A London mum-of-three claims she was evicted in 30 minutes with no prior notice from her temporary accommodation after “refusing” a new home offered by the council over 100 miles away.
Izabela Kikosicka had been living in temporary accommodation under Waltham Forest Council with her three children, aged five, 10 and 13, in Bexley since April 2018.
The 36-year-old had been placed into temporary accommodation by the council after having no luck finding a landlord in London who would rent to her on a low-income and housing benefits.
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‘Waltham Forest Council is still refusing to admit I should have had an eviction notice’, says Izabela (inset) Waltham Forest Town Hall
(Image: ©2014 Simon Montgomery)
During this time, Izabela, who is a cleaner and a part-time student, was bidding for council properties that could accommodate her and her family.
However in April 2020, Izabela claims she was contacted by the council, who told her she was “probably going to be moved out soon”.
Izabela was sceptical over the council’s actions as the country had just gone into a strict lockdown. However she was advised that she would receive a travel warrant, allowing her to travel.
On June 16, 2020, Waltham Forest Council said they had found a new property for Izabela and her children to move to – 123 miles away in Derby.
The council’s letter which has been seen by MyLondon, told Izabela that she needed to arrive in Derby three days later on June 19, 2020, to view the property and sign the tenancy.
It went on to say that the property was only on offer for 24 hours, and if Izabela did not attend, “the council will assume that you have refused the accommodation”.
The council also stated that because they had found Izabela alternative accommodation, they had decided to close her application as a homeless person – regardless if she moved into the Derby property or not.
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“Following completion of inquiries into your application to the Council as a homeless person on May 2, 2018 we notified you on December 12, 2018 that the Council had accepted the main homelessness duty to you under s.193(2) Housing Act 1996,” the council said.
The council added: “This duty is to secure that accommodation is available for your occupation. After careful consideration of your circumstances, the Council has decided to bring the duty under s.193(2) to an end by arranging an offer of an assured shorthold tenancy in the private sector with a fixed term of 24 months.”
Izabela told MyLondon: “I didn’t accept the place but also didn’t refuse it, I started calling Citizens Advice and Shelter, who gave me advice and said, ‘you don’t actually have to accept the place, you can submit a right to review’ – so that’s what I did.”
Izabela was also concerned about moving her children to a new school and being so far away from friends and family in London.
After an unsuccessful right to review and appeal against the council’s decision in the courts, Izabela was unlikely to win her case against the council – whom she claims she had not heard from since June 2020 after receiving their letter.
During this time, Izabela claims the council had closed her account for bidding on properties.
“T hey suspended the account, so after that I couldn’t do anything,” she said.
Then in November of last year, officers from an enforcement agency turned up on Izabela’s doorstep and told her she had 30 minutes to pack up her things because she had been evicted from the property.
“They turned up outside the house and said I had 30 minutes to grab what I needed, they said, ‘you’ve been evicted’, they told me I needed to go to the council, but Bexley Council didn’t help at the time, so I contacted Waltham Forest Council who said they also couldn’t help me,” Izabela said.
Izabela and her children were placed in a hostel for one night, followed by seven days in temporary accommodation in Ilford.
“During this time, all my stuff was still in temporary accommodation because I didn’t have enough time to take anything,” she added.
The locks had also been changed so Izabela was unable to retrieve her belongings.
Izabela had been sofa-surfing with friends, staying in five types of different places since November 30, until she eventually found a private-rented property on Tuesday (January 25) that will accept her low-income as a cleaner and housing benefits.
She is seeking compensation from the council for failing to provide her with her an eviction notice and forcing her out in 30 minutes, as well as dismissing her bidding application after they notified her of the available property in Derby.
Izabela said: “W altham Forest Council is still refusing to admit I should have had an eviction notice, they said in cases like this they don’t have to issue one. The worst thing about it is that even when I called them, they didn’t want to respond with emails and calls, and my case was passed on to different people.
“T hey tried to claim they sent me a notice but they couldn’t prove they did do it because obviously they didn’t.
“Someone should acknowledge that they did make a mistake and that they are wrong.
” Why would they lie but then again why would I lie? I find it very hard to deal with them and prove anything.”
After approaching the council for comment, Councillor Louise Mitchell, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness Prevention told MyLondon: “It’s a national scandal that benefits and wages don’t cover the cost of rent in London.
“We do everything we can to help families find stable homes when they are in an emergency.
“When we help families at risk of being made homeless, we cannot place them where they can’t afford to pay their rent and buy day-to-day essentials.
“We are proud of our housing record. The borough is undergoing the largest programme of homebuilding in a generation.
“We are doing everything we can to get as many new homes built at a rent people can afford. We call upon the Government to do more to tackle this crisis that affects millions up and down the country.”
Are you a Londoner experiencing problems in temporary accommodation? Contact Ruby by writing to her at [email protected]
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