A couple facing homelessness have been left with a bill of up to £4,000 after unsuccessfully challenging their landlord’s eviction notice.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside their home in East London earlier this month (5 June) to support the couple who have been battling a Section 21 eviction notice they received six months ago.
Najibullah Noori says he and his wife, Mihrabuddin Muzhgan, have struggled to find suitable alternative accommodation and they face the prospect of having no roof over their heads.
Around 40 people including those from London Renters Union gathered outside the couple’s home in East Ham for over five hours to prevent the landlord and locksmith from entering the property.
Metroletts Ltd, the landlord’s estate agency, did not respond to a Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) request for comment.
Speaking through a translator, Mr Noori says the situation has left him stressed and feeling like everyone is against him.
Mr Noori says he has had to go through court proceedings and has been left with a bill worth between £3,000 to £4,000 as he was unable to get legal aid.
Jessica Redmond, an LRU member, told the LDRS the protest was about “trying to buy a bit of time” for the couple while they continue to search for a new home.
Ms Redmond said: “A big part of why we do this as a union is at the moment landlords can just evict us for absolutely no reason, they can tell us the reason but they can lie about it. There’s nothing [and no one] to hold them to account.
“Rents are just spiralling out of control especially in Newham, so we’re concerned as a union about people being pushed out of East London where they’ve lived so much of their lives and where their homes are.”
She added: “Eviction resistance is really just an effort to keep people in their homes and keep people living locally until the government finally passes this Renters’ Rights Bill [which will ban Section 21 evictions].
“It feels like the government isn’t trying to protect our homes, isn’t trying to protect renters from landlords who kind of see the places we call home as a cash cow for them.”
Ms Redmond added: “It didn’t have to be like this, I think there could have been just a conversation about you know, ‘you need to be out at some point, but I’ll give you the time to find somewhere else to move to’ instead of burdening him with this really onerous court process and all of these threats and intimidation.”
Another LRU member said: “I just saw [Mr Noori] and his wife really stressed out, you could see the stress on their faces. It’s a very helpless situation. He just doesn’t know what’s going to happen next, it’s a really horrible feeling.”
The LDRS understands the Home Office has offered accommodation for Mrs Muzhgan as she is an asylum seeker.
However, Mr Noori said they rejected the accommodation as it was located four hours away and would mean the couple would be separated.
The LDRS understands the Home Office has been looking for accommodation for Mrs Muzhgan that is closer to London.
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “We know how significant the measures in the Renters’ Rights Bill are for millions of renters across the country – giving them greater stability, fairness, and peace of mind in their homes.
"That’s why we will bring the Bill into law as quickly as possible and abolish Section 21 evictions for both new and existing tenancies at the same time, to deliver security for all renters.”
