A MOTHER and daughter who face eviction from their Oxford home before Christmas have appealed for help.

Lilly Dass and her 15-year-old daughter Manisha have been given a month to leave their home in Clearwater Place, Summertown.

GreenSquare housing association, which owns the property, issued a notice to quit after Lilly’s other daughter, Janci Peotrakis, whose name is on the tenancy, moved out.

But the association has refused to let Ms Dass, 47, take on the tenancy and, according to the Dass family, Oxford City Council won’t help them find alternative housing.

Ms Dass said: “I am not asking for anything for free, just somewhere me and my daughter can stay safely and pay rent.

“For the past four years I have been on the housing register. During this time I have tried to rent properties with no help being provided.

“I have put down deposits for private rentals but none have been successful.

“I have even taken out a loan for a deposit to buy a park home but I was not eligible so I returned the loan.

“Now because this is our final option I have been trying to get help from the city council to find a property.”

Manisha said the housing crisis has come at a bad time as she is studying for GCSEs at The Cherwell School.

She said: “I do understand that there are people a lot worse off than us but we are not asking for a handout.”

Lilly Dass came to Oxford in 1995 and lived with Manisha’s father until 2011, when she and her youngest daughter moved out of the family home.

They lived in a rented house in Cowley for almost three years until earlier this year, when their landlord wanted to sell the house. They say they were advised by council officers to stay at the house until their landlord took them to court, but they did not want to face legal action.

GreenSquare’s Phil Brady said: “Oxford City Council has the nomination rights for our rented homes, meaning that the individual needs to apply to the Oxford Register of Affordable Housing – or seek a private rented property.

“Having stayed at the property for a matter of months, as a temporary guest of the tenant, she has no automatic right to take over the tenancy.

“While we sympathise, we cannot bypass the housing register, when demand in Oxford is so high with around 5,000 people on the register.

“Our staff have offered support and allowed extra time.”

A spokesman for Oxford City Council said: “When a resident leaves their private rented property on their own accord, we do not have a duty to provide them with further accommodation.”