Residents facing eviction from an apartment complex in Newquay that has been deemed structurally unsafe fear they could become homeless after struggling to find alternative housing.
About 20 people served with a notice seeking possession at Aqua Blue Apartments, who must vacate by October 29, have not yet found another place to live. Many tenants have either failed to secure a flat because of the number of people looking, or they have been priced out after finding that one-bedroom monthly rentals in Newquay now cost around £1,000 or more, which is 25 per cent more than what they currently pay.
Thirty-four tenants renting at Aqua Blue Apartments have been told they must leave by October so that a substantial redevelopment of the building can be carried out. The complex, built in 2008, has become “degraded” after being “exposed to the elements.” Owners Interceptor Opportunities Ltd plan to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds over several months fixing the roof, cladding and flooring. The company has pledged that tenants will get first refusal to move back once repairs are finished, but many fear this may be unachievable if rents rise because of the repair costs.
A spokesperson for the residents of Aqua Blue said: “All in all since 34 of us were served a signed notice seeking possession on June 24 to move out by October 29, 2026 a fortunate dozen have found new places to relocate to, while the rest of us have not despite filing numerous repetitive applications online with the local property agencies. New available one-bedroom monthly rentals in Newquay have now greedily jumped to over £1,000, which is 25 per cent more than we are currently paying. This is a rat race unfolding in front of our eyes. It feels like we are running in a circle with no real rest or final win.”
Many residents are baffled as to why they must move out, since similar repair work is being done at the adjacent Surf Pods housing complex but no one there has been served eviction notices. The spokesperson for the residents of Aqua Blue said: “Since the notice seeking possession was served on us the apartment building adjoining ours, Surf Pods, without warning erected scaffolding and commenced with a crew of workers noisily fixing its cladding without anybody having to move out. We understand their job will be completed by December 2027, which is over a year and yet we at Aqua Blue all have to move out but may be able to move back in later when all this is sorted out.”
Resident Barry Plechowicz added: “We are curious about the Surf Pods block of flats having extensive building work done but the occupants aren’t being evicted. I’d have assumed that Surf Pods were built at the same time as Aqua Blue and by the same company so figured they’d have the same building issues as Aqua Blue.”
Newquay Tenants Fear Homelessness as Eviction Looms