Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy has called on Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing and Global Guardians to halt the planned eviction of more than a hundred households on the Clapham Park Estate at the end of the festive period.
[Above: Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP]
Property guardians at Riley House, Bruce House and Plummer Road were issued with a 28-day eviction notice on the 8th of December by Global Guardians, giving them until just the 7th of January to vacate their homes.
They are now contemplating having to postpone Christmas plans in order to find new housing. Several have reported being issued with eviction notices whilst already abroad with their families. Others are contemplating the prospect of cancelling expensive flights and missing out on family reunions.
With Covid cases on the rise, many residents are currently also in isolation, meaning they have even less time to find new accommodation.
Residents are asking for an extension to the eviction date, highlighting the impossibility of finding new housing and especially more affordable guardianships at this time of year.
Bell has written to both Global Guardians and Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, urging them to halt the evictions and listen to residents.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP said:
“The threat of a Christmas eviction is causing huge distress and disruption for Clapham Park Estate residents.
28 days is an unrealistically short time frame for people to find new housing at the best of times. With Christmas and Covid, it’s going to be virtually impossible.
It’s very irresponsible to be driving this change through in the midst of rising infection rates.
Instead of rushing through these evictions, Metropolitan must rethink its completely heartless decision, halt them and give residents enough time to find new places to live.”
Richard Chinn, a property guardian facing eviction, said:
“We understand that we are contractually only given 28 days’ notice to leave but doing it over Christmas when there are number of public holidays and most letting agents are shut is so callous and cruel.
Surely there must be some duty of care that these companies have not to throw people out into the streets in the middle of winter. If they have waited seven years or more, what is another month or so?”
Monica Bruno, a property guardian facing eviction, said:
“I have been a guardian at this property for 8 years. I have paid my rent every month even when I was left jobless during the first pandemic.
Receiving such shocking news on a two-line long email made me both sad and angry.
I’m heart-broken and scared because I am forced to find a home at a time that this city stops to celebrate Christmas. My mental health has definitely been affected.”
Alexander Watts, a property guardian facing eviction, said:
“Joining as a guardian we all know there is a 28-day notice period. They also say they’ll find you somewhere else if and when that happens.
We’ve been model guardians since the start and now we are being kicked out on the same day over the Christmas Period when they have just one property to go around in the area.”