Tenants left in limbo by council eviction advice

Charu Agrawal said she was advised not to leave the property even after her landlord applied to the court

A council's advice to families facing eviction, to remain in the property - sometimes until bailiffs are contracted - is causing tenants "psychological distress" and impacting their wellbeing, a charity has claimed.

"The local authority is saying 'stay put' – and they don’t know whether they’ll have anywhere to go," said Kate Bradley, of Greater Manchester Law Centre.

Tenant Charu Agrawal said being told to wait in her Rusholme home for nine months after being served an eviction notice left her "very, very anxious".

Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council Joanna Midgley said the council takes action "based on when people are likely to become homeless" because homes are in "scarce supply".

'Kept in the dark'

Ms Argawal, who lives with her 15-year-old son, was found another rental property in Levenshulme only a week before she would have been forced out of her home.

She told BBC Radio Manchester that the uncertainty gave her sleepless nights and was detrimental to her mental health.

She said she had contacted the council initially in January, shortly after her landlord handed her a no-fault eviction notice.

The authority accepted she was threatened with homelessness, but advised her not to leave the property - even when her landlord applied to the court and bailiffs were ordered to evict her on 9 December, she told the BBC.

"It was a very confusing situation. I couldn't apply for jobs, I couldn't do anything. I was kept in the dark and asked to wait," Ms Argawal said.

She said she had no idea where she would be offered a new home, and felt she had no choice but to accept whatever was ultimately offered.

A charity has raised concerns over Manchester City Council's approach to re-homing those facing eviction

Midgeley said the council typically initiated its search to find new homes for people facing so-called 'no-fault' evictions "as soon as they approached us for assistance".

Due to the length of the social housing waiting list, this often leads to tenants being housed in temporary accommodation.

However, Midgeley said the sector was under "so much pressure" the council had to prioritise finding homes based on "when people were likely to become homeless".

“This is about helping as many people as possible at the optimum time," she said.

'Cliff edge'

The council are aware of more than 300 households in Manchester currently involved in a no-fault eviction process, with a further 2,743 households already in temporary accommodation awaiting new homes.

The cost of temporary accommodation provided by the council is projected to fall this year to £18.4m, from £23.4m, in the 2023-2024 year. This has been achieved by reducing the number of families hosted in B&Bs, and allowing people to stay with friends and family, a council spokesman said.

But the Greater Manchester Law Centre, which offers legal aid to those for whom legal representation might otherwise be unaffordable, said it is concerned there could be a link between the council's eviction approach and the need to save money.

Ms Bradley, a caseworker, said: "[Tenants] know the cliff edge is coming, but the local authority is saying 'stay put' – and they don’t know whether they’ll have anywhere to go on that day.

"You have forced a crisis in their life [and] put people in psychological distress.

"I don’t think you can overstate how bad that is for the wellbeing of tenants and their families."

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