South Shields woman faces homelessness after receiving a ‘mistaken’ possession notice
A South Shields woman faces homelessness over a ‘mistaken’ notice of possession from South Tyneside Council.
A South Shields resident has hit out at South Tyneside Council after she was served a notice of possession “in error”.
Jennifer Lamb was served the notice after the Council claimed that she was denying access to her Bamburgh Avenue flat to allow for two smoke alarms to be fitted.
The 34-year-old has explained that the work is yet to be carried out due to miscommunication and that she has always granted access in the 15 years that she has lived at the property.
She said: “The letter for the first appointment said the work would take around 30 minutes but the electrician said it would take two hours - I had a doctor’s appointment so that had to be rearranged.
“I was given a window of 8am-12pm for the second appointment but they showed up at 1.15pm and I had another appointment that afternoon.
“Then the third time, two electricians came, looked at the lights and told me the work couldn’t be done due to the way that the flat is wired so it would be likely that they’d need a surveyor.
“That is still yet to happen and then I received a notice of possession stating that I’ve been denying them access.
“I’ve always let them in to do work - I’ve been homeless in the past and now to have the threat of that looming over me again is pretty horrific.”
‘Went into a panic’
Jennifer has revealed how she felt when she received the notice of possession and the impact that it is having on her.
She added: “When I opened the letter, I immediately started shaking and just went into a panic as I have nowhere to go.
“I don’t think the situation has been handled well and it feels like they don’t care about the impact that it is having on me.
“They have my phone number and email address so I don’t understand why they didn’t get in touch rather than just sending out the notice of possession.
“It seems like a very disproportionate response given that they’ve raised the work - I thought it was going to be an easy process.
“They have said verbally that the notice of possession has been sent in error but I’ve had nothing in writing to say that it was a mistake.
“I feel like they should live in my shoes and be told ‘not to worry’ when you’re potentially going to be on the street with no where to go.”
Legal action is a last resort
South Tyneside Council has stated that notices of possession are a “last resort” and that it always provides updates on legal action in writing.
A spokesperson said: “We are unable to comment on individual tenancy cases. However, possession proceedings are always a last resort and are only pursued after all other options have been exhausted.
“Where essential safety work is required, we make repeated efforts to arrange access, including flexible appointments and provide support to minimise disruption.
“We would never advise a tenant to disregard a legal notice and any formal updates on legal action are always provided in writing.
“If a tenant has any concerns about their situation, we strongly encourage them to contact us directly so we can discuss their case and ensure they have clear, accurate information and appropriate support.”