A FAMILY have been left furious after being kicked out of their flat with just two weeks notice after their landlord ‘stopped paying the mortgage’.
Numerous residents of the luxury apartments at the Strada complex in Granton, Edinburgh, have been told they are being turfed out.
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Landlord Roy Mark Fever owns a third of the 67 flats and is alleged to have hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt stacked against them.
Now a string of his homes, which cost on average £900 per month for a one-bed flat and £1,200 for a two-bed flat, have been repossessed.
A total of 22 flats have been taken, with 15 renters served with eviction notices yesterday – giving them just two weeks notice to move out.
Dad-of-two Marc Rendle and his partner Jade have been left horrified after being abruptly given their marching orders.
He said it was “beggars belief” and he was baffled as to where tenants rent money had been going.
Another resident living in one of Mr Fever’s flats received an eviction notice before Christmas.
Six other flats were also previously repossessed, the Edinburgh Evening News reported.
One family evicted yesterday has a newborn baby, while others have been left in “panic” after receiving the unexpected eviction notices.
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Shocking letters sent to some tenants stated mortgage payments had not been made since 2017.
Five tenants showed letters confirming debts of hundreds of thousands of pounds per flat owed by their landlord, amid calls for better legal protection for tenants.
Landlord Mr Fever – who reportedly was a director of Evolution Properties and owns homes in Glasgow and London – is still the registered owner of 16 flats at the Strada.
Furious father Marc said: “We got an eviction notice giving two weeks to move out.
“We have two children. We are good tenants who always pay rent on time yet we can be thrown out. There’s no excuse for this.
“We’re fighting this and hope to get at least another couple of months to find somewhere.
“But then we’ll need one month’s rent plus deposit, so about £2,000 upfront. This is so stressful.
TENANTS TERROR
“The landlord hadn’t paid mortgage since 2017. Where’s my money? Hundreds of thousands forked out in rent.
“It beggars belief and makes me really angry.”
Another tenant, Karis, who received a letter in December, said: “We had received letters about mortgage default payments by the landlord.
“But when we got a knock on the door and given an eviction notice we had just two weeks notice to move out.
“It was hard not to panic. Tenants shouldn’t be treated this way. We’ve always paid our rent on time. It’s devastating.
“It’s as if we’ve just been left in the dark.
“We told the letting agent too and showed them all the letters, including the bank taking the landlord to court to repossess the flat.
“They just said ‘let’s wait and see what happens’.”
The landlord hadn’t paid mortgage since 2017. Where’s my money? Hundreds of thousands forked out in rent.
Marc Rendle
If you are facing eviction because your landlord has fallen behind with their mortgage payments, you could have the right to stay.
According to Citizens Advice, your tenancy may be binding if the landlord’s lender agreed to the lease or if you were living in the property when their mortgage was granted.
You could also have grounds to keep your home if the lender has recognised your tenancy in some way, for example, by asking you to pay them rent instead.
But if you don’t have a right to stay, you could delay possession of your home by up to two months.
Applying to join in possession proceedings before a hearing takes place or asking the lender to stall repossession after receiving a notice of execution could slow down the process.
You could consider suing your landlord for compensation for the loss of your tenancy, any storage costs and emergency accommodation.
‘UNACCEPTABLE AND DANGEROUS’
A spokesperson for Living Rent Tenants Union said: “Living Rent has heard many stories like this from our members in Edinburgh and across Scotland.
“The increase in landlords mismanaging multiple properties despite tenants paying extremely high rents for their homes, shows the extent to which the current rental system is broken.
“There’s a monopoly on housing by a privileged few leads to a system in which tenants are at the whims of landlords.
“Landlords and letting agents need to be held accountable for damage to renters’ lies.
“Giving people two weeks to evacuate their home in the middle of winter and in a public health crisis is unacceptable and dangerous.
“Tenants should feel protected and secure in their homes.
“Introducing legislation that ensures tenants will not be unfairly evicted is needed to defend renters from precarious situations such as the one these tenants are in.”
Landlord Roy Mark Fever has been contacted for comment
