Section 21 HELP
My mum and I rent together (no children). In April our landlord served us a Section 21 notice. Since then I’ve lost my job, we’ve exhausted our savings covering medical costs for my grandmother, and the landlord has flatly refused to negotiate any extension or agreement.
We contacted the council for housing help but were told we’re not a priority as we have no dependants.
However the council has since told us the Section 21 is invalid because we were never given a How to Rent guide at the start of the tenancy. We have lived at the property for 12 years. Their whole management are mess they even messaged me in Feb saying we have not paid rent which we had so we had to proof to them.
Questions:
1. What does an invalid Section 21 actually mean in practice does the landlord have to start the whole process again?
2. How long does this realistically buy us?
3. Should we be getting legal advice before doing anything else, and if so, where (we can’t afford a solicitor)?
4. Is there anything else we should be doing right now given our financial situation?
Any advice appreciated.