‘No fault’ eviction could have led to family being left out on the street, claims angry dad

Becky Sanders, 34, received the unwelcome news that her landlord was putting up the rent on her three-bedroom property from £400 to £750 per month, because she wasn't being charged enough in comparison to similar properties in the Worsley Mesnes area.

He issued her with a Section 21 eviction notice - otherwise known as a "no fault" eviction - in the event that she was unable to pay, leaving her with no option but to quit the house where she'd been living for the past six years.

Becky and her three children - Katie,15, who has Type 1 diabetes, Jack,13, who is severely autistic, and 11-year-old Charlie - have now been split up and are living in separate households while they try to find new accommodation.

Becky's dad Mark Sanders accused Wigan Council of a "catalogue of errors" which - if he hadn't stepped in to provide emergency accommodation himself - would have left the family facing life on the street.

He said: "I understand the pressure they're under as they are having to deal with a lot of these cases, but the lack of communication has been awful, and so is the stress that it's caused."

He claimed the local authority had advised his daughter "not to leave the property until she was forcibly evicted". But she didn't want to do this as she thought it would reflect badly on her.

"She's lucky she can bunk in with us or she could have been out on the street with three children," he added, saying that the council had offered a hotel room as emergency accommodation for Becky's family, but this was unsuitable for them given the needs of her children, and the fact that Jack has a therapy dog.

An online petition set up to highlight Becky's plight gained more than 200 signatures in just over a day.

A Wigan Council spokesperson said “We work closely with tenants and landlords to sustain tenancies and will engage and negotiate with private landlords on behalf of residents who need support, as we have in this case.

“Unfortunately, the landlord made the decision to progress with ending the tenancy.

“We have offered this family temporary accommodation and will continue to work with them to find them appropriate permanent housing.

“With rental markets under huge pressure we are seeing rents increasing across the borough and the country.

“We are continuing to invest in building social housing here in Wigan borough, working to tackle a shortage in social housing that is seen across the country.”

The UK government has announced plans to abolish Section 21 evictions, but this has led to fears that landlords may be discouraged from renting out their properties altogether or lead to a more stringent process for tenant selection. There are also concerns that some landlords may decide to sell up and leave the rental market.