We're homeless
Ok, so the title of this post is a bit extreme, but that’s kind of how my husband and I feel at the moment.
We’ve been renting for around ten years and in that time have lived in two homes.
The first was a second floor flat with a balcony. It suited our purpose when it was just the two of us, but when R and M came along we felt we had to move.
We needed more space and to be on the ground floor with a garden.
We were very lucky that the first place we found was perfect and fitted all our requirements.
It was a ground floor, two bed maisonette situated in the village that I grew up in. It was spacious and had a lovely garden.
We moved in a few days before Christmas when the girls were about 10 months old.
A few months in and we started to notice some problems. There was damp and mould starting to appear on the walls in the bedrooms and kitchen.
We called our letting agents who informed the landlord.
The landlord arrived and inspected our home before announcing it’s just condensation.
It wasn’t just condensation, but when we contacted him again we received a threat from the landlord that he was thinking of selling.
At the time that’s all it was. A threat!
Nothing came of it.
Back to the here and now, we had to contact our letting agent a few weeks ago because our boiler packed in for the third time in a few months.
We had no heating and seeing as it was the middle of winter, it wasn’t ideal.
The girls complained they were cold, so I wrapped them in extra layers to keep them warm until the plumber arrived.
The plumber in fairness did all he could to get us some heat back. He drained the pipes as he advised that they were clogged and he did manage to get the boiler working again.
It didn’t last long and before we knew it, the plumber was called back out again.
He explained that he’d be making a recommendation that we needed a new boiler as ours is ‘ancient’. His words not mine!
The plumber also explained that the property would need new pipes, but that it would be a big job because the pipes go underground.
Following this, the heating continued to be fairly intermittent for that week and the following few weeks. We rang the letting agents a number of times to let them know.
One Friday afternoon, whilst home alone with the girls a man rang our doorbell.
“I’m the plumber” he said.
I explained that the plumber had already been.
The man (who I recognised to be our landlord) then said…
“I’m actually your landlord.”
Devious tactics to gain entry into our home?
He explained to me that he was thinking of selling up and handing us notice, but that he wanted to give us ‘first dibs’ on buying the property.
How kind of him!
My husband and I have been saving every last penny that we can to build up a deposit to buy a home.
We have a fair amount saved, but it’s not enough.
That was the last we heard from the landlord until we arrived home from the shops one day to find a letter advising we had two months to find somewhere else to live.
So that brings us up to date.
We have until March 26th to find a new home.
It’s not easy because the homes that have become available have gone quickly.
One we were due to view went within a matter of hours.
Another we managed to view wasn’t suitable as it had really steep steps down into the garden – which would be a nightmare with the girls. It was also quite small.
A third that we were really keen on, was taken off the market a few days ago because it needs a lot of work to the roof following storm damage.
I read a while ago that the UK is a nation of people who have the ‘have to buy a home’ attitude.
Most places in Europe have a population majority of renters.
I guess I too have the ‘have to buy a home’ attitude. Even more so now that I have children and want to have a secure future for them.
Of course with the banks tightening up on lending, buying a home seems a very distant possibility.
To me renting has an element of uncertainty about it.
There’s always a worry that one day you’ll have a letter through your door giving you two months to leave.
You may have lived there for 10, 20, 30 years or more, but it’s never really your home because of the uncertainty that will always be there.
In my two homes, they’ve never felt like homes. I have an attitude that I don’t want to spend money decorating or doing up a place I rent because it’s not mine. Maybe that’s the wrong attitude to have, but it’s my attitude and it’s not about to change anytime soon.
So there we are. A family of four.
Two year old twins who have only really ever known their current home to be their home, but now facing a move to a new, unfamiliar setting.
Wish us luck finding our new home.
16 Comments
Alyssa Mumtoamonster
February 2, 2015 at 8:27 am
Good luck finding a new house . We have rented and it never felt our home. We bought ours before they even managed to put a sign up .
Rachel @ Parenthood Highs and Lows
February 2, 2015 at 8:31 am
Oh how rubbish. We have been in this situation twice. The first time we had a 2year old and 6 month old, and couldn't find anything, so was actually homeless for 3 months. Me and the kids had to go and stay with my nan, all squashed into a single room whilst all our furniture was in the other spare room. The kids dad had to go and stay with his brother, so for three months we lived apart, which was horrible. We eventually found somewhere and were there until October last year, when our landlord decided he wanted us out to move his mistress in. I was 33 weeks pregnant and our date to leave by was my due date. We'd just settled our eldest at the local primary school so we had a mad rush to find somewhere quickly in case baby made an early appearance but also within distance of the school. Luckily my nan helped us with the deposit and we found somewhere and had moved within ten days, but the stress of looking and then moving at 33 weeks pregnant was horrendous. I was frightened we would end up in temporary accomodation, which round here is not something nice!! Luckily it worked out for us and we now live in a beautiful house, but always fearful of that notice popping through the door. Good luck hun xx
Ally Messed Up Mum
February 2, 2015 at 8:50 am
Good luck with it. We own a house but are currently living in a rented house, I prefer rented tbh, if u have the right landlord, which thankfully we have. Was ur landlord aware u can't show up unannounced? Also to pretend to be someone else when u have kids us horrendous, I'd actually speak to someone about that, seriously. I hope you find somewhere soon x
BakedPotatoMummy
February 2, 2015 at 8:55 am
Oh goodness what a nightmare! I really hope you find something soon xxx
newcastle familylife
February 2, 2015 at 9:35 am
Oh no what a nightmare , this is what puts me off renting privately as the same thing happend to my brother a few years ago. I hope you find somewhere soon and hopefully it will be a nicer home without damp that you can make a lovely family home xx
Tas D
February 2, 2015 at 10:09 am
Best of luck in finding a new home and I hope you find the ideal one you can buy. It kind of sounds you might be better off out of this one but it's never nice being given two months notice x
Jo Ojosworld Henley
February 2, 2015 at 1:25 pm
Are you thinking of moving out of Cardiff? That would save you a lot of money, as houses are so much cheaper outside. Good luck xx
Mel @mydaysni
February 2, 2015 at 3:50 pm
What a horrible thing to happen, and at a rubbish time of year. I hope some day soon you look back and say 'That was totally crap at the time but now I think it's one of the best things that could of happened!' Fingers crossed for you missus x
Lisa (mummascribbles)
February 6, 2015 at 2:36 pm
Good luck! Whilst it's not the best situation to be in, at least you will be getting away from a crappy landlord and a house full of stuff wrong. Something will come up, try not to stress. We used the government scheme to buy our house last year. You should check it out – you never know, we didn't think we could get a mortgage but we did! #binkylinky
Mum in a Nutshell
February 6, 2015 at 3:10 pm
best of luck, I guess theres's +'s and -'s for renting which I'm sure you don't need telling! keep dreaming of what your perfect house will be and hopefully your dreams will come true. (I have a therapist friend who keeps telling me that!) #binkylinky
Zena’s Suitcase
February 7, 2015 at 1:18 pm
Aw, I really hope you find something suitable soon Emily. I hope it is a blessing in disguise as your landlord sounds like a bit of a (insert appropriate name here!). I know a thing or too about housing and notices, so if you need any advice please don't hesitate to give me a shout. Try your council and housing associations as they are keen these days to rent to people who work due to all the changes in the benefits system. Good luck Zx
Shannon
February 7, 2015 at 3:09 pm
Good luck! Our old flat was sold out from under us – it was annoying at the time, but it motivated us to buy a place instead, so it all turned out alright in the end. I'm sure you'll find somewhere before you're actually homeless. It's all just very stressful until something gets sorted!
Something Crunchy Mummy
February 7, 2015 at 4:39 pm
Good luck! This has happened to a friend of me and it turned out to be the best for them so maybe it's a blessing in disguise xx
Jo Nicholson
February 7, 2015 at 11:12 pm
Good luck and I hope you manage to find a new home quickly, It must be so horrible to get that letter through your door. x
Loving life with little ones
February 8, 2015 at 10:16 pm
Sorry to hear that you are going through this, I really hope that you can find somewhere suitable for your family in a short time
Catriona Stephen
February 15, 2015 at 10:56 am
Good luck, I hope you find something that's perfect for you all, with good heating! I hate renting, I wish all the money was going towards something I'd own at the end, but looking to buy is way in the future for me. xxx