Tottenham family forced out of home face triple rent hike

A Tottenham woman whose home is set to be demolished says she has been left suffering from stress because the council wants to move her family to a property they cannot afford.

Meti Bekele, who has been living in temporary accommodation for eight years, said her rent would triple if she moved into the privately-rented home being offered to her by Haringey Council, which plans to demolish her current property in Watts Close as part of a redevelopment scheme.

The special needs teaching assistant, who has two children, says she worked hard throughout the Covid-19 pandemic but that fears for her family’s future are now affecting her health.

“I am in deep stress,” she said. “It is affecting my health, and my children’s health as well. We are thinking, as a family, where are we going to go?

“I can’t sleep – I sleep for two hours and don’t want to wake up. If I wake up, all the ideas and then the stress comes to my head.”

Meti, who was placed on the waiting list for council housing in 2011, said she was told last year that the council had found her an affordable rent property in nearby Apex Gardens, a new development, and she was put on the waiting list for the home.

But when she was not contacted by the council for some time, Meti said she enquired about what was happening and was told the property had been offered to another family.

Meti said the council had now offered her a home that would see her rent triple to more than £330 per week. A Haringey Council spokesperson said the authority carried out an “affordability assessment” and that the alternative private sector tenancy it offered Meti is affordable based on her circumstances.

But Meti said she could not afford it, as she would have to spend almost her whole monthly income on rent. “I did not add the council tax and bills,” she explained. “Everything is going up. So I said, ‘why don’t you give me somewhere I can afford?’”

Meti says she was told she and her husband could apply for benefits to help with the housing costs. But she works full time, and her husband, who does not yet have a permanent job, is currently not entitled to benefits, as he only recently moved to the UK.

She added that she faced losing her place on the housing waiting list if she accepted a privately rented property.

The council spokesperson said the authority was “committed to ensuring the homes residents are provided with are best suited to their individual needs and requirements, and this has been no different for Ms Bekele”.

They added: “While we previously hoped she would be nominated for another private-sector scheme at Apex Gardens, unfortunately interest in the scheme was oversubscribed and the handover of properties was considerably delayed, and therefore we had to re-prioritise families. We are sorry Ms Bekele’s expectations were raised – this was explained to her at the time.

“The accommodation which has alternatively been offered to Ms Bekele is a property owned by Haringey Council and leased to the Haringey Community Benefit Society. While Ms Bekele would get a private sector tenancy, the tenancy is designed to be long term in order to provide her and her family with real stability.

“We have conducted an affordability assessment, and based on Ms Bekele’s circumstances, this property is affordable. We have advised Ms Bekele to accept the property, and if she still feels it is not suitable, then she has the right to review our decision.”