Faced eviction, can't cope

[LoveMeBunnees]

After 26 yrs, my private landlord wants me out few days before xmas (Section 21 issued 22nd October). I have pets since I cannot have children. I don't have anywhere else to go & my elderly parents don't have room cos they sleep separately in their 2 bed house. C.A.B told me to stay put & landlord has to go court to get an order which could take months. But I'm scared of bailiffs knocking on my door even if I've been paying rent every month without fail, not one month was late/missing. Trouble is, I've stripped most wallpaper off in every room, got new stuff, new flooring, new wallpaper, paint, carpet for stairs - all ready to put down after New Year, most rooms are a mess with everything getting moved around. I don't know where to start to get sorted & leave my home, the list is long & horrendous. I don't have any friends, I'm the only child & can't ask my parents as they're in their 80's (I'm 53). Where do I start, what should I do to get moving along? Thought of moving is filling me with dread. Any info please. I'm getting rid of stuff to charity shops so that's for starters.

Not all councils will offer emergency accommodation. They should, but they don’t.

Yes obviously you're missing quite a lot. Like the immense housing crisis that has crept up on us over the last 25 years and has caused private rentals to be almost inaccessible to huge sections of society!

No they don't, until they get evicted by the court.

She should be house hunting of course but at the same time she shouldn't move out until she has somewhere to go. Both things are true.

Leave the house decor as it is. They would have to redo it completely after 26 years anyway. Sign up to the council list, you may be lucky enough to get a over 50s bungalow. It seems easier as a single older person than to get a house with a family.

Putting aside any moral issues if OP does not move out when she is supposed to she will damage her chances of getting another Rental so purely from that perspective its best she leave rather than get evicted/Bailiffs turn up

The advice is not 'stick it to the man'. The advice is look for somewhere to live but don't move out until you have found somewhere, and if you can't find anywhere wait until you're evicted because then the council will be obligated to house you. Sticking it to nobody.

Yes they do, it's the law. Which councils 'don't offer emergency accommodation'?

Helpful, why don't you move out.

No she won't. If she finds a private rental then it would be insanity of her current landlord to sabotage it by giving a poor reference- and if she doesn't find a private rental then the council will provide emergency accommodation. Leaving before she is evicted but without anywhere to go is the worst possible course of action.

No, it won’t

Spot the cunt of a landlord

oh come on! The tone on here is very much ‘stick it to the man’ and encouraging people to fight it. Maybe not from you but from lots of posts on this topic (other threads). I haven’t suggested she leave without having somewhere to go but waiting for the bailiffs is not a great option for people struggling with their mental health. And if you read my post does not always result in being housed.

I don’t know as the advice to stick it out is great. If the council end up housing you, then as a single person, you will probably only get a temporary room somewhere that may not be convenient. If you want to rent again in the future, landlords may not touch you if a previous landlord has had to evict you.

I think it is shocking that after 26 years of being a good tenant they did not give you more of a warning that they wanted you to move out beyond a basic notice.

How scummy as well to do it to coincide with Christmas.

Stay where you are until you can find an alternative accommodation.

In term of the decor after 26 years, the landlord would be expected to redecorate anyway.

Get some advice from Shelter, register with estate agents but if you have to overstay and the landlord has to go to a tribunal to evict you then so be it.

The council won't rehouse you for example if you leave the property.

Ultimately your priority is your own welfare, not the landlord's.

The council my brother went to (SE). What does the law have anything to do with this? Telling people to wait for the bailiffs is a failing in thier duty of care as much as signposting to charities/tents. They are not held to account!

Harsh….

That advice is only in the event that she can't find another private rental - and in which case a room is better than nowhere to live.

The housing act sets out the duties of local authorities to provide emergency accommodation to those who meet the threshold. Were you not aware that it is covered by legislation? Why else do you think councils would provide accommodation if not obliged to by the law?!

Section 188 of the UK's Housing Act 1996 places an interim duty on local councils to provide emergency accommodation to individuals who have applied for housing assistance and whom the council has reason to believe may be homeless, eligible, and in "priority need"

I’m fully aware it’s covered by legislation. Just surprised that you think local authorities always act lawfully, especially when dealing with vulnerable people who are unlikely to threaten legal action.

Can't you just? I'm so sorry you're going through this OP, I've been in much the same position. Try not to panic, I hope that you find somewhere lovely.

Local authorities ALWAYS provide emergency accommodation. You claimed some don't. That's simply untrue. They may not always provide every person who should be entitled with emergency accommodation but that's not the same as what you claimed.

NO THEY DONT. I’ll leave you in your make believe world, where the letter of the law is always followed.
Goodnight.

Hope the kicks you got were worth it after your nasty message 🙄.

Unless OP is extremely vulnerable in ways she hasn’t told us about here, it’s highly unlikely she’ll be in priority need under that legislation. It’s misleading to suggest that’s her route to ‘emergency accommodation’.

She would be entitled to prevention and relief duties under the Homlessness Reduction Act 2018 though what councils actually offer can be very patchy.

OP, do start looking, do ask Shelter for advice, and do ask your council for help, but don’t count on any emergency accommodation. I’m so sorry this is happening to you.