8.  The applicant was born in 1945 and lives in Rome. 9.  A.G.D. was the owner of an apartment in Rome, which she had let to V.P. 10.  A.G.D. informed the tenant that she intended to terminate the lease on expiry of the term on 31 December 1983, and asked him to vacate the premises by that date. 11.  By a decision of 21 October 1986, the Rome Magistrate upheld the validity of the notice to quit and ordered that the premises be vacated by 30 April 1987. 12.  On 13 November 1986, the applicant became the owner of the apartment and pursued the enforcement proceedings. 13.  On 8 May 1987, she served a notice to quit on the tenant, but he refused to leave. 14.  On 20 May 1987 she served notice on the tenant informing him that the order for possession would be enforced by a bailiff on 7 July 1987. 15.  On 3 April 1989, the applicant made a statutory declaration that she urgently required the premises as accommodation for herself. 16.  Between 7 July 1987 and 1 December 1999, the bailiff made forty-nine attempts to recover possession. 17.  Each attempt proved unsuccessful, as the applicant was never granted the assistance of the police in enforcing the order for possession. 18.  After reaching an agreement with the tenant, on 18 December 1999 the applicant recovered possession of her apartment.