HUNDREDS of Liverpool families are being forced to live in hotels and B&Bs because of the house price boom.
The number of homeless cases in the city has risen by 44% in the past six months and the city council has run out of hostel places and council houses.
The number of homeless people dealt with by the council in the past six months rose to 463.
The problem has been made worse by the city's long-running council house repairs crisis, which has delayed the number of homes being released back into the system.
Many tenants, such has those in Kirkdale's "flower" streets, have seen ownership of their properties change hands several times and some no longer know who their landlord is.
Richard Asher of Merseyside Landlords' Information and Advisory Service said: "There is a huge problem in Liverpool of unscrupulous landlords who don't give a damn about their tenants and have taken the opportunity to make a killing on their properties.
"They are being offered ridiculous sums for houses and that means the people who live there have to find quick, alternative accommodation or become homeless."
Leading city estate agent, James Kersh of Sutton Kersh Group, said: "In January, the effect of Capital of Culture filtered through and the market was phenomenal.
"That brought a lot of amateurs into the market who bought and sold for quick gain. Now, the market is dominated by experienced investors who are looking at the medium to long term future of their properties."
The council is understood to be paying £15-£30 a night for hotel rooms and is working with other agencies, including the YMCA.
'We're in a vicious circle'
DENISE Huxley has had to stay in the Devonshire House hotel for the past seven weeks after her home was sold and the new landlord wanted her out.
The mother-of-three, aged 35, said: "It's caused havoc with the children's schooling, and now the summer holidays are here I have to take them out all day because we are not allowed to stay in the hotel room.
"That means I can't go out to get work and find a home in the private sector - we're trapped in this vicious circle and I don't know how to get out."
For the same reason, Ms Huxley was forced to turn down offers of council houses because they were all too far from her family and would have meant new schools and upheaval for her sons Chris, 13, Daniel, 10 and Liam, four.
Cllr Roz Gladden, Labour spokeswoman for housing, said: "The problem is that the council used to have 85,000 homes and today it has just over 20,000.
"The private sector and housing associations have taken over the market and the council has been caught unawares."
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