A YOUNG woman revealed how she went from being a homeowner to living in her car.
The 18-year-old now relies on help from strangers online to get her out of her living situation.
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In her viral video, TikTok user Alexa Safar (@.alexa.nicole) explained how she ended up without a house.
The TikToker, who is based in New Jersey, lost her mother when she was just 15 and had continued to live in her childhood home.
She told her audience that the house was supposed to officially go into her name when she turned 18.
However, another family member who had been left in charge of Alexa's mum's accounts had failed to handle them correctly, leaving her with thousands of pounds worth of debt.
She was forced to sell her family home in order to pay off the high-interest bills.
Alexa then went to live with her grandmother, however, her two dogs Cookie and Baby were not allowed on the premises.
They were briefly kept at her aunt's house but had to be moved out when her cousins' developed allergies.
Now Alexa and her dad both find themselves living out of their cars while they continue to work to save up for somewhere permanent.
She explained that both her family members and people online advised her to give the dogs to a shelter so she can continue living with her gran.
“They’re trying to tell me to put them up for adoption but I could never do that,” Alexa said.
After losing her mum, she said the idea of her pets going away wasn't bearable.
The TikToker showed her audience her car set-up, which included crates and dog beds in the back seat.
Alexa had tears streaming down her face as she recounted the story for her followers.
She included a GoFundMe link in her TikTok bio so strangers could donate and help her buy the essentials to keep going.
TikTok users shared their thoughts on the situation in the comments section.
Rules on living in a car
CAR LIVING is on the up as people struggle to deal with the cost of living crisis, and others are seeking a nomadic existence.
Here’s all we know about the rules on car life in the UK.
In the UK, you are legally allowed to live in your car— just so long as you follow a few rules.
The only requirement is that your car has passed its MOT and is entirely road-legal.
If legally parked, there aren’t rules against sleeping or living in a car.
The trend of car or van living has taken off in the United States, where some have been forced to leave rented accommodation after landlords put up the rent.
Others have opted to live in their vehicle in pursuit of a free, nomadic lifestyle, where they can travel all over the country.
There are certain circumstances in which it’s not legal to sleep in a car in the UK.
Firstly, you must be in a safe parking spot, not in violation of any parking restrictions.
Certain car parks, lay-bys, and national parks and forests have restrictions on overnight parking, which means you can’t sleep there in a vehicle.
If restrictions are broken, you could be fined or even have your vehicle towed.
Secondly, you must not be above the legal drink-drive limit or under the influence of any drugs, if you intend to sleep in your car.
If over the limit, you could be charged with being drunk in charge of a motor vehicle in a public place, even if you’re not driving.
The ban on sleeping in your car when you're drunk comes under the Road Traffic Act 1988.
The rule says you can be found guilty of an offence if in charge of a vehicle on a road or public place “after consuming so much alcohol that the proportion of it in his breath, blood or urine exceeds the prescribed limit.”
“I’m glad you haven’t given up on your dogs because they will never give up on you,” one viewer said.
“They will forever show you love, even when nobody else does.”
“I’ll pray for you and your doggies. Everything will be good, just don’t lose your faith,” wrote another person.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
“This is true love, I am sure something good [is] going [to] happen for you,” added a third commenter.
“I’m literally living in a tent with my dog too, council won’t help me, [they] told me they have no supported accommodation for dogs to be accepted,” commented another follower.
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