Lucy Pratt, a mother of three, was offered a two bed council home in Cardiff(Image: Lucy Pratt)
A woman living in temporary housing faces eviction for turning down a property she deemed as “unsuitable”. Lucy Pratt has been living in temporary accommodation in Cardiff with her three children since spring 2024, after becoming homeless in 2023.
The 37-year-old student currently lives in a two bedroom flat where she shares one room with her two youngest children who are aged below five, while her eldest son, 14, lives with her part time and has his own room.
Lucy explained that she had been under the impression that Cardiff Council were trying to find a suitable two or three-bed property where she could continue a similar set up. However, instead she said she was offered a small two-bed which she claims was not large enough to house her and her three children. She has since been informed by the council that she faces eviction. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here.
Lucy said: “I’ve been here for 22 months now and I’ve got three children. The eldest is 14 and he spends the majority of time with his dad, but there’s not much difference. it’s about 45/55.
“They offered me a two-bed and I asked: ‘Why when I have three children?’ And they said my eldest had been removed from the housing application.
“His father has the Child Benefit so I informed them of this and so the council removed my eldest from my [application] so I was only entitled to a two-bed, but they didn’t tell me this.”
Lucy explained she had entered the childcare set-up since her temporary accommodation where she lives is far away from her 14-year-old son’s school. She said she felt “penalised” by the council for being honest about her situation and declaring that she does not receive the benefit.
“A lot of families are in the same situation,” she said. “He’s in high school and we want [our children] to continue at the same high school while they do their GCSEs. It was a horrible decision to make, but I had to. The council know my situation.”
Describing how her current flat compares to the one recently offered by the council, she said: “At the moment I have a two bed flat and one of the rooms is quite big so I sleep there with my two little ones [aged below 4]. I can fit three beds in so I’m not so bothered; it’s not ideal but I’ve been doing it for 22 months and I’d continue it.
“My eldest son has his own bedroom and is with me half the week, including two school nights a week, so he has to go to school from here. He can’t sleep on the floor, he needs a proper bed.
“In the property they offered me I could barely fit a single bed in the one, there was nowhere to sleep. I think they wanted me to put my eldest son in the living room maybe? I’m not being a spoiled brat asking for a new build with a garden.”
She described the situation as “shocking” and said formal court proceedings for her eviction had begun. “I just feel really hopeless, I don’t know what to do,” she said. “I’ve been to court now and it has been adjourned for a few weeks, but I’m likely to be evicted. I’ve asked them (the council) what’s the ongoing plan, but they can’t tell me.”
Lucy said she has been allocated a housing officer whose role it is to support her in looking for private accommodation. She said: “[They] ask me if I’ve been looking for private housing, asking if I can afford a house when I’m here because I can’t afford a house. It’s laughable.”
Lucy said she thinks the policy is particularly unfair because she is up to date with her rent payments, claiming she is aware of others who owe the council thousands. She claims she is also aware of people who have been offered more than one property without facing eviction.
A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “Households living in temporary accommodation in the city are generally made a single reasonable offer of suitable permanent housing. This approach is intended to help families move into settled homes as quickly as possible and avoid longer stays in temporary accommodation.
“In this case, an offer of a two‑bedroom home, which was assessed as suitable and in line with the family’s housing application, was made in September 2025 but was declined. The potential implications of declining the offer were explained to Ms Pratt in advance and, following this, a notice to vacate the temporary accommodation was issued.
“A review of the suitability of the property was carried out in October, and the decision was upheld as no evidence was provided to indicate that the offer was unsuitable.
“Temporary accommodation staff have provided, and will continue to provide, support to Ms Pratt to help her explore alternative housing options, including within the private rented sector.”
Ensure our latest news and sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings
