‘I never expected to be evicted at the age of 72’
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Charity worker Deborah Egan had been living in her three-bed terraced house in Sheffield for more than two years, when the eviction notice landed on her doormat. She knew it was coming. Last May, her landlord emailed to say the rent would be doubling, and 72-year-old Deborah had replied with a list of repairs that needed to be done before she could pay any increase.
She and her husband Malcolm had always been aware that the rent could rise incrementally, but there was no way they would have been able to meet the 100% increase, from £600 to £1,200, without having to choose between heating and eating, she tells Metro.
Then, in July, Deborah received an email and a letter through the door telling her she had been issued a section 21 notice, or ‘no-fault’ eviction, when the tenant is given two months to leave – or face a court possession order. ‘It felt really bad. It affected my ability to work and kept me awake at night,’ says Deborah. ‘I was extremely worried, as it is really expensive to move. It probably costs about £4,000 on a deposit for a new house and moving costs. This is money that you’re supposed to manifest from nowhere and as somebody who is a low wage community charity worker, it’s pretty tough.’.
![[METRO GRAPHICS Homelessness Stats]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236067391-47f0.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The grandmother and mother-of-four is one of nearly 20 million people in England struggling with housing costs, according to research released by the housing charity Shelter. Their findings show that 21% of people are finding it hard to keep up with mortgage or rent payments, 37% have had to cut back on essentials to afford housing costs, and 10% are worried about being evicted.
