By Claire Corrigan
On foot of Monday’s RTÉ documentary ‘The Great Irish Sell Off’ which explored the controversial issue of vulture funds, Topic spoke this week to two women in Mullingar, who are faced with eviction from their homes over mortgage arrears, and the two distressed homeowners have described how their lives have been destroyed by the prospect of losing the roof over their heads, with no apparent way of stopping eviction.
One Mullingar woman who faces a court hearing this week that could mean losing her home, talked to Topic about the effect it is having on her life. She ran into mortgage arrears after she was forced to give up her job two years ago.
“It became impossible to try and make payments on my mortgage,” said Susan.*
“Initially, it was the standard financial statements and you’d fill them out and think, ‘They’re going to be reasonable and negotiate something and give me time.’ but they didn’t.”
She said that as the festive season approached, the pressure only intensified. “One thing I realised before Christmas was, the letters started becoming more threatening. It’s a lot on top of the fact you’re already feeling really bad because you are unemployed and don’t have any money for Christmas.”
Susan said she soon came to fear the post as well as anyone knocking on her door. “That’s how I was about the first summons actually- a man absolutely hammering the door down and shouting my name outside the house so he could present me with a big brown envelope and say, ‘Here you go, I’m sorry. You’re going to have to turn up.”
Susan has been receiving help from Sandra Daly of The Hub, Mullingar – a local group who help people who find themselves in mortgage difficulties. “Sandra has been helping me because I don’t understand a lot of the legal language that is being used in these letters. “
COURT
The Mullingar woman, who will be returning to court for the third time this week, said the experience has been “stomach-churning”. “I’m back in court and it’s hard. The last time was the worst. It was frightening because there is no support for people who don’t know what is happening. The last time I didn’t even know I was going to be in front of a judge. I watched lay litigants arguing their cases and I thought, ‘I don’t actually know what to say.’
The stress of the situation has impacted on every part of her life. “Your confidence level is on the floor and your mind is distracted all the time. Unless you have money, you’re on your own and if you had money, you wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place.”
NEGOTIATIONS
She is particularly worried about her upcoming case after her last harrowing experience. “It’s really frightening because there isn’t any support and it’s a language that most people don’t use. You see other people being dragged over the hot coals. There was another lady there who seemed to know what she was talking about, but my God, did she have to fight. She really did have to contradict the bank. I was just sitting there feeling physically sick, because I had no idea of what I was going to say or what I was going to be asked.”
Susan, who bought her Mullingar home 16 years ago, said that facing the possibility of eviction is a feeling hard to put into words. “The threat of losing your home is hard to describe. It’s not just a house, it’s your home, it’s your memories, your belongings that are filed in the attic of years gone by. It freezes you in fear.”
She said she believes the bank never had any intention of negotiating a payment plan with her. “They said my situation was unsustainable which it was and still is today, but not unsustainable permanently just currently. I feel like they are rushing to get their hands on the house. My mortgage wouldn’t even be that big so it’s double on a single salary but if I was to get a job tomorrow I think they would still do what they are doing now. They don’t want to negotiate.”
The mother-of-one said she can understand how people who are going through the eviction process are driven to take their lives. “If I was at home with young children facing the possibility of being on the street, I can see how I would find it hard to find a way out. It’s like being a room with no doors or windows.”
SECOND CASE
Another local woman Jeanette Campbell, will also be facing the County Registrar’s Court at the end of the month at Mullingar. Jeanette’s case had only been struck out recently after a year and a half because neither of the named defendants in the case had been served. “I was in court for a year and half under the wrong name- Jeanette McAteer – and my husband was never served.”
However she has received another letter from her bank’s solicitor that she is to appear at Mullingar court on 31 January. “I just can’t believe that I have to do this all over again. It’s beyond soul destroying. And to make it worse they have addressed it Jeanette McAteer again, not Campbell. Words can’t describe what it’s like to think you are going to lose your family home. It’s such a worrying situation because so many people have taken their lives at this juncture and before this juncture.”
The Delvin woman said that if her house is taken from her, she will be left with nothing. “I have to be able to stay in this house or sell it. It’s where everything I worked for all my life went.”
Jeanette, who suffers with Fibromyalgia and widespread arthritis has greatly struggled with her health since a fall in December 2015 and is now only mobile with the help of a three wheel walking aid. “It’s very embarrassing because I would never admit to my disabilities. I reckoned I could just ignore them and carry on regardless but they’ve caught up with me big time. My foot is more or less titanium from a car accident, both my kneecaps need replacing and I need a left hip replacement and I only have limited use of my left arm.”
Jeanette was critical of the County Council who she said, had refused to help her. “They won’t deal with you until you’re on the street and once you’re on the street they won’t deal with you because you’re homeless and once you’re homeless you have to go to a refuge you wouldn’t put a dog in. Thank God for Apollo House for giving us awareness. The best anyone can hope for now is to get a Council house and that’s nearly impossible.”
