Read the previous report in Andrea’s eviction series 

I received an email from the private rent team that the room passed the inspection and they’re happy to assist me. I thanked them for confirming it as passed and for assisting me with paying for the room. I asked when the holding deposit will be paid as this is what my new landlord is currently asking for. 

I got a response from the council that they are in the process of sorting out the deposit and have contacted the landlord. So, the next stage is dependent on me passing certain checks, which to be honest doesn’t look that promising because although the council can find know evidence of this, bailiffs were called out to change the locks on my previous property.  

The exact circumstances surrounding this eviction are complicated but for now let me just say that I’m convinced the only reason the landlord evicted me was in order to sell the property. I was in the property whilst viewings were going on.  Because of that her reason for trying to evict me changed on a number of occasions, both to me and to the courts.  

The courts often side with landlords even if they’re rogue and the courts deal with the case without you even having attended a hearing, which is exactly what happened to me.  

Any arrears on the flat I was just evicted from happened because I withheld rent because we had no boiler for over three months in the winter, with my daughter and I in the property. This left us in freezing conditions without any hot water or radiators, and no time frame on when this would be sorted out. 

They never did sort it out. Instead, I managed to sort it out myself by getting smart meters installed after the LPA receivers took over the property. [Just to explain the LPA receivers were called in to oversee letting the property after my landlord got behind with the mortgage]. As my daughter has her temporary property now, I have no regrets about withholding the rent and would do the same again to be honest. No way am I paying money to freeze in inhabitable conditions.  

I didn’t get much support from the council on this issue either. The only support I did get was from the homelessness charity Crisis, who did a story on the property. 

All I can do is wait and see what comes of this and go from there. 

 

Photo by Mat Amp Instagram @matamp67