A family with two young children have been left homeless and forced to sofa surf after getting back from holiday to find out their tenant in their home "won't leave".
Carna and Ganes Brooks from Dartford, Kent, are parents to a one-year-old and nine-year-old but are unable to get inside their front door, meaning they've spent the last four weeks sofa surfing.
It's after the private landlords told their tenants back in February that they would be returning from Dubai to their home in May, warning them they need to leave and find somewhere else to live.
But the family were forced to delay their return to the UK until July after Carna's devastating cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Since they returned on July 19, however, they have been sleeping on friends' sofas, KentLive reports.
It appears they are powerless to act as private landlords, and the couple are unlikely to get under their own roof again until November as they pursue the eviction route through the courts.
The couple said a Section 8 notice notifying the family they wanted their home back by June 28 was ignored and the tenants had fallen behind with their rent.
The latest date for the tenants to leave was agreed for July 13, with the Brooks family saying they had even agreed to waive rent to help them get a deposit together.
But on July 19, which was recorded as the hottest day so far this year, the Brooks family stood in the scorching heat outside their home, unable to get in, with the tenant inside.
Carna, 39, said: "We called the police for sensible advice on the matter as we stood hopeless looking at each other.
"My one-year-old was screaming in the heat, everyone was worried and during all the negotiations, my nine-year-old daughter got hit by a car in front of our home. Thankfully she didn’t have major injuries, but it is a day we never wish upon anyone.
"The police were friendly and compassionate but couldn’t offer much help as by law we were trespassing if we attempted to enter our property."
She added: "Thankfully a friend in the area offered to take us in at that moment to get us out of the sun and offered us a place to stay for a few nights.
"For the next few days, we exhausted all helplines, recommendations, negotiations with tenants and investigations into different routes to get our home back sooner rather than later. Unfortunately the outcome is to simply wait for a court date and eviction".
Up until two weeks ago, the family were all sleeping on one sofa, with Ganes, 42, having to sleep sitting up.
They are still living out of the suitcases and bags they arrived with from Dubai. They had moved there in 2019 for an adventure and a few years of working and had offered their fully-furnished home to the woman they knew.
"We left them with a fully functioning home, even with new linen, towels, new fluffly slippers next to the beds, new cosy pyjamas, food cupboards stocked up and a grocery delivery for their first week," they said.
"We felt it was the right thing to do to let them rent our home significantly below market value to help them financially and to take care of our belongings."
"We had a signed tenancy contract in place," added Carna, who said a friend had started a GoFundMe page for the family to "get a roof over our head".
Carna said as they owned a home, they did not quality for council housing. Thankfully, the family was invited by friends to house sit for a few weeks while they were away.
"We are not receiving rent from the tenants as agreed, therefore are unable to rent another property for ourselves as we are covering a mortgage of a home someone else is living in," said Carna.
"Part of August was meant for us to settle into our home, get routines in place, baby proofing our home for our Dubai miracle baby, finding school placements, getting school uniform and packed lunch boxes. Instead we are living out suitcases and trying to reassure our kids that everything will be okay."
The Brooks can not get a court hearing for an eviction notice until October, and a tenant must be given a month's notice to leave.
Even Carna's oncologist has written to the tenant explaining how vital a "stress free environment" is for her recovery.
Carna says she wants to look for another teaching job and also get her daughter into school, but can do neither without a permanent address.
Despite their hardship, the Christian couple was full of gratitude for the NHS and Darent Valley Hospital's Empress Breast Unit, as it seamlessly took over her cancer care from teams in Dubai "despite us not having an address".
It has taken more scans and biopsies and Carna is waiting to hear the outcome.
"We are thankful for all the people offering us a roof over our heads, even though sometimes all of us are squashing in like sardines on the sofa, thankful for food to eat and our suitcases full of clothes," she added.
"My husband is working night shifts to ease our sleeping arrangements.
"We are also thankful for his employer and colleagues who are flexible and supportive during this time. However, our biggest prayer is just to live in our own home and for the tenants to find alternative accommodation as soon as possible."
Carna warned others who were renting to a third party to go through a lettings agent.
The couple had learned in their "nightmare" as landlords, they had little power to evict their tenant. But she said they did not want to "name and shame" their tenants, they just did not know what else to do apart from publicise their predicament.
The tenant told reporters: "This is hilarious. We have been paying rent for three years. We have been paying their mortgage for three years.
"Yes, it is their home. It is also our home for the last three years. We are paying them. I don't need to give you my side of the story.
"This is none of your business please. Why would we be looking for somewhere else? I don't need to explain myself to your or anyone."
