I am a single mother, my child is a minor, I worked for several years at a municipal enterprise, and lived in service housing. Now I am about to be dismissed, and it turns out that I will also have to leave the service housing. I have nowhere to go, and I don't even have money for rent.
Are there rules prohibiting the eviction of single mothers with minor children? What can be done to avoid ending up on the street with a child?Denis Gorba, lawyer at the Latvian Human Rights Committee: – The situation is complex and emotionally difficult; however, the legal system in Latvia provides mechanisms that will not allow a person to be 'thrown out onto the street' in one day. The situation is regulated by the Law on Residential Tenancy (Dzīvojamo telpu īres likums) and the regulations of the Riga City Council (if it concerns Riga). According to Article 32 of the Law on Residential Tenancy, the municipality issues Mandatory Rules that establish the procedure and conditions for renting out residential premises owned by the municipality, as well as the term of the residential tenancy agreement (no more than 10 years). According to Article 34 of the mentioned law, the lease agreement for service residential premises in apartments owned by the state/municipality (dienesta dzīvojamā telpa) is directly linked to employment relations. If the employment relationship is terminated, the lease agreement is also terminated. However, eviction does not occur automatically. If the dismissed employee refuses to vacate the premises, the landlord (in this case, the municipal enterprise) is obliged to file a lawsuit in court. Illegal eviction without a court decision is prohibited in Latvia. There is no direct absolute prohibition in the law stating 'no eviction under any circumstances.' However, there is a so-called 'social safeguard': the state and municipality are obliged to ensure the protection of children's rights. This means that a single mother cannot be evicted 'into nowhere' without being offered options for social assistance or temporary housing if the family is recognized as low-income.## What can be done Urgently contact the Riga Social Service (Rīgas sociālais dienests) and obtain a certificate of status (trūcīgās vai maznodrošinātās mājsaimniecības statuss). This will give the right, firstly, to apply for housing rental assistance (mājokļa pabalsts) and, secondly, critically important - to register for the municipal housing queue. Based on the Mandatory Rules of the Riga City Council No. 141, certain categories of residents have the right to assistance in resolving housing issues. As a mother raising a child alone, in the event of eviction from service housing, the reader can claim registration in the queue (socially vulnerable category). In other words, as long as the employment contract is not terminated, the author of the letter has the full right to remain in the apartment. In the event of dismissal due to downsizing (likvidācija or darbinieku skaita samazināšana), severance pay is due. Important! Under no circumstances should one sign 'termination by mutual agreement' (uz pušu vienošanās pamata), of course, unless a decent compensation is offered that covers the costs of renting new housing for the initial period.
