To think if you're sacked from your job, you don't get to keep the accommodation provided with the job?

[user1490607838]

Just that really! A man who worked in a school (as caretaker) for 17 years, has been sacked, and he and his wife are now 'sobbing' because they have nowhere to go!

Whilst it can't be easy to have to move out of the property you have raised your family in, surely they must have known that if he ever lost his job, the accommodation would have gone with it?!

They are trying to make out he was 'unfairly sacked' as he was finished from his job whilst on sick leave. But they have been asked to leave the home several times, and in the end had to be forced out

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mum-sobs-we-nothing-family-21489077

AIBU to think they shouldn't expect to keep the home provided with the job, when the job finishes?

This looks like their case - www.stiveschambers.co.uk/housing-update-davies-v-hertfordshire-county-council-2018-ewca-civ-379/.

Interestingly, the report says that Mr Davies' employment was terminated for gross misconduct, not for health reasons as claimed in the Mirror article.

Correction to my own post - I see they tried to get permission to appeal to the Supreme Court, but failed.

Interestingly, the report says that Mr Davies' employment was terminated for gross misconduct, not for health reasons as claimed in the Mirror article

Well there's a surprise. Funny they didn't mention that. Usual pathetic journalistic standards.

They were asked to leave 5 years ago. They have been living (heavily) subsidised for all that time. He has a job as a supervisor pest controller- they have chosen not to save any money or have a contingency plan in this time. I have very limited sympathy.

I do think the council should have been more understanding and helped them more

The report says they tried to negotiate a voluntary agreement to leave last year after they were refused permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.

I have often wondered about what happens when caretakers and vicars retire. They know they'll have to move out. Surely they would save up each month and keep it to one side for when they need to buy a place?

@Mrsmadevans

I’m not sure how you are able to go about your daily life without being in floods of tears constantly if you feel such misplaced sympathy for this family! There are literally millions of people in the UK, and billions worldwide who are facing acute hardships and real injustices that make this family’s situation look pathetic in comparison.

They’ve had FIVE years to prepare, and given they wanted to go to the Supreme Court, thinking that a softly softly mediation approach would have worked is naive in the extreme.

Yes, there is some sadness leaving a home, but it is something millions upon millions of people do all the time without being paralysed by sentimentality. I’ve done it twice with my young family! There’s sadness involved, yes, but to think it’s a tragedy worthy of national news is as insulting to those experiencing real hardship as it is ridiculous. It’s not a human right to be able to bring your family up in one home irrespective of circumstances.

What the hell did they expect, to be able to live there on a hugely subsidised rent for life?! They are some of the most entitled people I have encountered.

Lots of schools have got rid of their school keepers and there is a large number that have been bullied out of the job. Especially ones that have accommodation tied to the job, in London you had to take the house with the job you had no choice when you signed the contract. Pay for school keepers was low as accommodation was seen as package so you were paid less. There was no way to afford paying a mortgage on the average salaries. I know a particular council reviewed the salaries of school keepers found a number were underpaid and a number were forced out and bullied by the schools as they didn't want to pay the cost.
The unions well GMB made an absolute hash of supporting school keepers and basically told most of them to take a deal to leave, some of these school keepers had been working for over four decades in their schools.

If you look on council websites for filming you will find lots and lots of the school accommodation is empty and falling into disrepair. A complete waste of properties.

The council in this case should have helped them move and I'm surprised they waited five years to evict them. Normally they moved much quicker to get them out.

Not the same situation but my mum works at a boarding school with tied accommodation for a number of staff members. Staff there are paid very well indeed. It’s always astounding that often, when someone retires or leaves, they’ve made absolutely no preparations for needing to own/rent privately and plead poverty/extended on site accommodation. They’re bright people and know full well that the free house doesn’t last forever. People are amazingly good at sticking their heads in the sand....

I’ve watched enough ‘can’t pay, we’ll take it’ programmes to know that there would have been plenty of letters before the bailiffs arrived.

Lost for words how an earth can they think they are hard done by. Just showing themselves up now.

I assume that the salary for the job is lower when you get a heavily subsidised bungalow as part of the package?

Anyway, unfortunately they have now made things worse for themselves by going to the press and alerting any future potential landlord to their behaviour in the face of a legal eviction. No one wants to go to Enforcement.

Yeah sorry can't really feel much sympathy for them . They've lost give it up .
The school is now changed names .
Did they think they could live there forever? And what then their children think they can live there forever? . Do they understand they don't own the property.
It made me laugh the comment about greed that the council want to sell the bungalow well yeah £89 a month rent it's costing a lot more than that and all these court costs on top .

Bunbunbunny even if the issue is that low cost housing was part of a package of employment that meant lower wages, common sense tells you that the arrangement would not extend beyond the term of employment.

If these arrangements have been unfair and a deal negotiated by the GMB, then he may have received compensation already for low wages. He could sue for other compensation if he wanted. He cannot assume lifelong possession of a high value public asset.

He works full time, she chooses not to. They are choosing to put themselves and children through the homeless route presumably in the belief that they will end up in a council house for 6.

The problem is the mentality of complain and they’ll back down. I knew a girl who had ivf on the nhs, you only get one round in our area & that’s very clear. Her round failed and I remember people telling her to write a letter to get another round free.

Life just doesn’t work like that.

They have a Facebook page ... 'Homeless family if 6' 🙄

@Beautiful3 I bought my house from a vicar, he’d owned it and rented it out so that he could retire to the coast. He’d made plans well ahead of time as he knew he’d lose his house when he retired. He was also the most money-grabbing arsehole in our entire chain, but that’s another matter!

I reckon a 3 bed house in that part of Hertfordshire would rent at about £1400 a month, so he’s been subbed to the tune of £1300 a month for 5 years! Somehow the family claim to have been badly treated, I’m not sympathetic.

'Homeless family of 6' 😉

Just had a look at that facebook page. Jesus Christ, they are CFers aren't they?

Beautiful - a good friend is a vicar who just retired. They saved up (she worked hard too) and bought a small house which they rented out whilst they lived in the Vicarage, and then moved into when he retired.

I commented (very politely) asking why they couldn't find somewhere else to live other than the hotel. I pointed out that out of the homeless family of 6, 3 or 4 of them were working adults! .... it was deleted, within about 3 minutes 🤣🤣

I also don’t get this idea that the Council are being “greedy” by not letting them live the rest of their lives in subsidised accommodation. Don’t they realise the Council is largely funded by the local public through Council Tax who are they are expecting to fund their housing!

Someone’s being greedy here, and it’s not the Council!

They have 5 years to save and prepare. They would have been earning wages that wouldn’t have been reduced.
They could have saved thousands. They’re just CFs and anyone who gives them sympathy is daft.
I’m half surprised they didn’t claim squatters rights to get the house completely.

Oh sweet jesus, these people are delusional. And hugely entitled. Gross misconduct and they continued to live in the tied accommodation for 5 years at a tiny rent? No sympathy at all. I see one of the first comments on their petition mentions immigrants gettin' the housin'.

@JeansNTees

I read the comments too... Quite a few saying that the Council should have found them housing....Amazing that some people believe the Council should “look after” these people like they were kids - so entitled!