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This month I had a very good reason for being late with the Newsletter – I’m making 11 people homeless and I wanted to talk to them about it first.
It has been a long time coming and I think that most of us knew that it was on the cards, nevertheless when the time came it has been a hard parting of the ways. Modern housing standards require more space for people than those of the past, and this means that cheap small properties must be converted into more expensive larger ones. Consequently the 11 Flats of 71 Winchester Street are due to be converted into 6 Flats as detailed by Westminster Council .
I have now served section 21 notices on all the tenants of 71 Winchester St. that their tenancies are terminated in 2 months. I consider all my tenants personal friends and I like to think that I treat everybody as such, and that they treat me as a friend also. As such I am in the process of making a friend of 21 years homeless. I am also making two friends of 13 years homeless. These things are not lightly done, but I am prepared to take the criticism that I deserve. I have written to Westminster City Council asking them to rehouse my friends, and they have replied telling me that homeless people are not their responsibility.
Their reply makes me angry because I know full well that the council is playing a game with people’s lives. I look at the lives of my 3 friends who have been living with me over the last two decades – one has worked for the charity Brick by Brick housing the homeless another runs their own photography business, and the third is a chauffeur. These are people contributing to society, who I am making homeless through no fault of theirs. Can you understand why I feel that my council is letting us all down?
Yes I can. I didn’t realise that they were going to put these new rules into place retrospectively. It’s a disgrace.
Housing Acts have always been retrospective, which can have catastrophic effects with things like the change in Fire Regulations. What I don’t like in this case is the way WCC play a game to avoid their responsibilities. They shouldn’t play games with people’s lives and homes.
Yeah, WCC shouldn’t play games with people’s lives and homes.
Regards,
Rent Sheffield, to Rent Sheffield, Flats to Rent in Sheffield, Rent Flats Sheffield,
Exactly the same happened to me, except I was evicted (left after being given notice). My landlord also was told by the local council, in this case Islington, to change the house into flats or he would be fined.
When I visited the council for help, I got no help. Luckly I work and I managed to find new accommodation