A blind Thamesmead resident has finally won full ownership of his home following a 30-year dispute with his own brother which left him and his family "financially struggling."

Noel Lopez struggled for years to keep the house he and his brother bought together in 1989.

"We bought together because neither of us could afford to buy a property on our own.

"The house was registered in both our names, but I paid for all the legal fees and purchase costs.

"He walked out three weeks after we moved in, leaving me with all the payments for the endowment mortgage and bills.

"At many times over the years, I found it extremely difficult to keep up the payments, but he never offered to help.

"As you can imagine, this caused a huge rift between us," he said.

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When the mortgage came to an end in 2014, Mr Lopez was unable to pay it off and faced the house, which by this point had become a family home for him, his wife and two daughters, being repossessed.

With no choice but to sell, Mr Lopez was the shocked to find that his brother wanted 50 per cent of the sale price.

"He has never paid a penny towards the house, not even £1, but he wanted to have half of the sale price which at the time was £240,000.

"He knew that my family faced being thrown out onto the street, but he refused to budge or even to discuss it with me," he said.

As Mr Lopez was also losing his sight at this time it was very difficult period for the family.

The former retail manager was forced to take early retirement in 2016 when his sight loss made it impossible to do his job. However, it did mean he was able to use his pension savings to pay off the mortgage.

"I’d had enough of the situation by then.

"I wanted to get my brother off the deeds so I looked for someone who could help me. My union recommended a law firm in Sheffield, PM Law, as they are property law experts," said Mr Lopez.

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Following a consultation with the law firm, it was deemed that Mr Lopez had grounds for a legal case.

Lawyer for PM Law, Laura Thorpe explained: "Initially it seemed quite clear cut, and we thought it would be simple to resolve.

"But when the brother challenged us and filed a defence, it became a much more complex matter and it’s taken more than two years to conclude.

"The case was scheduled for trial and going to court would have been another stressful experience for Mr Lopez. However, we managed to have the defence struck out before it went to trial, which was a huge result for our client.”

The judge then awarded Mr Lopez full ownership of his home and was also awarded costs.

"I finally have the security of knowing that this house belongs to me and my family.

"It’s been hard to get through the bad times, but I’ve made it with the love and support of my family and my other brothers and sisters who have stood by me throughout.

"I can’t thank my legal team enough, in particular Laura Thorpe and Yvonne Gregor.

"For a long time it seemed as if I would never get a resolution and I’m incredibly relieved to have made it at last," said Mr Lopez.