Tenants of a Barrow housing complex say they have been served eviction notices by their landlord – four days before it became illegal.
The Renters Rights Act came into force on May 1, making no fault evictions – giving tenants up to two months notice to leave without giving a reason for the lease termination – illegal.
People living in Egerton Court on Barrow Island said they were issued with no fault evictions – known as Section 21s – on April 27 by landlord Dewsbury Road Property Estates.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands there are around 30 flats in the part of Egerton Court owned by the company, but it remains unclear if all of the flats are occupied, and if all of the residents have been issued the notice – though the service understands multiple residents have been issued notice.
Married couple Paul Denmead and Laura Fitton are two of the residents affected.
Paul said: “We were told about three days before the end of the month. We have to be out by June 30.
“My wife is really ill, she has an inflamed liver, her legs are swollen, and everything is getting on top of her.”
The couple, both 41, said they have been looking for alternative accommodation but could risk being made homeless.
Paul said: “If we end up on the street, it is going to make her a lot worse.”
As well as the eviction, Paul said that he and Laura, who have lived in their flat for six years, have had poor conditions to contend with.
These have included mould issues due to an unopenable window, peeling paint and even the bathroom ceiling caving in.
Paul added: “My wife was in the shower and it missed her by a few inches.”
Another part of the ceiling could also be seen bowing when the Local Democracy Reporting Service visited their flat.
Laura said: “The pair of us suffer wih our mental health and it has just been one big issue.
“We have sent pictures of the issues to the landlord, workmen have come in and taken pictures which were sent to them, the landlords themselves have taken pictures.”
But she said that there had not been many fixes to the issues.
A spokesman for Dewsbury Road Property Estates said it doesn’t comment publicly on individual tenancies, but that it takes maintenance and repair issues ‘seriously’ when they are reported.
Heather McPherson, who has lived at Egerton Court for nine years, also received an eviction notice.
She said: “I think it’s disgusting. And it was only a few days before the law changed, after which they’d have had to give us six months.”
Heather said she had bookings for flats but had not had any viewings yet.
She added: “We weren’t given any warning, we just had a letter posted through the door.
“I had a guy say to me he was being evicted, I thought he was joking. He said he was serious, I went to my flat and found the letter.”
Regarding the evictions, a Dewsbury Road spokeman said: “The Section 21 notices were issued in compliance with the legislation in force at the time.
“The notices formed part of a wider review of Egerton Court and the future plans for the building, including significant refurbishment and management improvements.
“The scale of work being considered for parts of the property would not, in many cases, be appropriate to undertake with residents remaining in occupation due to the nature of the construction, access and safety requirements involved.
“Refurbishment works have already commenced in a number of flats within the building and form part of a wider long-term investment programme.
“This includes upgrading internal accommodation standards alongside planned future external improvement work.”
The spokesman added that the intention was to bring units up to a significantly improved standard of accommodation and management over time.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked whether it planned to keep or sell the block, but had no response at the time of writing.
Dewsbury Road’s website said it acquired and improved income-producing residential assets in supply-constrained locations where long-term demand was reinforced by durable public and institutional capital flow.
In an entry regarding a 32-unit residential portfolio in Barrow, its site said: “Acquired in a market benefiting from long-term UK defence investment, rising employment demand and a shortage of good-quality rental stock.”
Regarding another 16-unit portfolio also in the town, its site reads: “This asset was acquired at a low entry basis, creating strong scope for value improvement through targeted refurbishment and better operational control.
“The focus was on restoring under-managed units into productive, income-generating condition.”
It added the outcome was: “The asset was stabilised, tenant quality improved and income performance materially strengthened relative to entry.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked what improving tenant quality entailed.
The firm said: “The wording on our website regarding improving tenant quality refers to management standards, referencing procedures, affordability checks and ensuring accommodation is suitable for the intended tenancy type and management structure.
“It does not relate to any protected characteristic or discriminatory criteria.”
