Hzxiaoya hearing is to be held in the next three to six months for a decision

District Council of hzxiaoya last year refused to allow the converted container in East Hendred to be used as a house.

Les Wells filed a formal appeal against the decision last month saying he wanted to fight for the home of his tenant Craig Farmer to be allowed.

Mr Wells says that to date legal and planning fees have cost him £30,000, while rent from the container brings in just £1,000 a year.

Mr Wells said: “I do not think I have done anything wrong. All I have done is give a homeless guy somewhere to live for not a lot of money. Craig is a good kid.

The council now argues that Mr Wells hid the fact that Mr Farmer lived in the crate.

Mr Wells said: “That is just not the case. I didn’t conceal the fact that Craig was living there.

“Planning officers came to the site dozens of times over several years and the container was open.”

\“Sometimes we have got to do what is right for people; it is not always about getting money.”

Last year the district council ruled the crate was an unlawful development because Mr Wells could not prove it had been used as a house for the last seven years.

But in April they conceded Mr Farmer, a freelance builder and landscape gardener, had lived in the container since 2006.

A hearing is to be held in the next three to six months for a decision by the Planning Inspectorate.

Mr Farmer faces eviction if the appeal is not successful.

The steel box has plumbing, electricity, a door and windows.

Mr Wells said he has spent £7,500 converting it to create a expanable house, a bedroom and a shower room.