Eviction notice served

ampersand wrote: »

Morning all -
Hello floss2, you're just ahead of me.
Did everyone have tech. difficulties with site yesterday?
Just another concerned bod out here, mot.
Good to see Gforce is on Green Light now, too.
As others have said, if your marvellous friends D&T can make some sort of statement about the conditions you found at the flat, that would be more power to your armoury, especially if no-one took pix. Yes, also as others have said, keep receipts for cleaning materials, but I am just concerned that the decency of D&T might be held against you, rather as others counselled in the early days, re: having 'friends' upon whom you could impose meaning LA had a way out of helping.
I have no expertise here, but I wondered if it might be seen as a parallel.
Can you help here, Gforce?
Rainy Tuesday.

Hhmm no sorry I'm not going to be much help ! I agree with everyone else, the flat sounded like it was in an awful state. I don't know whether she'd be able to claim anything back for the clean up though, it might be a case of beggers can't be choosers.
It's worth a try though.
Hopefully the final decision will be a good one and MOT won't have to stay there too long!

Hi there hon!
I've been yet another lurker for a few weeks- and have been reading all the updates on your situation- so now I've actually registered and can post!
I just wanted to say that you're doing an amazing job of holding it all together. I know how you feel. A couple of years back we were evicted from our privately rented home, (Hubby, our 2 kids and me), through no fault of our own. The landlady wanted to sell the house. However, hubby was made redundant at the same time, didn't qualify for any payouts and the benefits and JSA took forever to come through. We couldn't pay rent for a while because we simply didn't have the money. I was so worried that the HA would hold that against us and we had a very uncertain time for a while. To cut a long story short- they agreed to re-house us, but had nowhere (not even a local B&B) for us to go. Some friends offered to put us up, and the HA agreed that that was fine and wouldn't affect our position waiting for a home. Our friends were fab- but living in one room in someone else's house is far from ideal! Well, the day we got a phone call to say we had a house, we were overjoyed... until we saw it! I completely understand your reaction to the flat, because I could have died when I saw the vandalised, filthy, smashed up and boarded up place we were given, with the message that if we turned it down, we'd be off the priority list and have to wait a couple of years. I just felt that we'd let our kids down- and cried so hard. We cleaned and scrubbed, lived with boarded windows for a few weeks before they got fixed, and then started suffering harrasment from the local yobs. We were too 'different'- ie, normal people with kids who worked hard in school, etc!!!! We had horrific verbal abuse, things thrown at our windows every night, things pushed through the door- the kids bullied at the local schools and alot more.
All this waffle is to say that sometimes things look impossible- but hang on in there! The area we were in was so bad almost everyone was on a transfer list (estimated at 4 years wait)- but we stood our ground (and the LHA who visited always commented on how clean we'd made the house, how we always tried to make the garden nice, etc, even though it always got ripped to shreds), and within a few months they rehoused us!
Now we live in a brand new house (first ever to live in it!) in a very sought after, quite exclusive area, which is just wonderful. We love it so much and couldn't be happier with it. The time before that was hell, and I'd never want to relive it- but if we hadn't gone where we did and been through the tough times, we wouldn't have been rehoused in one of their lovely new houses! We really appreciate it in a way we couldn't have once.
I've babbled on waaaaay too much (sorry!) but I really wanted to say that sometimes that old cliche is true- it's darkest just before the dawn! I'm thinking of you, MOT. If anyone deserves that sunrise, hon, it's you! Don't give up hope, ok?

I'm back and I have to say it was the strangest holiday I've ever been on. My Dad had a good time which was great but my mind just wasn't there. I couldn't stop thinking about what MOT and the twins were going through, what bad timing my holiday was and how I wanted to be at home supporting her. I'm just pleased she accepted my invitation to use my place as a stop gap and no, I didn't mind her raiding my freezer, fridge and using the washing machine. Any road up, MOT has asked me to update you. Her application for Council housing has been rejected on the grounds that she made herself intentionally homeless, so now we have to go to appeal. I have to say that when I received her text last week about the state of the flat I was horrified. She and her neighbour D have done a fabulous job of cleaning it up and typically MOT has really made the place homely. It might be cramped but at least its somewhere to live for now. It was tough lugging beds and mattresses up two flights of very steep, narrow stairs but she couldn't sleep on the disgusting objects (I shrink from calling them beds) that were there. MOT will tell you the full saga but she locked herself and the kids out on the first night and with a pan of water boiling on the hob she had to call out the fire brigade! I'll let her fill you in. I was absolutely gobsmacked - my gob has never been so smacked - by the generosity of MOT's neighbours D&T; it really restores your faith in humankind to know that there are such kind hearted caring people in this world. All of your support too has been amazing and without it I think MOT might have gone to pieces. As for those removal guys - an extra charge for dropping some stuff off at an address which was en route anyway? Come on! MOT will be giving you her own update as soon as she is able; just bear with her friends. Isn't it a pity we all live so far apart from each other? When this is all over I feel like throwing a reunion/thank you party. What a great lot you are. Mille grazie. Tony

Hi IT and MOT

Thanks for the update. (I think) ??????

Will Shelter be helping with the appeal ? I know that they have previously said that they have never won one with this particular Council, but there is always a first time.

It might be worth looking on the net to see if there is any case law on homelessness applications/appeals that echo MOT's situation. Shelter should know, but it might be worth you being familiar with it too.

I think now is the time to dig out every piece of paper that documents monies in and out throughout the time MOT was unable to pay the rent - even if it boxes of stuff. MOT needs to categorically prove that she was unable to pay the rent. Even if it means showing that the children would have suffered if she had made rent payments. I know that it will no doubt reveal loads of personal stuff, etc, but she needs to get those Councillors on the review panel on her side.

Best of luck to all of you.

Vanda

It's another shocker mot - thankyou IT for letting us know.
I think we can sense mot is feeling beaten and wounded, yet again.
Yes, IT, I think a number of us want very much to say Hello in person to others here.
Keep this thread printed off, updated page by page - the early stages document the chronology for the Review panel and for future readers who may plead your cause.
I'd now send it in its entirety to your MP.
Are things now at the stage where a Free Legal Aid 30 minutes appointment might be useful, relevant?
I feel the Appeal application should be done by Shelter, not mot, but with your input. There comes a point where Being Able To Cope and wearing the mask that matches(just as a way of getting through day by day, hour by hour, sometimes minute by minute)is NOT a Positive in front of these people.
My head is full of the 4 lines quoted earlier.....'Battle-weary, beaten, broken......' etc.
SOME Agency must be ready to give this Council a bloody nose - if not Shelter. I even wonder if their failure to win any Appeals thus far might mean advocacy from another direction could be the way to go.
When is the Appeal likely to be held?
All our warmest thoughts and strength are with you.
Come back when you can and think of it as catharsis - please, without pressure.