Hastings woman denied ‘perfect’ home after council error

Kerry Turner, 38, said she, her partner and her four children were ‘so excited’ when she received a letter from Hastings Borough Council saying she had been nominated for a four-bedroom housing association property, but the council said this had been sent to her in an ‘administrative error’.

Kerry said the property, in Knowsley Court, St Leonards, would have been perfect for her family after being faced with a section 21 order from her previous landlord of 12 years.

However, days after receiving a letter to say she has been nominated for the property, Hastings Borough Council told her the housing officer had made an administrative error and she should have been the top nominee for a three-bedroom property instead.

Kerry said: “My children were so excited. I had told them we were moving into a perfect new property and they could have their own rooms.

“After receiving the letter from the council, I went down to the council offices and asked if this property was definitely for me. The person behind the counter said they wouldn’t send out letters unless I had been nominated for the property and that I would hear more in a few days.”

Having not heard back from the council, Kerry checked the housing section of the council website and said her priority had dropped.