Families forced to rent whose children pay the price | Money | The Observer

Families forced to rent whose children pay the price | Money | The Observer

Jasmine Smith is just nine years old but she has already moved schools three times because her family has been forced to live in insecure rented accommodation.

The Smith family, parents Paul and Joanna, and their daughters Jasmine and Enya, spent four years living in short-term rented accommodation. Each time a tenancy ended and the landlord wanted the property back, Jasmine had to switch schools.

Jasmine's father, an IT engineer, says the frequent changes have affected her more than her younger sister, who was at nursery during the moves: "Jasmine is traumatised. We're settled now and she's got a group of friends, but she is terrified of losing them."