NI mum fearing homelessness in plea to find ‘compassionate landlord’

“I can’t even put a roof over my own kids’ heads. It’s terrible. It’s the worst feeling in the world,” said Natasha Moore.

A single mum-of-three, Natasha is facing eviction from the property she currently rents in Co Down.

The 31-year-old said her landlord is selling the house she and her children have lived in for over a year and she has to find somewhere else by January 28, but so far her search has proved fruitless.

Natasha, whose children are aged 11, seven and three, said moving from area to area is difficult and has an impact on her children’s mental health as it means they have to change schools, which is why before securing the tenancy on her current property, she ensured it was a long-term let.

However, since her contract ended in March signing a new one was delayed due to Covid-19 and in October she was informed she was being evicted with 12 weeks’ notice - in line with new regulations introduced during the pandemic, which increased the eviction period from four to 12 weeks.

Natasha said people assume there are agencies to help those in her situation or that everyone has family that will step in, but that isn’t always the case.

“I don’t have a mum or a dad. I’ve been through some bad situations in my life, but I’ve never felt this low.

“To move into another rented property you need a month’s rent and a month’s deposit,” she explained.

“At the best of times this is hard to save when raising a young family alone, but coming up to Christmas it’s impossible.”

Natasha said she hoped that by highlighting her plight a “compassionate landlord” will offer her family a place to live.

“My search for a new place isn’t going well. I’ve been on the phone every day trying to find somewhere. The Housing Executive can me in a hostel in Bangor for 83 weeks, to get a house in an area that I don’t want my kids to be brought up in. And then I would have to change their schools again and my oldest is doing his AQE.

“I don’t have savings, but even if I could get the money, because everyone is selling their houses, there is no accommodation to even rent. I am just so stressed. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat.”

She added: “I’ve tried to reassure the kids that everything is going to be fine. I don’t cry in front of them, I hid everything from them, but I’m in a terrible place right now.”

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a lot of uncertainty for tenants renting from private landlords.

It is understood landlords, who previously had no intention of selling, and in some cases had assured tenants who required long term accommodation that they had no intention of doing so, are suddenly issuing tenants with eviction notices so they can put their properties on the market.

Belfast woman Amanda Large, who experienced the same predicament as Natasha, can understand landlords’ unease in the current economic climate, but adds it leaves tenants in a very vulnerable situation.

“It is devastating for the tenants who are either surviving from week to week on benefits, have lost or reduced hours at work or have been eating into their savings. For many Northern Ireland families homelessness is but weeks away and they have found their whole lives torn apart,” she said.

Amanda, who has a special needs child and suffers with a rare chronic illness, was given notice in August on a house she had been renting privately for three years.

The 48-year-old, who has waited for over two years to have an appeal heard for PIP (Personal Independence Payment), said: “To get a Housing Executive house takes time to build up points and get evidence. None of this can be done in a period of 12 weeks and there aren’t enough houses available to meet the demand of those already on the list.

“The Housing Executive will provide emergency accommodation in a hostel in most cases, but this type of living arrangement is not suitable for someone with kids at school miles away, that has all their own belongings or with pets.

“Apart from assistance with Housing Benefit after a house has been secure, the Housing Executive can not do any more, but of course without a deposit and a month’s rent up-front that house cannot be secured.”

She added: “The amount of houses out there at the minute is very, very low and any that are in any way reasonable, are snapped up.”

Stuck for somewhere to go, Amanda ended up having to rent a semi-detached property in west Belfast for £1,000 month. Coupled with a deposit of £1,000, this obliterated all her savings.

“I was under such pressure, I just had to take it. I’m sure I am not the only one in this situation. It is not easy to find a house in the middle of pandemic.”

And she believes some landlords are taking advantage of the situation created by the pandemic.

“I’ve rented all my life, and never have I seen the amount of landlords looking for double deposits, because they are afraid tenants are going to lose their job or are not going to have money because of the pandemic. I’ve also noticed that rent is higher.

“Nobody is helping to keep people in a home - to me, that is not logical. It would be more cost-effective, if not humane, to step in to help before this happens.”

A Housing Executive spokesperson acknowledged losing access to a rental property is always a “time of stress” for any family, adding its Housing Solutions team is there to help when situations like this arise.

“If a family presents to us, is accepted as statutorily homeless, and they are not in a position to make alternative arrangements, we will offer them temporary accommodation until a more permanent option is found. This may include a single let rental in the private sector, or accessing a family hostel.

“If a placement is made in a single-let, a deposit from the family will not be necessary.”

The spokesperson added they can also provide additional services, like furniture storage if the family has no means to protect their personal property.

“Applicants can choose to live in particular areas across Northern Ireland, however, if properties are not available in an area of choice, our team will look for suitable options in other areas.

“Covid-19 has placed increasing pressure on the housing system, as hostels have had to be socially distanced to help those isolating and to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. However, temporary accommodation is, by nature, temporary and our teams will always try and find the best housing solution for the long term.”