Homeless mum feels 'out of control'

A mother of two who has been homeless since her marriage broke down said she was refused accommodation despite being able to afford it.

After viewing a property Tasha was told she needed a salary of £56,000, despite the annual rent being £18,000.

She has been living in hotels, paid for by West Berkshire Council, since February, and said she felt "degraded" and like "everything's out of my control".

The council's deputy leader Denise Gaines said Tasha's case was "tragic" and she would be offered temporary accommodation as soon as space became available.

Tasha, who earns £19,000 working as a special educational needs (SEN) learning support assistant and is on universal credit, moves to a different hotel every Monday.

Once a week she goes to a friend's house to cook and do laundry but the rest of the time she and her children either rely on instant food like noodles, or go out to eat.

One flat she found she was not even able to view because the renters wanted prospective tenants to have an annual salary of £39,000 - despite the yearly rent being less than £16,000.

Tasha said she was "very careful" with money and would have been able to afford the rent.

"I'm now relying on the council to home me and I may or may not get where I want to go," she said.

Fraser Gleave, chief executive officer for Citizens Advice Tadley, said the private rented sector was seeing a growing gap in supply and demand, enabling landlords to "set higher and higher standards".

Ms Gaines said the cost of living meant more landlords were having to sell, applying even more pressure on the market.

Tasha said her situation was starting to have an impact on her mental health, adding the "packing days and the unpacking days" were the hardest.

"I've got mum guilt that I couldn't keep a marriage together, can't provide a house for my children," she said.

"It is getting me mentally, especially when we pack up and I see what's in the car -because that's all we've got."

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