Section 8 notice, housing disrepair and fears about being intentionally homeless

[Miley89]

Hi all I'm losing my mind :(

Honestly it's making me so unwell as I just don't know how to handle it :(

My landlord has issued us a section 8 notice using the grounds of selling and that we've allowed the property to deteroriate

We have enviromental health report that lists many repairs needed in the home which the landlord much fix

I have read that if the council see us as intentionally homeless, they do not have to rehome us and have no duty to us only for 28 days which after this time social services would be involved

I've read that social services will remove the child as they only have to find the child a home and not the parents :(

It's killing me as I can't have my little girl be taken from me :( she is 4 and autistic and she won't cope without me and her dad :(

I don't know what to do the landlord is just being spiteful as I went to environmental health :(

stop reading things and stressing yourselves out first - i know thats easier said than done.
it may be a revenge eviction but it may not be, looks like they've wanted to sell for a while to access more funds for retirement - the recent rental changes have prompted a lot of landlord sales too. so it is what it is
book an appt or go to see your local citizens advice drop in
send an email asking for help to your local housing office of local council. cc in your local MP or councillor - theyre usually really helpful
you should be able to put yourself on the housing register now

Ihave read that if the council see us as intentionally homeless, they do not have to rehome us and have no duty to us only for 28 days which after this time social services would be involved I've read that social services will remove the child as they only have to find the child a home and not the parents :(

Absolutely not. Firstly, you should not be found intentionally homeless if he served notice on the basis of selling.
Secondly I don't know who told you that social services take children into care because their parents are intentionally homeless but they are lying to you. Yes they do pay for accommodation under certain circumstances from section 17 budgets for homeless parents who aren't entitled to council support (either intentionally homeless or NRPF) and there are conditions and strings attached to that accommodation but there is no universe in which they would willingly take your child into care over paying rent for you. Just no.

No one is going to take child away.

You don’t know that the landlord is being spiteful just because you went to environmental health. It is entirely possible that they genuinely can’t afford to fix all that and are therefore forced to sell.

Your child will not be taken away so do not worry about that. Your landlord is being spiteful. Get some advice from Shelter.

Your child will not be taken from you. I don't know where on earth you heard that, but it just doesn't happen. Councils do provide emergency accommodation if you are made homeless andvcan't find your own, but often that is a room in a B&B etc. They don't take children away when a tenancy is lost - it would have no basis in law and would cost them a fortune! If someone told you that, they're irresponsible or trying to scare you. You can ask the housing rights organisation Shelter if you'd like reassurance on this. Www.shelter.org.uk

It looks like your landlord needs to sell and going to the council may well have prompted this because of all the extra cost and stress involved. But the fact that you went to the council with complaints about the condition of the property suggests you've been having problems for a while - presumably you'd already asked the owner to fix the things which bothered you and they had refused?
A lot of private rented homes have been put on the market in the last year because the Renters Rights Act has changed the landscape so much, particularly for small owners rather than property companies. The owner of your home had probably just had enough, rather than being spiteful. Once they've evicted a tenant on the grounds of wanting to sell the house, they're not allowed to re-let it for a year, so they must genuinely want to sell it.

The eviction process takes a while and you are likely to be able to stay there for quite a few months if you are unable to find somewhere else. Rule of thumb for landlords is 6 months minimum. Get your name on the council waiting list immediately, if you're not already on it - depending on where you live there may or may not be a realistic prospect, but getting on the list is step 1. Speak to Shelter, then you'll have facts to work with, not just fears.

Your LL is selling the property. That is a legitimate reason to serve a section 8 notice. You will have 4 months notice. The council will find you a home even if it temporary accommodation. Councils only take DC away from parents in cases of neglect or abuse, not from parents being made homeless.

How do you know the landlord is being spiteful?

landlords selling up and evicting tenants is a natural consequence of the Renters Rights Bill because it screws them over.

This is the third thread from OP at least? Kindly, I think going to the Citizens’ Advice Bureau will be more helpful than Mumsnet?