Many Cornish residents including a Redruth family and their neighbour who is undergoing chemotherapy are facing homelessness next year, after eviction notice periods were slashed in half.
Chris and Hetty Bevington, along with their three children, have been told they have to leave their home in Redruth after eight years.
The family and their neighbour Jackie Clark - who lives in the chalet on the same grounds as the Bevingtons' house - were given a Section 21 eviction notice early in November, requiring them to leave their properties by January 4.
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From October 1, Section 21 eviction notice periods were halved from four months to two months, giving residents a short period of time to find a new property in a worsening housing crisis. The decision concluded measures taken in the Coronavirus Act 2020, which extended Section 21 notices during the pandemic.
Under England's Housing Act 1988, a landlord can issue a Section 21 notice without giving justification or establishing fault of the tenant once their fixed-term contract has ended, leaving renters in the region at risk of eviction.
Despite not needing a reason, both were informed that the retired landlord - who lives up country - has decided he no longer wants the responsibility of looking after the properties.
Since CornwallLive reached out to the estate agents for comment, Jackie Clark shared that the landlord has shown "compassion" for their situations, extending their eviction time until April 2022.
Chris Bevington and his family, who have rented the current home for a total of eight years expressed that he was always worried about the risks in renting: "It was in the back of our minds that if we ever made too much of a fuss then something like this could happen, so we've always tried to be quiet tenants, diligent with rent payments and not making too many complaints.
"We can appreciate the landlords position, the decision is fair enough but where's the humanity in it. It feels like we've been treated as a money-making machine that now no longer serves purpose, but the reality is that this is our lives.
While both Jackie and the Bevington's are relieved at the possibility of the extension, the fears of homelessness and worry for the future continues.
"Our options aren't great, we've been told by the Council that if we leave we make ourselves intentionally homeless and wouldn't be eligible to be on the housing register. Alternatively we stay put and refuse the Section 21 notice, breaking the law, and potentially facing a forceful eviction.
"Even then, if we were to be put in emergency accommodation, we've been told we could be moved anywhere in the country.
"Trying to find somewhere affordable and local feels impossible, when we've looked at available properties we've been told there are hundreds of people waiting in the queue ahead of us."
Jackie Clark, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy at Treliske Hospital in Truro after being diagnosed with cancer in September, shared her worries for the future: "We're all in a state of limbo, I need to be close to the hospital, being moved further away isn't a fair possibility."
Although the government is reversing measures made at the height of the pandemic, the pressures placed on residents looking for accommodation in Cornwall have continued to grow.
"It's physically and mentally draining, chemo has taken it out of me and I don't have the energy to look for somewhere new, it's left me terrified for what's next." said Jackie.
Chris added: "The family is so upset, this is the kids family home and all they should really be focused on right now is their excitement for Christmas but instead they're asking us when the men taking us away will come and whether they're allowed to take their teddies with them.
"And for my wife and I, it keeps us up at night filled with anxiety. It's difficult to focus on anything else."
In this case the landlord has offered time for Chris Bevington and his family and Jackie Clark to find new homes, but the worsening housing crisis in Cornwall coupled with the reduction in Section 21 notice periods has elevated fears of winter evictions continuing.
The shortening of Section 21 notice periods has not been carried out elsewhere in the UK. In Wales, notice periods remain at six months, extended from eight weeks in July 2020. In Scotland, the English- equivalent of Section 21 was abolished altogether in December 2017 and replaced by the PRT, which requires landlords to present grounds for the eviction in front of a tribunal.
A spokesperson for EweMove Redruth estate agents has said: "It's always sad when tenants have to be served a notice on behalf of the landlord to regain possession of a property. It's even more upsetting when the tenants are lovely people like these guys. Unfortunately, as agents, we have no say in the tenant's being served notice as it is an instruction from the landlords themselves.
"The landlord for these properties has been a long term landlord and requested notice to be served in order to move forward with a change in direction they have decided on for their personal circumstances.
"We feel for private tenants with the dire state of the lettings market, there is such limited stock available to be able to offer people. I hope some long term solutions can be found to help our local people and fast, as it's a real problem we have to deal with day today."
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