The residents of three Newcastle boarding houses deemed 'death traps' have now been evicted from the premises at Mayfield and Carrington.
City of Newcastle representatives went through the properties yesterday, demanding the men take their personal belongings with them.
It's understood 20 of about 60 men have been offered a week of emergency accommodation in the city, with the rest left to make their own arrangements.
Former Councillor and Boarding House Operator Aaron Buman said he's prepared to make modifications to the sites to make them more fire-safe, but needs extra time.
"I've told Council I'd do whatever it takes and whatever they want to keep these men off the street and in their home," he said.
"Council gave me 14 days to come up with reports and solutions that were unachievable in the first place - I need time to get a lot of stuff finalised...I actually thought through the gratitude of keeping men off the street [Council] would do that."
Mr Buman is accusing City of Newcastle of launching a personal vendetta against him with the shutdown.
"This is completely personal because I know there are other boarding houses out there they haven't inspected which are a lot worse than mine," he said, "I've provided the best care, the best and safest places and [the residents] cannot understand - they've lived in some of the worst places in Newcastle that are still operating."
At the time the closure order was issued on September 19, Council CEO Jeremy Bath said his hands were tied, with no other options but to shut down the houses.
"We appreciate the gravity of the action we have taken. The men living in these homes are often those who are only able to live in the community because of the availability of cheap accommodation.
"But unfortunately, the owner of the properties has shown complete disregard for the safety of the men," Mr Bath said.
Mr Buman has lodged a Stay of Orders with the NSW Land and Environment Court to gain an extra fortnight, but that request was denied on Wednesday.
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| Time's Up: About 80 men have been forced out of the facilities. Image: Aaron Buman. |
