A FAMILY of four who had a perfect life with a three-bedroom house this time last year are now homeless for Christmas.
Adam, his wife and two children found themselves suddenly homeless when their landlord wanted to sell the property they had rented for eight years in West Bromwich.
Sky NewsAdam, his wife and two children have found themselves suddenly homeless[/caption]
Sky NewsHolly, 12, in the garden of their former three-bedroom house in West Bromwich[/caption]
The electrician and his wife, who works as a teaching assistant, had always paid their rent on time.
But their landlord notified the family in September that he intended to sell their home just as Holly, 12, was starting secondary school.
“It was gut-wrenching leaving, because that’s all the kids have ever known really,” Adam told Sky News.
“We were evicted through no fault of our own – we always paid our rent and everything like that – it’s just the landlord wanted to sell up at the time.”
He added: “The anxiety of it not knowing when we’re going to be out and when my children are going to have their own rooms again… it’s quite soul destroying really.
“We’re hoping sometime early in the new year we’re going to have better news.”
They will now spend the festive period in a hotel room in Birmingham after joining a long waiting list for a council house.
Hagley Road, where they are staying, is lined with hotels and B&Bs that have become shelters for the city’s homeless.
It has been estimated that 3,500 families face being threatened with homelessness over the Christmas period, with no-fault evictions to blame in the case of hundreds of people.
A Government spokesperson said: “We are taking action to ensure people have the help and support they need to stay in their homes – especially at Christmas.
“We are already abolishing section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions through our landmark Renters Reform Bill, investing £1 billion in the Homelessness Prevention Grant to support people at risk of homelessness and 1.6 million low-income households will see their Local Housing Allowance increase by around £800 next year.
“Our Mortgage Charter is also providing extra protections against repossessions as well as making it easier to manage monthly repayments.”
It comes as a mum has been left in “limbo” without clothes or a passport for nine weeks and is now facing Christmas homeless.
Andrea Gilbert, 36, has been sofa surfing after she was evicted from her South London home in October.
Meanwhile desperate victims of homelessness say a wave of abuse and humiliation at Christmas is turning Britain’s streets into a ‘boneyard’.
Last weekend, shocking footage emerged of rough sleeper Aaron McCarthy, 25, being soaked by a “heartless” security guard outside a McDonald’s in Victoria, London.
A one-legged homeless man also faces a second Christmas on the street after being stuck in a situation that he says is worse than being a dog.
James McKay, 37, lost his home last year after he claimed a local housing association deemed he’d ‘abandoned’ the property.
Sky NewsThey will now spend the festive period in a hotel room[/caption]
Sky NewsTheir landlord notified the family that he intended to sell their home[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
