A mum who is still in 'absolute agony' after delivering her newborn baby a month ago says she is 'scared' for her children as her family face being evicted from their rented home.
Jodie Hand and Carl Ellis, 45, have lived at the house in Tuebrook, Liverpool for the last two years with their children Carl, 19, Joseph, 15, Finley, 12, Leighton, 11, Matilda, five, Minnie, three, and Bonnie, two. The couple welcomed their eighth child, baby Leonard, four weeks ago.
The family have been sent a possession order, seen by the ECHO, from a district judge ordering them to leave the property, which is owned by a private landlord, by Friday (March 17). The family first received a notice last April asking them to leave their home by June 28.
Jodie, 38, said they have always paid their rent on time and the decision was made due to the landlord wanting to turn the property into a house of multiple occupancy (HMO). She told the ECHO: "We've got seven kids and a new born baby, so in total it's eight and three of the kids have got autism.
"We moved here because it would be a bigger property to provide more space with the kids with complex needs. They've never had any problems with us. We're a family, we keep ourselves to ourselves. If we had rent arears or an ASBO I'd understand. Anyway, 12 months after being in the property [the landlord] decided he wasn't going to renew the property because he would get more money if he had it as a HMO."
After first receiving the notice, Jodie said she contacted Liverpool City Council's housing options team for support in finding somewhere else to live, but they are yet to be offered any alternative accommodation. Jodie claims she still hasn't received a band to access the council's property pool and the family has been told they may have to move into a hotel.
She added: "I said we wouldn't be hotel criteria because of the children with ASD, because my partner is also ill with diabetes and his mobility, and because we've got a newborn baby."
A spokesperson for Liverpool City Council said it has provided the family with "the advice they need and explained to them the process." The spokesperson added the council's housing options team are working with the family to find alternative accommodation.
Jodie said they have also looked for private houses available to rent over the last 12 months, but there is nothing that they can afford for a similar price to their current rent of £700 a month. Jodie said: "Some of the rents are absolutely shocking - £1,500 a month for houses we need. We've literally got nowhere to go. We've got to be out on 17th March which is Friday. I'm scared for my kids."
According to the charity Shelter, tenants do not have to leave by the date given on a possession order and this is not the end of a section 21 eviction process. If a tenant does not leave by the date of possession, a landlord can ask court bailiffs to evict them, but they must give at least two weeks notice of the eviction date.
Jodie said: "I've just had a C-Section four weeks ago. I'm in absolutely agony. The baby is four weeks old and I'm trying to pack a house up with eight kids in it and my husband is ill. We're not getting anywhere with anybody. No one is helping me at all."
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: "It's an understandably traumatic experience for a tenant to be in and the council fully understands and accepts what people go through in that scenario. In this experience, we've spoken to the family, we've provided them with the advice they need and explained to them the process. Officers and the team in housing options are working to find alternative accommodation that's suitable for the family."
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