Facing eviction need help

hollyrosej

Hi, im new to this forum and I'm really looking for help from familys who have/are going through the same as me.

Here is my story. My flat I live in with my son and husband has been sold to a new landlord. A week or so after it was sold (in september) he came round to introduce himself, he told us he had brought the flat upsairs and as soon as he can buy the lease to the flats he is going to convert them and wants us to leave!

Me and my husband were so shocked, we invited him in made him tea and he was basically telling us about his plans to rid of us. As well as this he told us our flat is in a highly sought after area and the rent is now £800 fro its original £650.

We told him that we will struggle to pay this ammount, I'm in uni work part time and hubby just doesnt earn enough to cover everything!

Anyway straight after he left we got registerd to every letting agency and website out there to look for flats, we had our notice 4 weeks ago and we are still struggleing.

My husband is in despair and has started to be very mean and hurtful towards me. As well as my uni work and my part time work and looking after our son, he has left it to me to find properties, I am physically and emoitanally exhusted.

Today I have been to my housing benefit office to ask for help, he told me I should take my section 21 to housing.

I'm desperate now, I know I have atleast 3 months left here as I havent been served eviction yet, I'm just panicked as it seems I need to have help from the council, the housing benefits officer told me today I would be put in a temporay accomidation and if nothing can be found for us they have a right to house my son and he'll be taken away:'(

I feel so deverstated, I just keep thinking what will happen to us, if they take my son I dont know what i'll do.


Please if you have been through this can you give me some advice xxx

BitterAndTwisted

If your landlord has correctly served that S21 Notice (and many don't. And then have to re-serve it giving you another two months), he will then have to apply to the court for possession. Courts can be very busy, so a hearing may not take place for some time. In reality, you may have more time to find alterntive accommodation than your think.

Even if you cannot find alternative accommodation YOUR CHILD WILL NOT BE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU! Being made homeless is not a good enough reason for a child to be taken into care, or there would be tens of thousands of children torn from the bosoms of their families in this country. Care is very, very expensive and difficult to secure because of the shortage of places, but helping families to resolve their housing issues cheaper. So please do not worry about that.

hollyrosej

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

If your landlord has correctly served that S21 Notice (and many don't. And then have to re-serve it giving you another two months), he will then have to apply to the court for possession. Courts can be very busy, so a hearing may not take place for some time. In reality, you may have more time to find alterntive accommodation than your think.

Even if you cannot find alternative accommodation YOUR CHILD WILL NOT BE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU! Being made homeless is not a good enough reason for a child to be taken into care, or there would be tens of thousands of children torn from the bosoms of their families in this country. Care is very, very expensive and difficult to secure because of the shortage of places, but helping families to resolve their housing issues cheaper. So please do not worry about that.

Thanks so much for your reply, you have really put my mind at rest!

I have to take my notice down to my council this week just to make sure its correct-as shelter have advised.

I'm still very worried though:(

Mojisola

hollyrosej wrote: »

My husband is in despair and has started to be very mean and hurtful towards me. As well as my uni work and my part time work and looking after our son, he has left it to me to find properties, I am physically and emoitanally exhusted.

And sit your husband down and tell him firmly that you need to work together on this problem! He's making things worse than they need to be.

lighting_up_the_chalice

They MAY put you in temporary accommodation but that wouldn't mean that they would take your child from you. If the only issue you have is the risk of homelessness, that simply will NOT happen.

Do as advised and seek advice from the Homeless section of your LA (or whoever administers that function). They can tell you what to expect in terms of eviction and what services/accommodation they can offer you as well as assistance with re-housing options.

It might be wise to take a friend and some notes as there will undoubtedly be a lot of information for you to absorb.

pmlindyloo

I think you may well have misunderstood what has been said.

If you have told the housing officer that you will end up on the street if they don't house you then this might have elicited the response that a child must be protected from such an existence.


If your OH is working and you are working part time why are you finding it so difficult to find private rental accommodation?


I am not being unsympathetic but just wondering if you 're claiming all the benefits you are entitled to or anything else we can help with?

hollyrosej

Thank you all for your responce!

My husband will be coming with me, as well as me he seems to be struck by the whole situation-whenever I try to talk to him about the situation he starts yelling, I try not to argue, but I wish he would listen, I'd just like him to tell me it will be alright, we are so worried about becoming homeless.

I have registered with every letting site there is and am constanly checking them.

The stress is wearing me down, I feel so low, I snapped at my son yesterday and felt so terrible I didnt sleep last night.

Thanks again xx

hollyrosej

pmlindyloo wrote: »

I think you may well have misunderstood what has been said.

If you have told the housing officer that you will end up on the street if they don't house you then this might have elicited the response that a child must be protected from such an existence.


If your OH is working and you are working part time why are you finding it so difficult to find private rental accommodation?


I am not being unsympathetic but just wondering if you 're claiming all the benefits you are entitled to or anything else we can help with?

Hi, sorry I just came on here for advice. We do both work my husband is self employed and I work part time and am at uni as well as my work placement.

We certainly don't claim every benefit neither of us have ever been on any job seekers income we do get tax credits and child benefit though.

I went to the council to ask about housing benefits ( another thing we never claimed before) as due to rent increase we are having a real struggle to pay it! We havnt even claimed it yet, I just have the forms !

I never thought I'd have to justify my family like that!

I'm in a very hard situation at the moment, I feel like I've hit rock bottom, I have no one else to talk this through with hence why I joined.

Mojisola

pmlindyloo wrote: »

I am not being unsympathetic but just wondering if you 're claiming all the benefits you are entitled to or anything else we can help with?

hollyrosej wrote: »

We certainly don't claim every benefit neither of us have ever been on any job seekers income we do get tax credits and child benefit though.

I never thought I'd have to justify my family like that!

I didn't think lindy was asking you to justify yourself - I read it as if she wondered whether there were some benefits you may be entitled to but weren't claiming.

pmlindyloo

Mojisola wrote: »

I didn't think lindy was asking you to justify yourself - I read it as if she wondered whether there were some benefits you may be entitled to but weren't claiming.

Absolutely!


I apologise if you thought I was being intrusive.


It is my natural instinct when people are struggling to make sure that they are receiving all the benefits they are entitled to.


Is there a shortage of rental properties in your area?


Please try not to worry. You have plenty of time to find somewhere.

hollyrosej

pmlindyloo wrote: »

Absolutely!


I apologise if you thought I was being intrusive.


It is my natural instinct when people are struggling to make sure that they are receiving all the benefits they are entitled to.


Is there a shortage of rental properties in your area?


Please try not to worry. You have plenty of time to find somewhere.

Sorry, it's my fault too! I am just not myself lately feeling very very low like I've never felt before.

We are on a lowish income, we were ok before the rent increase, now it's like we have to budget on top of budgeting and everything is hard.

Its such a random situation I never thought this would ever happen to me, I feel bad for spending early on in the year, I feel worried for my son, I just not good at coping with these things.

Sorry!