Residents of a Leeds estate who are being evicted from their homes say they are being made to feel like "second class citizens" as they try desperately to find somewhere to live.
John and Cindy Readman, 61 and 56, have been searching for houses for months after they were handed an eviction notice dated December 1, 2021, for their home on the Sugar Hill estate in Oulton.
But John said they and many of the other residents on the estate are coming up against barriers once estate agents and private landlords hear their situation.
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John told LeedsLive: "We're definitely experiencing some discrimination. We're looking at hundreds of pounds more a month in rent - which is beyond most people's incomes here. So the council said they would help us out.
"But as soon as you tell letting agents that, they see red flags rising and think 'why are the council having to do this? Can you afford to live in these houses? Are you bad tenants? Why are you being evicted?'
"And then we end up getting the cold shoulder because private landlords don't entertain us once they're told that.
"This happened to us when we put in for a couple of houses. One letting agent asked my wife 'do you think you can afford to live in this area?'"
"Your heart sinks as soon as you hear that, and several of the other residents have been told they can't afford places they look at either."
Residents on the Sugar Hill estate are mostly on low incomes or receiving benefits - which made the affordable rents of the estate work for them.
When they lost their fight to save the estate from landlord Pemberstone’s plans to demolish it, all the residents except a few protected tenants had to start looking elsewhere - but quickly found it was difficult to find accommodation in Leeds within their price range.
John and Cindy, an administration worker and a teaching assistant, were supposed to be out of their home by December 1, 2021 - but still haven’t found anywhere to live.
"We bid on a couple of council houses," said John.
"But we were 693rd on the list. So that doesn't feel very hopeful."
With the short time scales involved and the length of the council house waiting list - Leeds City Council told tenants it would be able to help them out by helping them out financially so they would be able to afford to rent somewhere else more expensive.
However, John said on explaining their situation to a couple of Leeds landlords and estate agents, they’ve been met with derision.
John and Cindy were in the first round of houses to receive their eviction notices, and after not moving out - have been sent notice of the issue being escalated to the legal process.
The rest of the estate received notice they would have to move out by March 14 last week.
John said: "People are desperately searching for somewhere to live. Even the ones in band A on the council house list are struggling.
"We're in this situation through no fault of our own, so for people to make their mind up about us before we even get through the first stage of finding a place isn't fair.
"It makes us feel like second class citizens. We're not taken on trust or anything, just because we rent on low incomes we're seen as less worthy.
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"The sleepless nights, trying to get through a normal day, just coming to work is a struggle. It's every day and there's no release from it. The time is ticking.
"I'm 61, and me and my wife and my son could end up on the streets through no fault of our own."
A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “The notices being served to residents of Sugar Hill Close and Wordsworth Drive in Oulton are from landlord Pemberstone, in accordance with national law. Our priority remains firmly on helping to minimise the stress and any hardship on the tenants concerned, providing all the help and guidance we can to ensure they have alternative accommodation and support.
"We are also committed to working with the developer of the site to ensure those tenants displaced will have priority for the new affordable homes, which the aim is now to have up to 40 such properties available for rent. Moving forward, the council remains committed to lobbying government to change the law and end ‘no fault’ evictions.
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“We are sorry to hear that people are experiencing trouble with estate agents and private landlords, we would urge anyone struggling to get in touch with the council and we can support them and ensure they have the relevant priority status on our Housing Register.”
Pemberstone first applied for planning permission to bulldoze the70 former National Coal Board homes on the estate in 2019.
After initially being rejected by Leeds Council, the decision was overturned in 2020.
The first eviction notices were issued in August 2021, and gave tenants four months notice.
A spokesman for Pemberstone said in December: "These pre-fabricated homes are well beyond their expected lifespan and the remainder of the original estate was demolished and redeveloped years ago.
"It is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain them and to meet the ever higher standards required, especially energy efficiency standards. Surveys have revealed structural damage and deterioration to all of the properties.
"The proposed redevelopment of the estate was first put forward four years ago and was approved following a Planning Inquiry in 2020.
"Given the continuing deterioration of the properties we had to take the difficult decision to give notice to eight tenants who occupied those properties in the worst condition and who were on standard tenancy agreements."
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