An elderly woman has revealed how she’s been ‘kicked out’ by a ‘greedy’ landlord from her home of 13 years just before Christmas – and she’s now been ‘forced’ to move in with a friend.
Nina Warren believed she’d live the rest of her days in her one-bedroom flat in Frome, Somerset.
But, when the no-fault eviction notice was served, giving the pensioner just two months to find somewhere else to live, she found herself forced into ‘homelessness’.
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She claims her landlord later agreed for her to stay – at a higher rental rate of £850 per month – which the 74-year-old regrettably agreed to.
It was short-lived, though, as despite giving up all her savings to afford the home, the landlord allegedly followed through with the eviction notice.
Nina, who homes three rescue cats, was faced with three options: be homeless for Christmas, fork out for expensive temporary accommodation or seek out a friend whom she could stay with.
“The uncertainty, stress and anxiety I’ve been going through is enormous,” she told Need To Know.
“At the moment, I am overwhelmed with it all.
“It all seems quite hopeless, not just for me, but for many others too.
“I had no idea how serious the problem was until it happened to me.
“There’s so little in the private sector and nothing with social housing here.
“It’s like I’m going around in circles with no end in sight.
“Fortunately, I have some savings, so I could afford to stay here at the inflated rent for a little while until I found another option.
“And even though it’s all I’ve got, I had no other choice.
“But that option got taken away from me, and now, instead of giving me a few months to find another home, she wants me out before Christmas.”
Nina doesn’t have any family who lives nearby.
After being served the eviction, she looked into alternative accommodation, though quickly realised the rental rates were “through the roof”.
As this wasn’t something she could afford, she turned to her local council for help, but due to a shortage of one-bed housing in the area, Nina decided to seek out a friend whom she could stay with until a home became available.
But, in another turn of events, she’s now no longer deemed homeless since she’s found temporary accommodation – and so has lost her place on the list.
Luckily, her friend is away until January, with Nina able to stay as a house sitter, with one of her three cats, until then, with another friend offering up their home for February.
But after that, she doesn’t know where to go.
She said: “If I agree to stay the course of my eviction and wait for a court order, I would be liable for the costs.
“And when the bailiffs come, I would have to put all my belongings into storage, my cats into foster homes, and then find a room which could be miles away.
“It’s incredibly disheartening and worrying that someone could treat anybody – especially an elderly woman – this way.
“I don’t fancy going into a hotel or bed and breakfast at my age, or parting with my cats.
“They’re the only family I have here.”
Nina, who welcomes the government’s abolishing of no-fault evictions, says it’s a blessing – but not without its repercussions.
She said: “It will provide tenants with greater security and empowerment to challenge bad practice.
“But it’s adding paperwork and taxes for landlords.
“They’re selling up their properties, or raising rents exponentially, and this has caused a tremendous amount of people to lose their homes.
“More people are turning to council or social housing, with even longer waiting lists.
“It’s another extra hassle the government has imposed on landlords, which is putting a great majority of renters in a similar position as myself.”
Nina, who is “mentally exhausted” from it all, may have some fresh hope, though.
She added: “I applied a few months ago for a space on a private park home site.
“At the time, there was no space – but this week, I got a call saying they had a vacancy.
“It’s not set in stone yet, and I don’t know if it will happen, but [if it does] I’ll have somewhere to call home again just in time for Christmas.
“And, best of all, I can bring my three cats with me.
“The festive season doesn’t mean as much to me anymore, given all the stress I’ve got going on.
“But it’d be nice to spend the day with a friend and then have somewhere I can return to that’s mine.
“It’ll cost £400-a-month, which is less than I’m paying now.
“I was fed up waiting for something to happen, as it’s been mind-numbing.
“But, hopefully, my wish will come true, and I’ll no longer be homeless.”
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