Mercy Law Resource Centre successfully settled a case with a local authority on behalf of a client with three children and who found herself homeless and living in emergency accommodation. Our client had been on the housing list for over 9 years and had signed a tenancy agreement with a voluntary housing agency not knowing the monthly rental rate which our client was not able to afford. Our client then signed a surrender to the tenancy agreement when she realised that she could not afford the monthly rent without being aware of the implications of doing so. Our client has poor English and did not understand the ramifications of same.
Our client was removed from the housing list and was advised that she would have to make a new application at the end of 2013 but she would lose all of the points that she had accumulated on the housing list for the last 9 years. Our client was living in emergency accommodation with her three children and could not access private rented accommodation as she was not on any housing list.
We made representations to the local authority on her behalf in an effort to resolve the matter but it was necessary for us to issue Judicial review proceedings in the High Court as the local authority did not engage in negotiations with the Centre. Having successfully sought leave in the High Court, the matter settled with the local authority at a very early stage of the proceedings and our client was offered a property by the local authority which she accepted. Our client is now settled into her new property with her three children.
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