MARTIN Lewis has shared a shocking story after one couple was served an eviction notice.
Lucy wrote into the Money Saving Expert‘s ITV show and says she was served the notice after making several complaints about mould in her flat.
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Lucy writes: “‘It’s affecting my health and destroying furniture and clothes’.
“So basically, they’ve been evicted because they complained is the sound of this. It’s outrageous,” Lewis says.
Nadeem Khan, the operations manager at Shelter, says the case sounds like a revenge eviction.
He also says those who are served a notice don’t have to leave immediately.
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Khan advises Lucy to contact her council’s environmental health department as they could make a health and safety inspection.
If they were to then serve a notice to the landlord, that could invalidate the eviction notice.
Lewis says: “There’s always routes, but often you can be thrown out with renting… make sure you know what your rights are and try and enforce them.”
Lewis says the more people do to educate themselves on tenancy law, the better chance they have of defending themselves.
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That wasn’t the only tenancy information Lewis dished out tonight, with the money man revealing how renters could claw thousands back.
Lewis‘ tip is for those in London to check if the home they rent has been properly licensed.
They can do so through the London.gov.uk website.
If the landlord has not followed the rules, the renters could be owed thousands of pounds of back rent.
Secondly, he suggests those struggling to pay their rent could be able to get help by checking for benefits or applying for a local council payment.
Doing those could save a renter thousands of pounds.
What are your eviction rights?
According to housing charity Shelter, landlords and letting agents must follow correct procedures to evict tenants.
Currently, landlords have to give you 14 days notice before serving you an eviction notice period.
Once you’ve been served this eviction notice, you have a two-month period before court action can be started against you.
After this period is up, your landlord has four months to take you to court.
But it’s an illegal eviction if your landlord or anyone acting on their behalf:
- forces you to leave by threatening or harassing you
- kicks you out or uses physical force to make you leave
- stops you from getting into parts of your home
- changes the locks while you’re out
If your landlord does take you to court, you could also end up being liable for some of the costs
Also, charities like Shelter and Citizens Advice might also be able to offer some assistance.
Legal aid could also help if you have a serious housing problem.
If you are on benefits or have a low income you could get:
- telephone advice from civil legal advice
- an appointment with a legal advisor or solicitor
- help at a possession hearing from a court duty advisor
You can also get help with stopping or delaying eviction, court action for mortgage repossession and illegal eviction and harassment.
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