GoFundMe fundraiser created for 'desperate' family living in Airbnb following neighbours collapsed house

Alan Orbell and his young family have been 'fighting' to get back into their home since the beginning of January 2023 when they moved out of their home after their neighbours property collapsed at the end of 2022. Since they moved out, they have been in multiple Airbnbs and they are now trying to find the money to repair the external wall of their property which was damaged as a result of the collapse.

As previously reported by The News, Alan and his partner Sam King tried to claim against their home insurance but they were informed that the claim was invalid due to latent defects, meaning they have taken a massive financial hit.

In order to get back into their property, they need to repair the wall to ensure that it is structurally sound. The couple have now also been taken to court by Portsmouth City Council and a court order has given them a small time frame to get an agreement with their neighbour in place to repair the wall. However with a recent quote of £45,000 plus vat, the family are desperate for help. The council has taken them to court in order to get the wall repaired as it is currently deemed unsafe. Langford Road is currently still closed until the area is considered safe again.

In an interview with The News earlier this year, Alan said: "We are just trying to work out a way to get home. We are so desperate. We’re at the point where we’ve tried everything we can think of because all we want to do is to move forward. We have been fighting since the day we were moved out of our home - we have had to fight for everything. 

“There is no final sum to fix our house to get it back to the way it was the day before all of this happened - £70,000 would rebuild the exterior wall.

“We could lose everything. I’ve had to have conversations with our four-year-old about houses falling down. My kids will live with this forever. My other half is a silent witness to everything around her."

The GoFundMe page, created by the family, has a target of £75,000 but the current figure stands at £1,820. In an update on the fundraiser page, it says: "We have a short time to reach an agreement with our neighbour, to sort out the building contracts and get the wall demolished and rebuilt. If this is not completed on time, we will be in breach of the court order, which comes with additional costs and potential criminal charges.

"While we have been, and still are, waiting for things to move forward, the damage to our house is getting worse, both inside and out and we still don't know what will eventually need doing or how much it will all cost."

The family are currently still in temporary accommodation but are desperate to find the money to make their home safe so they can move back in and resume their life before the collapse happened. The family has challenged their insurance company and they have gone to the housing ombudsman to try to get some financial help. To donate to the GoFundMe page, click here.