Hi everyone,
I’m posting here in the hope that someone may be able to offer support or advice.
We’re a disabled family living in Herefordshire. I receive enhanced rate PIP for both daily living and mobility, and our 14-year-old daughter receives DLA and is on a formal SEND plan. She also receives weekly counselling and sees the school nurse regularly for emotional and medical support.
We’re in Band B on the housing register and are bidding on properties each week — but we’re becoming increasingly desperate.
We were served an eviction notice and then discovered that the home we’ve lived in for five years was never legally eligible for residential letting. It has an agricultural occupancy restriction that we were never told about. We signed our tenancy in good faith — but the landlord and letting agent knowingly misrepresented the property. Now, instead of being protected, we’re being punished.
The Council has confirmed they won’t pursue action against the landlord or agent, as they say they don’t have the capacity. Meanwhile, they’ve told us we must stay in the property and allow the landlord to take us to court for possession, which will cost us around £400 in legal fees — money we do not have. The court process is causing immense stress for me, my husband (who is my carer), and especially for our daughter.
We are now moving our belongings into storage, as the landlord has threatened to enter the property unlawfully, and we’re frightened. We’re desperately hoping the landlord sticks to the legal route, but living in this uncertainty is taking a huge toll on our health.
We have been told that our Needs Assessment, Carer’s Assessment, and Occupational Therapy referral can only happen once we’re rehoused, but these are vital for proving what kind of property we need and ensuring it’s accessible and sustainable.
We are terrified about what temporary accommodation might look like — especially given my complex health conditions and our daughter’s needs. We don’t want to take from others in greater need, but we do want to ensure we’re doing everything possible to protect our family and access suitable, safe housing.
If anyone has experience with challenging this kind of injustice, or navigating housing and disability support in Herefordshire, please get in touch. We’re exhausted, frightened, and feel incredibly let down by a system that should have protected us.
With thanks
