Landlord and young family left living in cramped house due to evictions ban- TKs story
At the start of the coronavirus lockdown, landlord TK had become a father for the second time.
But ever since the baby was born in January, he has been forced to live in cramped accommodation with his other young child, his wife and parents.
Why? Because the tenants at the rental property he owns have stopped paying rent – and have refused to comply with an eviction notice he served back in October. This means he can’t move back into his property, and that he has been waiting for more than eight months to do so. Despite working full time, the financial impact of having a non paying tenant is also taking its toll for TK and his family.
Agreeable
At first, TK says his tenants were aware of his intention to one day move back into the property at the very start of that tenancy, and says they were comfortable with this, because they were only planning on living at the property for a few months anyway.
So, in preparation for the arrival of his second child at the start of 2020, the landlord served an eviction notice in October.
However, not only did the tenants refuse to leave when the eviction notice expired in December, they are still continuing to live in the property due to the eviction ban, and have also not paid a penny of rent since January.
TK's struggle to gain possession of his property is taking its toll on his new family’s life, especially during the lockdown.
“It’s left my life in a very awkward situation and has made lockdown difficult. I had planned to move into the house as I had my second baby instead I am living in a cramped house, while the tenants continue to live rent free, but I know they can afford some of the rent as they’re still receiving benefits.”
“I’ve even offered to step in and help them find another property to live in-I just need my house back”.
It’s not just the impact on his own personal life that TK is worried about-he’s also concerned that the tenants’ behaviour is disrupting the neighbours at the property-something he is currently powerless to do anything about.
“The tenants know they can’t be evicted right now, and they’ve been causing a nuisance to some of the neighbours – which I really want to be able to do something about but I simply can’t.
“The possession is not linked to coronavirus so why should I be in this situation”.
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The extension of the eviction ban means that TK is powerless to gain possession of his property, despite the tenant breaching several parts of the contract.
- The NRLA is calling for courts to urgently deal with anti-social behaviour and domestic violence cases when they are allowed to begin to hear repossession cases again. The NRLA is urging members to write to their local MP about their own experiences. Members can do this easily, using our tool
