and therefore no further succession rights are available on this tenancy.
"Even in instances where a family member does have the right to succession on a tenancy, they would not be able to remain in a property that was too big for their needs. Alternative accommodation of the appropriate size would be found for them, to make the larger property available to a family in need.
"Reading Borough Council has given Mr Brookin high priority on the housing register for a move to a 1-bedroom property. He has been advised that he has no legal right to remain in the property, in keeping with the current legislation, but we are not asking him to leave it until an alternative is found.
"With over 3,000 families waiting for accommodation in Reading, it isn’t possible to allow people with no legal right to a property to remain in one that is larger than they require. The Council has a statutory responsibility to manage all the need in the borough by making best use of the homes that become available. We are working with Mr Brooking to resolve this situation with him as swiftly as possible, to ensure the best use of our housing stock to benefit as many people waiting for housing as possible."
