8.  The applicant was born in 1939 and lives in Sorrento. 9.  He is the owner of a flat in Sorrento, which he had let to A.E. and F.C. 10.  In a writ served on the tenants on 5 November 1983, the applicant communicated his intention to terminate the lease and summoned them to appear before the Naples Magistrate. 11.  By a provisional decision of 23 November 1983, the Naples Magistrate upheld the validity of the notice to quit, ordered that the premises be vacated by 1 January 1986 and declined jurisdiction on account of the value of the case, indicating that the Naples District Court had jurisdiction to hear it. 12.  On 16 January 1984, the applicant resumed the proceedings before the Naples District Court. In a judgment of 10 January 1986, the Court declared that the lease was terminated as of 31 December 1985 and ordered that the premises must be vacated by 30 September 1986. The judgment was made enforceable on 18 January 1990. 13.  On 23 January 1990, the applicant served notice on the tenants requiring them to vacate the premises. On 9 February 1990, he served notice on the tenants informing them that the order for possession would be enforced by a bailiff on 8 May 1990. 14.  On 8 May 1990, the bailiff made an attempt to recover possession, which proved unsuccessful as, under the statutory provisions providing for the staggering of evictions, the applicant was not entitled to police assistance in enforcing the order for possession. 15.  Thereafter, the applicant decided to suspend the eviction attempts, in order to avoid useless costs, given the lack of prospects of obtaining the assistance of the police. 16.  On 30 November 1995, the applicant served again notice on the tenants requiring them to vacate the premises. On 18 December 1995, he served notice on the tenants informing them that the order for possession would be enforced by a bailiff on 6 February 1996. 17.  The bailiff made three further attempts to recover possession in enforcing the order for possession, which attempts proved unsuccessful as, under the statutory provisions providing for the staggering of evictions, the applicant was not entitled to police assistance in enforcing the order for possession. 18.  On 10 April 1997, the tenants vacated the premises.