A mother of eight says she fears what will become of her family after she is handed an eviction notice from their privately rented home.
Jodie Hand, 38, and Carl Ellis, 45, have lived in the house in Tuebrook, Liverpool, for the past two years with their children: Carl, 19, Joseph, 15, Finley, 12, Leighton, 11, Matilda, five , Minnie, three, and Bonnie, two.
The couple, who also gave birth to a boy, Leonard, four weeks ago, first received a notice last April asking them to vacate their home by June 28.
Ms Hand said she always paid her rent on time and the decision was made because the landlord wanted to turn the property into a multiple-occupancy home (HMO).
The family has since been issued a possession order by a district judge ordering them to vacate the property by today.
Jodie Hands, 38, and her partner Carl Ellis, 45, were evicted from their Liverpool home with their eight children
The couple have lived in the house in Tuebrook, Liverpool, for the past two years with their children: Carl, 19, Joseph, 15, Finley, 12, Leighton, 11, Matilda, five, Minnie, three and Bonnie, two. They welcomed a baby boy Leonard into the world four weeks ago
Jodie said: ‘We have seven children and one baby, so that’s eight in total and three of the children have autism.
‘We moved here as it would be a larger property to provide more space for children with complex needs. They’ve never had any problems with us. We are a family, we keep to ourselves. If we had back rent or an ASBO, I’d understand.
“Anyway, 12 months after being on the property [the landlord] he decided he would not renovate the property because he would have made more money if he had had her as an HMO.’
After first receiving the notice, Ms Hand said she had contacted Liverpool City Council’s housing options team for help finding somewhere else to live, but has not yet been offered. no alternative accommodation.
The mother of eight says she has not yet received access to the council-owned pool and the family has been told they may need to move to a hotel.
He added: “I said we would not be hotel policies because of the children with ASD [autism spectrum disorder]because my partner is also sick with diabetes and his mobility, and because we have a newborn baby.’
A Liverpool City Council spokesman said he had given the family “the advice they need and explained the process to them”.
The spokesperson added that the council’s housing options team were working with the family to find alternative accommodation.
The mother of eight says she has not yet received access to the council-owned pool and the family has been told they may need to move to a hotel.
Ms Hand said they have also been looking for private houses available to rent for the past 12 months, but there is nothing they can afford at a similar price to their current £700-a-month rent.
He said: ‘Some of the rents are absolutely shocking – £1,500 a month for the houses we need.
‘We literally have nowhere to go. We have to go out on March 17th which is Friday. I’m afraid for my children.’
According to the charity Shelter, tenants do not have to leave by the date stated on a tenure order and this is not the end of an eviction process under Section 21.
If a tenant does not leave by the tenure date, a landlord can ask bailiffs to evict him, but they must give at least two weeks notice of the eviction date.
Ms Hand said: ‘I just had a caesarean section four weeks ago. I am absolutely in agony.
‘The baby is four weeks old and I’m trying to pack a house with eight kids and my husband is sick. We don’t go anywhere with anyone. No one is helping me at all.”
The Liverpool City Council spokesman added: “It is an understandably traumatic experience for a tenant and council fully understand and accept what people go through in that scenario.
‘In this experience, we talked to the family, gave them the advice they needed, and explained the process to them. The officers and housing options team are working to find suitable alternative accommodation for the family.’