A ST MICHAEL FAMILY has been left in the cold without one of the basic necessities after their landlord disconnected their utilities on November 30 and December 1.
Junior James of St Barnabas, St Michael, and his fiancée Sharrie Goodman were shocked to come home and find their electricity and water disconnected after they had paid the bills.
At the time both utilities were in landlord Ilene Webster’s name, and as a result James said he lost over a thousand dollars in meat, vegetables, and other refrigerated items after the electricity had been disconnected. James was subsequently able to get the light reconnected in his name, but is still without water.
The family admitted that they were given a notice to vacate the premises by November 30, but said Webster had not given them a chance to let her know that they had not found other accommodation.
“She just disconnected everything. She had no feelings for my family. She knew there were children living here and she did not care,” he stated.
The ZR driver, who produced receipts showing rent payments for different months, said the family would be seeking a lawyer to deal with the discomfort suffered during the ordeal.
“Ms Webster did not even take into consideration that we have children to feed. She disconnected the water.
We can’t wash; we have to be [begging for] water to wash or to cook and this should never happen. It’s not like we didn’t look for somewhere to live when she gave us the eviction, but we couldn’t find anywhere,” he stated.
When the SATURDAY SUN tried to get a comment from Webster, she simply stated: “I have no tenants.”
The newspaper contacted an attorney and was informed that the landlord, after having sent the first notice to quit, should have followed up with a second notice “indicating intent to proceed to the Magistrates’ Court for possession”.
He said a date would then be set by the court for hearing. It was then that the magistrate would decide how much time the residents would have to find new accommodation.
The lawyer also noted that the tenant would be entitled to damages for any losses which he suffered.
