Source: Reddit
I live in a small wealthy town 15 minutes outside of a city in Alberta, Canada. Truthfully, I can’t afford to live here, but I’m trying to stay because my kids have made this town their home over the last two years. I’ve been renting a three bedroom townhouse I got on a fluke and I rent it for $1300/month (similar properties in this town rent for $2000+).
I have two kids and two dogs and am a single mom. I was given five months’ notice (I’m on a month to month) that I’ll need to move out by September 1. I have bad credit and it’s impossible to prove my income as a lot of it is under the table cash jobs, mostly doing house staging, cleaning, and professional organizing. Only 2-3 rentals have come up per month in this town and they’re all well over $3000/month.
I found an affordable place in the city for August 1, but I backed out after being approved because my kids (19 and 14) didn’t like it and didn’t want to share a room. I thought that if I surrendered my dogs that I could find a place the kids would like more, but it hasn’t happened. I’m in panic mode and the landlord doesn’t seem to care about the fact that me and my children will likely have to live in my car. I have no clue where I will send my 14 year old to school-unsure if I will be able to stay in this town or if I will have to move to the city after all. My landlord says I have to be out on September 1 because that’s the closing date, and the new owners are planning on living in it.
I’ve decided not to move out by September 1. The eviction process takes months which buys me more time. The only thing I’m worried about is word getting out about it, which could affect my cleaning business. Am I Being A Jerk? Or would potential clients sympathize with a single mom on the brink of homelessness.
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