People living in Luton block of flats fear they could be made homeless after ‘no fault’ eviction served weeks before Christmas

A distressed resident living in a block of flats in Luton has shared their worry after being handed a no fault eviction notice just before Christmas.

The tenant, who wished to remain anonymous, lives in one of 15 flats at Nightingale House, on Inkerman Road. Those living in the building were issued with a section 21 notice from the Mears Group, a social housing provider, last month – with no reason given for being turfed out of their homes.

Mears Group says the notice has come because the landlord wants the property back – and says it is “doing all it can” to support the tenants. But under a section 21, commonly known as a 'no fault possession notice,' landlords do not have to give a reason for wanting to take possession of the property.

The resident, who has lived in the former office block for over eight years, said: "What will I do when the council says I've got rent privately? Where am I going to find a deposit? Where am I going to find money, rent in advance, rent in one place, and then plus another? Stressful is a polite word for it."

A spokesperson for Mears Group said: “We recently received notification that the landlord requires vacant possession of Nightingale House and we are required to issue residents with a Section 21b notice to this effect. We understand that this must be a challenging time for residents, and we are doing all we can to ensure that they receive the support they need from the local authority to find suitable alternative accommodation in the local area.

“We would encourage residents to contact us or the local authority with any concerns they may have.”

Luton Borough Council spokesperson said: “Mears had not notified us that a Section 21 notice had been issued to the building. We have now contacted them and they have confirmed that the owner wants the property back. We are currently liaising with Mears in order to contact residents so we can offer advice and assistance and consider what options are available to us. If those affected are owed a statutory homeless duty then the Council will place them in temporary accommodation."

Mears Group have given the occupants of Nightingale House until January 24 to find alternative accommodation.

The tenant added: “My partner's spoken to several people and the problem is they don't really know what to do, whereas I'm not shy in saying, ‘what's going on?’ And I need someone to say [to Mears] ‘why are you doing this?’ Because I won’t get to find out why until after the 24th of January, when it goes to court for possession.”