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Mum with toddler 'devastated' after being served eviction notice by landlord

The mum had been told she must vacate the property on Nancy Street <i>(Image: LT)</i>
The mum had been told she must vacate the property on Nancy Street (Image: LT)

A mum who highlighted the state of a "nightmare property" in Darwen has been served with an eviction notice by the landlord.

The mum had been told she must vacate the property on Nancy Street in May by Countrywide Residential Lettings (supporting Entwistle Green) who were acting on behalf of the landlord.

It comes less than two months after the woman who has a toddler revealed how the property was falling apart.

Blackburn with Darwen Council housing teams said they had visited the property to meet the tenant and a further visit was due.

The tenant says she had been told that work to rectify the property had to be completed by Thursday, March 16 but was served with an eviction notice dated March 10.

The property had rotten wood, damp in the kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedrooms, a hole in the ceiling above the stairs, a rat problem and problems with the locks.

Despite these issues - which have been going on for several years - the landlord had raised the rent by £40 to £420 a month.

She said: “I’m absolutely devastated in all honesty. I've obliged with everything they've asked regarding repairs I've done my part.

“I always pay my rent on time I've been looking for a new home for me and my daughter and am still looking but now I've been put on a deadline and in worried me and my daughter could end up homeless.”

The situation came to light after the woman's father contacted the Lancashire Telegraph as a "last resort" and said the property was not "fit for a dog to live in".

The mum had told us of how she couldn’t make "the house a home and decorate due to the amount of damp".

The letting agent, Entwistle Green, had said it was liaising with tenant and "the local council to resolve the concerns the tenant has raised".

An Entwistle Green spokesperson said this week: “We act on behalf of the landlord and administer purely on their instruction. Therefore, we are not in a position to comment further on this matter.”

The mum said: “Right now I'm not sure where I'll live my daughter will be starting school this year in Blackburn but I've been looking at properties even in Accrington I've kept my options open to try find a new home but unfortunately so far no luck and now.

“I feel like my world has come crashing down I didn't want to stay at this property as currently can't even run a bath due to boiler leaking and no pressure but it was a roof over our head till we could get somewhere and no we won't even have that soon.”

Cllr Jim Smith, executive member for environment and operations at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “We are aware of this issue and our Housing Standards team have visited the property and are in discussions with the tenant regarding future options.

“A further visit will take place next week to look into this matter further and remedial work is expected to be completed in the near future.”

Lancashire Telegraph:
Lancashire Telegraph:

She said she had been told that some of the "faults" were her responsibility as she had used contractors to fix the property as best she could.

Claims she refuted and felt the landlord had been trying to "intimidate" her and pass on blame for serious structural work and extensive damp issues.

She had earlier said: “It's got to the point where I feel like they are trying to intimidate me.

"I've had to make an appointment with my GP as my mental health has taken a battering quiet considerably.

“Every day is a battle, and I feel as though I'm having to fight it on my own when I should be entitled to a safe environment for me and my daughter to live in, considering I pay rent every month on time without fail.

“I feel as though I have no-one to turn to, and no one on my side.

"The stress is making me mentally ill and getting to the point I can no longer cope or handle the battle.”

Lancashire Telegraph:
Lancashire Telegraph:

Entwistle Green took over managing the property last year.

In correspondence seen by the Lancashire Telegraph, the agency had taken over the management of the property from Louise Stephens Property in 2022.

When contacted, Louise Stephens Property said the property was "fully managed by Entwistle Green Blackburn".

Entwistle Green said that they do not own the property but manage it on behalf of the landlord.

But it has not revealed who the landlord was due to GDPR rulings.

Countrywide Residential Lettings did not forward a response for a comment.

The mum had said: “After reading in the news about a child dying due to damp in their bedroom my anxiety was through the roof as my daughter lives with me and there is damp in her room.

"This was also making her ill and she kept getting chest infections.”