Update on my Housing Situation

[Jaidy]

As you know OH and I were given an eviction notice telling us we had to vacate our rented house by end of October.

We had sent off our eviction notice to the local housing partnership for proof we were being evicted and we got a phonecall today from our landlady saying they had written to her telling her the eviction notice was illegal and that she's breaking the law.

We have only been in the property since June and she is evicting us, and apparantly we have rights that state we have to be in the property 6 months at least before she can give us an eviction notice.

So it looks like our eviction notice will be given to us on the 3rd December now (6 months) and we will have to be out by 3rd February.

I will have my baby by then; I dont know whats worse being evicted at 7 months pregnant or being evicted with a newborn baby!!

Also the house is on the market as we speak so not sure what our landlady will do now?

Obviously its all in the air at the mo and in the hands of the solictors but as far as we are concerned there is no rush for us to be out by October as we previously thought!

I am a little sad tho because now I wont be settled in a place before baby is born and I had my heart set on having a lovely home and nursery waiting for baby.

Why do these things ALWAYS come at the wrong time?!?

 

[Dee1985]

OMG that is so breaking the law i read in the paper the other day a home owner was sent to prison for a yr for kicking a tenant out early, do you have a tenancy agreement??? ild just get out now if it were me get nice and settled for when baby comes.and mke sure u get ya deposit back, you going through a letting agency? did the landlord give you the letter or the agency?

 

[Ebony_Mommy]

As you know OH and I were given an eviction notice telling us we had to vacate our rented house by end of October.

We had sent off our eviction notice to the local housing partnership for proof we were being evicted and we got a phonecall today from our landlady saying they had written to her telling her the eviction notice was illegal and that she's breaking the law.

We have only been in the property since June and she is evicting us, and apparantly we have rights that state we have to be in the property 6 months at least before she can give us an eviction notice.

So it looks like our eviction notice will be given to us on the 3rd December now (6 months) and we will have to be out by 3rd February.

I will have my baby by then; I dont know whats worse being evicted at 7 months pregnant or being evicted with a newborn baby!!

Also the house is on the market as we speak so not sure what our landlady will do now?

Obviously its all in the air at the mo and in the hands of the solictors but as far as we are concerned there is no rush for us to be out by October as we previously thought!

I am a little sad tho because now I wont be settled in a place before baby is born and I had my heart set on having a lovely home and nursery waiting for baby.

Why do these things ALWAYS come at the wrong time?!?

she has been caught out.. serve her right!

i feel for you babes..

is it possible for u and her to come to an arrangement.. that as soon as you find somewhere else.. you leave..

just so that you leave when youre not too big.. decorate l/o's nursery.. and wont have to move with baby....

aaawwww babes... everything will work out.. remember (its very cliche) but everything happens for a reason

 

[skatty]

Jaidy I think you s´hould make a deal with her! Tell her you will look for somewhere else but won't pay rent for the last month for the inconvienience and expense. If she wants to sell the house she will be putty in your hands! That could be enough money to decorate the new nursery

 

[Ebony_Mommy]

Jaidy I think you s´hould make a deal with her! Tell her you will look for somewhere else but won't pay rent for the last month for the inconvienience and expense. If she wants to sell the house she will be putty in your hands! That could be enough money to decorate the new nursery

ooooohhhh .. good idea!

wat u think jaidy

 

[Jaidy]

OMG that is so breaking the law i read in the paper the other day a home owner was sent to prison for a yr for kicking a tenant out early, do you have a tenancy agreement??? ild just get out now if it were me get nice and settled for when baby comes.and mke sure u get ya deposit back, you going through a letting agency? did the landlord give you the letter or the agency?

We do have a tenancy agreement and it says nothing about a minimum term of a 6 month let.

The thing is, my landlady is also my BOSS (im off sick at the moment too!) and she let the house to us at a reduced rate and we didnt have to give a deposit!!

So if we go to move we are going to need at LEAST £1000 for a deposit and first months rent, which we dont have especially continuing to pay rent where we are.

Also we have been looking and there is just nothing about that we can afford that accepts children AND pets. Our budget is about £550 per month, and where I live all you can get for that is a one bedroom flat; not ideal with pets and a baby! The only reason we took this rent was that it was sooooo cheap and just perfect, two beds, garden etc.

Really we are relying on the council to house us but they wont do anything as we both work and are 'seen' to be affording a private rent.

Its a nightmare situation, a real catch 22 you know?

 

[Amanda]

Aww Jaid, I really do feel for you. As you said, at least you know you've not got to move immediately, but you want to be settled before LO is here.

I've been meaning to update you on my situation as well, so here goes. The possession order went to court on the 7th August but the judge didn't grant it as they gave us 1 day less than the 2 months notice required!! Basically, they dated the notice to quit on the 7th April, and gave us until the 7th June to leave, but they should have dated it the 6th!! It doesn't matter that it's now August and we're still here, the judge is saying the notice wasn't legal! It was adjourned for 14 days, but we haven't heard anything yet. So, I've got 3 weeks till EDD, and about a week before it goes back to court, and if the judge says yes this time, we'll have 14 days for the council to rehouse us!! Perfect timing! All I want to do is decorate the nursery!! And the council have told us that we'll probably be about 8 months in temporary accomodation (possibly a hostel where no pets are allowed,no Sky and no broadband ) although there is an empty 3 bedroom house 4 streets away from where I am living now!! Bloody red tape!

Please keep me updated as to what is happening with you. At least you know it is not a completely desperate situation hun.

 

[Jaidy]

I totally sypmathasise with you Tankett, totally.

Im keeping my fingers crossed that it all goes well next week and you get your council place before LO arives. It must be a nesting instinct, but like yourself all I want is to be settled BEFORE the baby arrives, I dont really wanna have to move with a newborn, I want it all perfect for before it is born.

So you wont get a council place within that 14 days then? Not an assured one? When you say temporary accomodation how likely is that?

Its disgusting it makes me so cross, yet so sad. I know this prob makes you feel no better but it helps me knowing someone else is going through the exact same thing you know?

 

[Amanda]

They have told us that the likelihood of getting a permanent council place straight away is very minimal. They'll probably have to put us somewhere temporary until a suitable place comes up. That could be either a private house which the council rent for us, or a hostel. The only hostel in the borough is 10 miles away in Loughborough. My daughter goes to the school 5 mins walk away from where we are at the minute, and if we end up there, I have no idea how she'll get there. I'm hoping to have a c section, and if I do I won't be able to drive for at least 6 weeks, so I won't be able to take her or pick her up. DH is a greenkeeper so works dodgy shifts (he started at 5am this morning), so he can't either. Also all family and friends are here, and if I'm stuck there for 6 weeks, I'll be so isolated.

It is really annoying as there is a house empty like I said. They very very rarely come up in my village, so this would be perfect for us. But the woman who has moved out hasn't told the council! She has moved in with her boyfriend and has kept the house on in case it doesn't work out!! I've already told the council this and the lady I spoke to said she was fuming as this lady is a single parent of 3 boys and doesn't work. So while she is making up her mind, we are paying her rent!! This lady said she was going to investigate for me. But the chances of getting this house are also very minimal. I even told her we would take it in any state of disrepair and do stuff as we went along, but she said that wouldn't make any difference!

 

[Emmylou]

We do have a tenancy agreement and it says nothing about a minimum term of a 6 month let.

The minimum term for an assured shorthold tenancy (which will be what you signed) is 6 months, that is why she can't serve notice, it doesn't matter if a term is mentioned in the contract or not, as long as it is dated somewhere for when it is signed/ drawn up a judge will use that as the start date.

If you signed in June, she can serve notice in October (it has to be two months and not a day less) to evict you in December (obviously not ideal timing), she doesn't have to wait for the 6 motnhs to be up, she just can't make the eviction date less than the 6 month term.

If you need any advice on tenancy agreements etc. feel free to PM me, this is my day job so its not a problem and I can offer you help/legal advice for the private sector. We don't deal with council housing, but I have heard of tenants who use something called a bond bank scheme to help with their deposits, i don't know much about it as we don't house DHSS and thats usually where it is used, but you can use it on a low income even if you're working, all i know about it is that it is a scheme where the deposit is 'guaranteed' and you pay it off monthly over the first 6 months of your tenancy - it is still held as a deposit, so you will get the money back at the end subject to satisfactory final inspection.

Good luck hun x

 

[Tasha20]

Jaidey I really feel for you as if you havnt got enough to worry about I hope things will start to get better for you

 

[Jaidy]

Thank you Emmy Lou! That piece of information was very interesting, its good because having the facts helps me to get it all straight in my mind you know?

Bless you Tasha, your so kind, it makes me feel better when I come on here as I have all you lot to rant too and its great knowing I have so much support.

Thank you all il keep you all updated xxx

 

[Emmylou]

The deposit scheme mentioned in my previous post, is run by participating councils, so if you need more information contact the housing department of your local council to see if they participate.

I think its 'name' is a 'deposit bond scheme'?

Hope you manage to get something sorted.

 

[kayzee]

The way we got our council house was that the place we were living in was damp so it was arranged id live with hubby's parents ( we are now divorced) and tackle it then. When ben was born we stayed at his parents and got the midwife and the health visitor to write letters to the council saying that the situation wasnt suitable, we also knew of somewhere empty and when we told the council they didnt even know!! A week later they sent a lady round to interview us and look how we were living and a few days later we were offered the place we told them about. We are only a few houses away from a temp accomodation block and the flats in there are lovely and the longest you have to wait in there is a year. We were lucky getting this house the way we did so now matter how hard it seems or how desperate it looks keep banging on the councils door and make them listen that way they will have to take notice, hope this helps any of you lovely ladies. x x x x