‘No-fault’ eviction leaves Telford mum of three with ‘no money for Christmas’
Telford mum Sarah Lovatt and her partner Louisa have agreed not to buy presents for each other this year to allow for small luxuries for their three children, while relying on the hospitality of family members.
Sarah Lovatt, 37, has three children with autism aged 10, 16 and 17, as part of a blended family with her partner Louisa Lovatt, 53.
The youngest child has severe and complex needs, with the family’s festive plans and finances impacted by a significant life change with very short notice from a private landlord.
She said: “We have no money for Christmas since our no-fault eviction earlier this year. We had to borrow £2,000 in total just to afford our new place.
“Just weeks ago, we faced a Section 21 no-fault eviction, despite having invested in home improvements funded by a council grant.
“Under the grant rules, if we had been evicted within seven years we would have had to repay the money, but because it was a ‘no-fault’ eviction, no repayment was required.
“We had been told our rent was going up then just 15 days later we were served an eviction notice.
“It was impossible to find a private landlord as they demand so much rent upfront and the rents are just sky high.
“I believe my experience was a result of a loophole in the system.”
The unexpected move cost Sarah's family nearly £5,000, including rent upfront, deposit, pet fees and moving costs.
“These costs have left us in debt and forced us to scale back Christmas plans.
“We feel we had no support whatsoever in finding and securing a new home from the housing association or local authority which meant I had to pay my ex-husband a day’s wages to help us move - I didn’t see why he should lose out as he had to take a day’s holiday."
From the day the family got the eviction notice on September 26 until mid November, Sarah and her partner Louisa had one meal a day to save money and make sure their children could eat well.
"We have had to regularly skip meals since being evicted to make sure our three children could eat and are relying on loved ones to provide Christmas this year. Christmas Day will be spent with my partner’s family and Boxing Day with my stepdaughter.
"As a blended family, my partner and I have decided not to do presents so we can spend what little money we have on our children.
“We rely on Universal Credit, and my partner and I each receive around £1,500 every two weeks.
"Our combined income is just over £3,000 per month before housing costs are deducted."
When it comes to preparing for Christmas when children have autism, Sarah has to make sure she sticks to plans to phase in changes.
“Trying to gradually introduce Christmas into the home is important when you have children with autism - there has been so much change this year that we are sticking to our plan of seeing relatives at a family birthday party early on.
“Our youngest son is severely autistic and we’ll film her opening his presents to send to relatives as having visitors to the house over the festive period is just too overwhelming for her, but we will do what we can to make it special for our children.”
Sarah said Iceland's Food Club scheme, which allows her to spread the cost of grocery shopping interest-free, has helped her get by.
“When it comes to putting meals on the table, our Iceland Food Club card is vital because it allows me to buy suitable fresh and frozen foods up to the value of £100 and spread the cost interest-free, which helps me manage very tight finances.
“Iceland Food Club helps me manage expenses rather than borrowing, because it lets me spread the cost of food without interest.
“I also swear by my slow cooker. Meals come together from leftovers - whether it's putting a leftover roast in the slow-cooker and topping up with gravy or making a stock-based stew with a gammon joint, we are getting by with what we have."
