Council advises tenant to break back into vacated property and await eviction

The desperate state of the public housing provision has been revealed after a suburban London borough is alleged to have advised a tenant in receipt of benefits to break back into a privately-rented property they had vacated. Housing staff from Havering are said to have advised the tenant to break back into a property they had vacated because they would only be considered for further housing provision until they had been legally evicted and were technically homeless. In the first case of its kind experienced by eviction specialist Landlord Action, a single mother in receipt of benefits renting a flat in the centre of Romford in Essex agreed to vacate the property after falling behind in rent and being served notice, only to return to the letting agent involved and demand the keys back. When the letting agent involved refused, the tenant informed them that the council had advised her to find a locksmith and break into the property, advice she followed the following day after it was discovered she had moved her possession back into the two-bedroom, first floor apartment and changed the locks. “I went to the property the next morning to ensure everything was OK but my…