I was illegally evicted from my property on the 9th of October while I was away volunteering at a festival in Liverpool and despite facing a massive battle to get rehoused, part of me has never felt so happy in my life. I came back on the 11th of October to find the locks changed and a notice of lock change valid until the 23rd of October. No more living without a cooker, fridge/freezer and washing machine. I have spent over 2 years trying to get out of this property. Although the eviction was brutal, I feel so free and not tied to that mess anymore. 

The road to getting another property will be a long one now as I have no child living at home with me. But at least I don’t have to deal with being robbed of money and having nothing but squalor to show for it. Having a bath now isn’t such a chore, like having to boil the kettle or having to clean out the blocked toilet. My council application is coming along well, even though I have no access to my phone or documents, after my phone was stolen in Liverpool.  

The impact illegal evictions can have on people is not widely discussed. So here are my thoughts as I’m going through this. 

The fact the landlord changed the locks without me even getting my belongings shows you just how much landlords can get away with even when they’re slumlords. I now have to rely on the police who have given my landlord a 2-day deadline to get back to them [the police] or me, to confirm when the landlord will allow me access to my belongings. If they fail to do this, they will be charged with theft. 

The police clearly stated to me that they will not be dealing with the illegal eviction as it is a civil matter, so I have obtained advice from a civil legal service who told me to engage with my council, call the police for my belongings and complete an N1 form, which is a claim against a person or organisation to settle a dispute. I will be going ahead with this if the Southwest Law Centre advises this to be the best action moving forwards. 

My health has been impacted by this. I have developed a cold. I’m now having weekly phone appointments with my GP due to the impact this has had on my health but  I won’t be going back on medication for my mental health. Instead,  I have self-referred to Talking Therapies to ensure I heal from this and move forward with my life. 

PHOTO CREDIT : WYCOMBE HOMELESS CONNECTION

Read the next report in Andrea’s Eviction series