Homeless in Derbyshire, UK

[keebler]

Hey everyone .... well I'm at my wit's end with what to do now. We're being evicted from our house, the landlord is a jerk and it's just a horrible situation. We might have until the end of the month at most.
The main issue is that we can't pass a credit check. And with having issues with our current landlord, we can't very well get a reference from him. We did ask, but his girlfriend (who hates us) sabotaged any chance of us getting a house using them as references. She doesn't want us here, but she won't be nice enough to give us a reference. We also have 3 dogs and some fish tanks.
We had found 2 people in Doncaster (that's the area we want to move to) that said they had a house we could rent. One of those deals fell through yesterday and we've not heard anything back from the other person, and that doesn't bode well with me.

I really feel like we're going to end up homeless and I refuse to sign another rental agreement with our current landlord, this house is a dump and he wants £100 more per month!!!

So, if anyone knows of any houses (semi-detached, end-terraced, cottage ... or possibly mid terrace if it's really nice), must have a secure enclosed garden for my dogs, and be at least 2 bedrooms (we have beds I don't want to get rid of). I also keep tropical fish .... if that matters. Ideally we'd like to relocate to Doncaster or thereabouts.

Contact me if you know of anyone that might be able to help (and I've been to everyone in council, CAB, Shelter, homelessness department).

 

[Edward W]

Perhaps try this, I don't use the site much, but as far as I know they are mainly private ads so may not require credit checks?

http://www.gumtree.com/flats-and-houses-for-rent

 

[keebler]

Thanks, I've actually got a couple of adverts on a few different sites that might attract a private landlord.

Cheers

 

[keebler]

Well looks like me, and my 3 dogs will be homeless soon, living in some woods somewhere!!! Don't know what I will do with all my fish tanks. Every single person who said they could help us, have just messed us about. Two different people who contacted me, saying they thought they could help, never bothered getting in touch with me ever again. When we contacted them they simply said the house had been rented. Oh well, thanks so much for letting us know. I suppose when we're homeless someone might care, but only then it's if you're a person of colour or have loads of children!!!!

 

[ladyforsaken]

Wish there's something I can do for you keebler. Is there nothing else that can be done?

 

[keebler]

I cannot see what can be done. I've been to everyone I can possibly see .... CAB, council, Shelter, homelessness department ..... got an advert on a few different websites.
Because we've got bad credit, can't get our landlord to give us a reference, and with 3 dogs and several fish tanks .... well, it's looking hopeless.

Our only chance is to find some private landlord that's willing to give us a chance.

But my hope is dwindling fast .... and depression has set in seemingly permanently.

 

[ladyforsaken]

I really wish there's more that I can do to help you. I'm sorry you're going through this keebler. *hugs*

Please be strong and hang in there. Don't give up hope and keep trying. Don't stop trying, okay? Keep pestering those places. They can't let this happen.

 

[Edward W]

PM'ed you Keebler.

Hope it gets sorted soon, try not to sign anything with that crook.

 

[SophiaGrace]

Try posting here http://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK

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or here http://www.reddit.com/r/unitedkingdom

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http://www.reddit.com/r/London_homes/

 

[keebler]

Hello to all you kind people who bothered to read my plight.

Things have gotten pretty strange with my landlord. He appeared several nights ago asking if we'd gotten a letter from his solicitor, and at that point we thought he was talking about the original letter we got from him, which first mentions eviction. The landlord went into this spiel about how he hadn't sent any letters, etc., and I just passed him off to my husband. Strangely enough, the next day in the post, comes a letter from our landlord's solicitor saying how he wants the property back and all this crap and again mentions seeking repossession of the house. Funny how when he was just here, that wasn't happening, but I'm sure the solicitor isn't just sending letters of his own accord.

But wait, it gets stranger.

So my husband got messages saying they were coming up, and they never showed, and then they came a couple days ago (in the afternoon for once, usually they show up at night, after dark) the psycho girlfriend - we're calling her psycho Rottweiler - had driven him up here to pick up his bicycle. And instead of riding it, he put it in the car. They only live maybe 3/4 of a mile from us!
Now when he came, he being the landlord, He didn't say anything more to us than to say he was picking up his bike, and that's what he did. However, the very next day we got a barrage of calls and texts saying that our rent was late and even if we're not staying we still have to pay rent (apparently at one point he tried saying that we had to pay for our own eviction!), and then made it sound like he was threatening us by saying he was coming round the following day to get the rent. We tried telling him that he's sent 2 letters through his solicitor, and his psycho girlfriend, whom he's given consent to act on his behalf, personally delivered a hand-written notice saying they were expediting the eviction. So, in our view, we're being evicted. The thing is, he doesn't want to spend the money to take it to court and is hoping he can bully us into going sooner than we legally have to. He's got some sort of delusion that he's going to sell this house for a decent price, but I think he's got a HUGE surprise awaiting him. I suspect this house has structural issues. We've been to look at a few houses and we've looked at properties in the past, I've not seen any with a floor like this house has. And it's not just the downstairs floor, it's both down and upstairs. They both move more than they should and the upstairs floor creaks like I've never ever heard a floor creak. Unbelievable. He might not want to acknowledge it, but I think sooner or later it's going to make itself evident in more ways than just creaking.

I think we may have good news. We went to look at a house north of where we live now. The house seemed good, the back garden was very big and would definitely suit the dogs. We met the landlord and we have put a deposit down on the house. We can't move in for another 2 weeks due to the previous tenants leaving the house messed up. The guy promised us it would be all fit for living in by the time we moved in ... and with us putting the money down it saves the house for us. We just have to pay a month's rent upon moving in.
Now, the husband says it's a done deal, but until we have keys to the house and we're there... I feel a bit anxious still, especially with the way our landlord has been behaving.
This new landlord seems nice enough, but some people can seem nice ... I say the proof is in the doing. Let's see how nice someone is, not just talk about it. My current landlord used to go on about how he was such a nice guy, a decent guy ...... and it really irks me because he's been anything but nice or decent.

If we do end up with this newer house, it's a much bigger house than where we are now and it's £25 less than what the rent was to become at this house had we stayed. But when you consider that this other house has one extra bedroom, and 2 extra rooms downstairs than where we are now .... AND the back garden too ..... well sounds good to me!!!!!

So let's see where we are in 2 weeks' time. That will tell for certain. But you know what's sad. I had put a few adverts on different sites, asking private landlords to help ... after all the time the advert's been on, we've only had 2 people respond and both of those messed us about. Just comes down to people don't care. People don't care unless they're making money in the process and that's the only way you even get their attention. I think it's a sad comment on society.

Anyway .... sorry for the long babble .... will update this as things progress. I never know where to post sometimes ....