HOMELESS charity Shelter has denounced the ‘staggering’ amount of families who are being forcibly evicted from their homes, the highest since records began.
Figures released yesterday from the Ministry of Justice have revealed that some 37,739 tenants have had their homes repossessed by court bailiffs in 2013, forcing entire families onto the streets.
In some cases tenants were given ten minutes to collect their belongings and leave their home.
Campbell Robb, Chief Executive of Shelter, said: ‘It’s extremely worrying that repossession claims by landlords have risen at such a staggering rate in the last few years, leaving thousands of families at risk of losing their home.
‘The high cost of housing, rising living costs, and job insecurity are already making it incredibly tough for ordinary families. Behind these figures is the reality that just one thing, like an illness or redundancy, can be all it takes to tip anyone into a downward spiral that puts their home at risk.
‘In times like these there’s no shame in struggling. I’d urge anyone who is, to get advice today from an organisation like Shelter. Expert help early on gives you the best possible chance of keeping your home.’
One shocking example of a tenant who was forcibly evicted is that of 53-year-old Andrew from Dover.
He was forced to leave his home in November after an illness caused his work to dry up.
He and his wife had built up rent arrears of more than £3,000.
When the bailiff came, they expected to be given a reasonable amount of time to pack up their belongings.
‘He said, “Well guys, you’ve got 10 minutes.” That was just shocking, absolutely shocking,’ said Andrew.
Those belongings they could not pack were then left on the driveway in the rain.
They and their two young children subsequently spent several weeks sleeping in their car.
Shelter has also shown how impossible it is for workers to even attempt to get their own homes.
It stated: ‘Average earners in England would need to more than double their annual salary just to keep up with out-of-control house prices.
‘To investigate how out of sync house prices have become, the charity looked at wage and house price inflation since 1997 in each area of the country. This was then used to calculate what average annual earnings would be if they had risen at the same rate as house prices.
The results are staggering. In the London borough of Hackney, the average annual salary would need to increase by over £100,000 to be in line with the astronomical increase in house prices.
But dramatic results aren’t restricted to London. The shortage of affordable homes means that people on average wages in Watford and Brighton & Hove would need an extra £47,000 each year to keep up with local house price inflation, and in Manchester £34,000 extra would be needed.
