Diane

‘My landlord was trying to evict me’

“I just cannot say enough about how amazing the team at Framework were for me. My landlord was trying to evict me illegally, and had told me that I had until the end of the month to get out.

“He said that if I didn’t leave on my own then he would send people round to change the locks. It was a horrible situation and I felt really intimidated. I am quite a strong person but it was really all too much for me.

“When I first turned up at their door I was a complete and utter wreck. I knew it wasn’t right but I just didn’t know where to turn at the time. I had no legal knowledge and didn’t really know my rights. I thought that he was going to evict me and didn’t know where I would go. It was Sean from the Housing Crisis Team who met me at the door and calmed me down.

“The team took a look at my tenancy agreement and told me that I was in the right and that he had no right to do what he was doing. They clearly explained my rights as a tenant and even took up my case with the landlord. They spoke to him on my behalf, which wasn’t easy, and really stuck up for me – even when he was rude and abusive to them in return. I was amazed how knowledgeable and thorough they were. As soon as I had Framework on my side I felt empowered to do something about the situation. Even the police took what was happening seriously and told me to ring them if my landlord really did try to throw me out.

“I am now moving on from that property and getting on with my life. Without the help from Framework I would definitely have been homeless, and don’t know where I would have ended up.”