<div>A beloved queer autistic community organiser and author is in crisis - and after over a year of fighting and exploring every other avenue, I'm asking for your help to keep her in her home.
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<div>For years, Ellen has shown up for everyone else. She organises, she mentors, she builds spaces rooted in care and puts community first every single time. She's a best-selling author and one of the sharpest minds in her field - she has personally guided me through more than I can put into words.
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<div>When people need someone in their corner, Ellen is the one who turns up.
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<div>Now she's the one who needs us. And because she would never ask for herself, I'm asking for her.
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<div>Ellen is facing an overwhelming situation that no one should have to face alone - and the systems that were supposed to protect her have done the opposite.
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<div><strong>What's happened</strong>
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<div>The short version:
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<ul>
<li>Ellen bought her first flat 3 years ago (as seen on Location, Location, Location). The council told her in writing no major works were planned before completion and surveys and conveyancing revealed nothing.
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<li>FOI requests show Thanet District Council already knew the building needed hundreds of thousands in repairs - and never disclosed it.
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<li>She's now been handed a bill for ~£40,000 - more than her deposit. Her mortgage lender was never told either about the works.
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<li>Ellen only found out by chance, stopping workmen in the street, not through the legal process.
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<li>The council's own records (via a Subject Access Request) show officers debating how disabled she "really" is based on her online presence - she was "too articulate" to need support.
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<li>She's the only leaseholder in a building of council tenants and is facing disproportionate costs for Thanet District Council's historic neglect of their own building.
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<li>The council failed the legal consultation (Section 20) it was required to do. At tribunal, the most they can lawfully charge her is £250 - not £40,000
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<li>She's tried everything - the CEO, her councillor, her MP, Citizens Advice. Every door closed. The council will now only engage through litigation, knowing she's a disabled freelancer fighting alone.
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<li>The stress has badly worsened her health - more autistic meltdowns, worse chronic pain, every day affected.
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<div>You can read more about the situation here: <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/money/mortgages/article/i-bought-a-home-on-location-location-location-now-i-face-a-36k-bill-mgt6vghcf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.thetimes.com/money/mortgages/article/i-bought-a-home-on-location-location-location-now-i-face-a-36k-bill-mgt6vghcf" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.thetimes.com/money/mortgages/article/i-bought-a-home-on-location-location-location-now-i-face-a-36k-bill-mgt6vghcf</a></a>
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<div><strong>The Long Version</strong>
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<div>Nearly four years ago, Ellen bought her first flat. Some of you may have seen it - she bought it on Channel 4's Location, Location, Location, sharing her story as a young autistic woman finally getting a place of her own.
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<div>The building she lives in is a leasehold property owned by Thanet District Council and she brought from another private seller who lived in the flat previously. Ellen did everything you're told to do including conveyancing, going through the mortgage process, surveys done as part of it.
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<div><strong>A month before she completed, Thanet District Council - the freeholder - told her legal team in writing that no major works were planned on the building.</strong>
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<div>That wasn't true, and Freedom of Information requests now show that Thanet District Council knew major works were required - and indeed had been quoted for - covering the roof and windows totalling an estimated £160k+.
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<div>This week, Ellen's being handed a bill for £40,000 - more than the deposit she put down to buy the flat in the first place. Her mortgage lender was never told about it either; a liability bigger than her deposit was hanging over the property, and neither Ellen nor her bank nor her conveyancers had any idea because of Thanet District Council's actions.
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<div>What's worse is that Ellen found out by pure chance. Eleven months ago, she happened to stop some workmen in the street and ask what they were doing to her building. If she'd walked past ten minutes later, they'd have been gone- and she would never have known. That's how little regard she was shown and Ellen ended up having an autistic public meltdown in the street and told the council workers that she might as well kill herself - a situation she hates that she put them in but she was so distressed and overwhelmed.
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<div>Ellen understands her responsibilities as a leaseholder - she's not trying to avoid anything - she just wants the law followed and so far Thanet District Council have not been able to demonstrate that they have tendered the works properly, that a Section 20 process has been followed, that they have followed the law and yet have sent through the bill.
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<div>Ellen is not against contributing towards leasehold repair - but those costs must be legally incurred, reasonable, and in line with the law. That's what we need your help to prove.
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<div>We believe the council failed to carry out the leaseholder consultation (Section 20) it was legally required to do - and we believe they didn't even recognise there was a leaseholder in the building hence why when locks were changed whilst she was away as part of repairs tenants were given new keys but she as the only leaseholder was not. She was also locked out of her electricity meters several times by the council - Council’s can lock out tenants from their meters but not leaseholders, but the council has on several occasions forgotten she was there.
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<div>When Ellen asked to see the maintenance history for the building, TDC refused to hand over the paperwork, until an Environmental Information Regulations request forced it out and revealed two decades of neglect and patchwork repairs, meaning that even if a Section 20 was followed - which it wasn't - she is unlikely to be responsible given these costs were not reasonably incurred.
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<div>Everyone else in her building is a council tenant; Ellen is the only leaseholder being made to carry this burden, and her flat takes up less than 1/6th of the floorspace.
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<div>If TDC really has done everything correctly, that means that every person who buys a property from them would have to do a Freedom of Information Request to get the truth regarding the property's condition and anticipated works, which is absurd.
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<div>Ellen’s situation affects not just her - but all leaseholders and if she wins at tribunal - it's a win for all the leaseholders and would set precedent.
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<div><strong>More than that, if Ellen goes to tribunal and wins the maximum TDC can legally charge her is £250 for works under the Tenant and Leaseholder’s Act. </strong>
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<div><strong>There is a big difference between £250 and £40,000.</strong>
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<div>Ellen has tried every fair route, and failed at each one. She wrote to the council directly, including personal appeals to Colin Carmicael the CEO and got no response. She’s been in contact with her local councillor, Helen Whitehead who is also an autistic woman who sits on the very housing board responsible for this and was simply told to take it to tribunal. She approached her MP, Polly Billington, who described the situation as an 'absolute mess' and was sympathetic at first and acknowledged the situation with the council, only to fall back on telling her to go to Citizens Advice - who she had already been to. She sent a formal letter before action through a solicitor and the council - in the view of the solicitors - AI generated their legal response.
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<div>Every door has closed.
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<div>This is where the community shows up. This should never have needed lawyers - Thanet District Council should have done the right thing - held up their hands and said 'we got this wrong'.
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<div>But now Ellen is facing court alone as a young autistic woman and the stress of the situation has had a devastating impact on her physical and mental health.
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<div><strong>I’ve known Ellen for years and she would work herself to death to fight this or to pay the bill rather than asking for help and that isn’t right. </strong>
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<div><strong>Where your money will go:</strong>
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<div>Every penny raised will go directly to giving Ellen a fair fight and covering legal expenses associated with a tribunal of (which she has been given an estimated cost of £5-10k) to covering the costs of the works.
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<div>If, in the end, the money isn't needed, every remaining penny will be donated to Margate Trans Club.
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<div>Other ways you can help
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<div>Not everyone can give money - and there are other things that would genuinely change this:
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<li>Probono legal support to help her at tribunal.
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<li>Hire Ellen. She's a best-selling author, speaker, marketing strategist and consultant, and one of the best minds in the business. Booking her work is real, meaningful support. Ellen will hate asking for money, but she will work harder than anyone I know.
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<li>Write to Thanet District Council to ask why they are failing their leaseholders.
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<li>Leasehold or property expertise. If you know this area of law and property, your knowledge could be invaluable.
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<li>Media coverage. Ellen's story was one of the most-read pieces on the Sunday Times site when they covered it last year - more attention keeps the pressure on.
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