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Shed threat reveals incompetence
• Today I received a letter from Camden Council regarding A Notice of Seeking Possession for my shed. Basically I am around £500 in rent arrears due to being unemployed. I have an agreement regarding paying back this backlog, which I am keeping to. However Camden wants all the backlog back immediately, despite the prior agreement, or they will take my shed away.
I called Gospel Oak District Housing Office regarding this and was told it was Camden policy to do this.
I told the officer the shed is part of my tenancy agreement, she didn’t seem to take notice of this. I told her I didn’t like people taking my shed away despite previous agreements and I was going to seek legal advice.
This has happened previously a few years ago, and on that occasion I paid Camden the money owed to them. Right now I cannot afford to do this as I am unemployed.
On the previous occasion when they tried to repossess my shed I did get in touch with solicitors but still Camden didn’t back down, it was only when I paid the full amount they stopped this harassment.
I then received a letter informing me the shed was part of the flat, before that, and despite me using it with Camden’s knowledge and authority, I wasn’t the “tenant” apparently.
Having lived in my flat for 10 years I am totally fed up at this bureaucratic mess of a council and their arbitrary “rules”. There is nothing to gain, to my knowledge by taking away the shed, which is situated next to my flat I have always paid any backlogs and will pay this one.
The council will not listen to reason, they just quote “policy and rules”. By going to the law it will cost money in legal aid fees and court costs, plus Camden Council’s own time, which far outweighs any rent backlogs involved. I don’t know what law or rule they are following either.
Somehow it is not offensive for them to take away someone’s property, or think of the consequences of this, but they take great offence at me being exasperated with their lack of understanding and arbitrary rules.
Michael Grimes
Haverstock Road, NW5
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