A mum-of-eight is 'scared' for her children as the family face being evicted. Jodie Hand and her partner Carl Ellis have lived in their home, which is owned by a private landlord, for two years.
They were first given a notice last April asking them to leave their home by June 28. The mum says the family has always paid their rent on time and never caused any issues.
The landlord wants to turn the property into a house of multiple occupancy (HMO). Since getting the notice, the family has been sent a possession order, seen by the Liverpool Echo, from a district judge ordering them to leave the property by Friday, March 17.
Jodie, 38, said: "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 arrears 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."
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After getting the notice Jodie contacted Liverpool City Council for support on finding someone else to live, but has yet to have been offered alternative housing. 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 says the council's housing options team are working with the family to find alternative accommodation.
The family currently pays £700 for the house they're living in, and Jodie says she cannot find a house of a similar price for the size of her family. She 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."
