A MUM who has been left in “limbo” without clothes or a passport for nine weeks is now facing Christmas without a home.
Andrea Gilbert, 36, has been sofa surfing after she was evicted from her South London home in October.
BPMMum Andrea Gilbert has been made homeless for Christmas[/caption]
BPMShe was slapped with a surprise eviction notice[/caption]
BPMAndrea says she has now been left ‘in limbo’[/caption]
Andrea said that she returned from a trip to find that the locks to her flat had been changed.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that she was not aware the eviction would be taking place and had been left “all over the place.”
She claimed that when she went to Wandsworth Council for help they advised to stay with friends.
Speaking to London Live she said: “If it wasn’t for my family, I’d be on the streets.
“That’s the reality here. If I had no one, if I wasn’t born here, I’d be on the streets.”
Property management company Touchstone said the eviction was arranged by the property’s owner and the courts had notified Ms Gilbert in advance.
The company was appointed as an LPA Receiver to take over management of the property from the owner in April this year.
Ms Gilbert claimed that she had been unable to recover her possessions from the flat, including her passport, clothes and birth certificate.
She said : “I’m cold, I’m in unsuitable clothing. My mental health has gone down, which is affecting me physically because I’m not eating properly.”
Touchstone apologised for the length of time it has taken for Ms Gilbert to get her belongings.
She added:”I’m staying in some overcrowded properties right now.
I’m sleeping on sofas. I’m 36 years old, do you know what I mean.
“And it’s not like I’m not working and things like that. I’ve got three jobs now. I’m an advocate, security guard and I work for a homeless charity.”
The mum claimed she missed out on a private property because she did not have her passport to complete the reference checks.
She said: “[I] missed out on an opportunity and [I’ve] just pretty much been living everywhere – in London, out of London, living with multiple relatives, my friends… I’m literally all over the place at the moment.”
A Touchstone spokesperson said: “We have great sympathy for the position Ms Gilbert is in and hope that she is able to find somewhere
permanent to live. Her eviction was not arranged or conducted by us.
“It was arranged by the owner, with court bailiffs present on the day, and we understand Ms Gilbert had been notified by the courts in advance.
“We were not involved in the eviction, but as Receivers we had to secure the property after the eviction had taken place and our locksmiths did so.
“We are speaking to Ms Gilbert so she can get her belongings back as soon as possible and we are sorry for the time this has taken.”
A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said: “We are in contact with Ms Gilbert and actively assessing her application for a property.”
Ms Gilbert said she reported the situation to the Met Police, but was told it could not get involved in civil matters.
A Met Police spokesperson told the LDRS that, after assessing the information, officers advised Ms Gilbert “there was no evidence of any criminal offences taking place and that the issue was a civil matter”.
What are your eviction rights?
According to housing charity Shelter, landlords and letting agents nust 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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