Landlords celebrate rent rise on Facebook …

A Lawrence Weston family with four children aged between 3 and 13 will be evicted from their home over Christmas so that a GREEDY LANDLORD can shove the rent on the property up by 15 per cent and trouser more money to spend on luxury goods.

The family have lived in the property for over FIVE YEARS and have always paid their rent on time … In fact they pay it early every month in order to ensure payment is fully cleared! They even lived through their first winter in the house for five months WITHOUT A BOILER despite repeated requests that something be done.

They also went without a replacement oven for FOUR MONTHS. While other problems have included a front window suffering from severe damp to the point that it nearly COLLAPSED; drains at the front of the house frequently overflowing and smelling and a rat problem caused by these drains. Essential work that needed to be done by the landlord has just not happened.

The house has three small bedrooms, a living room with small dining space leading into the kitchen and the family currently pay £825 a month. When the family received the NOTICE FOR POSSESSION they were told by the landlord, “I have friends moving back from London and I need the house for them.”

Landlord: more money to spend on luxury goods

This was a lie. Instead the house is now advertised for rent room-by-room as the landlord looks to GRAB another £150 a month by renting to “professionals” or students. He’s even posted on Facebook CELEBRATING his potential windfall.

The family have been to the council as they can’t find anything in the area to rent privately and the council have told them that they CANNOT HOUSE THEM. Instead the family will have to go into emergency accommodation for at least SIX WEEKS. This is very likely to be outside of Bristol .

The oldest boy starts GCSEs early and starts his coursework now. A move would be a huge disruption to him and his ambition to become a qualified mental health professional. The other children are in school and nursery nearby in Lawrence Weston and are doing well. Dad works nearby at Nisbets and moving out of Bristol would affect his ability to get to work and his children to school.

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year (may only apply to Bristol slum landlords)!