Where do I find a landlord who accepts part-dss?

[celiacelia]

Currently on maternity leave with dd and splitting from dp of 12 years and ds1 starts Secondary school in Sept. Desperately trying to find a three bed house to rent in Wallington or the surrounding areas but no joy as no Letting Agency will accept me without a Guarantor (no Guarantor as my family simply do not meet the being an homeowner with a job with a salary in excess of £30,000pa). I will need help from dss as I simply won't be able to afford the rent on my own.

I have 2 months deposit and good references (lived in current flat for 8 years with no issues), I can afford the rent on the properties I have inquired about and my dc are well behaved, I don't smoke nor do we have pets yet I have been told my every Lettings Agency that no Landlord on there books will accept a claimant on dss without a Guarantor, I have even been told that even when I go back to work (in July) I still would need a Guarantor as my earnings wouldn't be enough (£15,000pa) to be considered as a "good risk". I don't know what more I can do.

I am at the end of my tether and have no clue where to turn to now, I feel so hopeless and confused. I am stuck in a small two bed flat with my ex with ds 1, ds2 and dd sharing a bedroom. (The plan was for us to get a bigger home together but my ex now refuses to give me any help).

Where do I find a Landlord who would accept us as tenants? Is this even possible?

[NigellasDealer]

do you have to tell them? I do not think so.
the only problem would be how quickly your LA processes your claim and if you could cover the rent in the meantime.
you are in a good position with your deposit and refs.

[celiacelia]

I have thought about not telling them as the dss payment would be paid straight into my account which would then be used to pay my rent however the first question I am asked is "do you earn over £30,000? as this is the accepted amount of earnings for this property".

[NigellasDealer]

gosh it is so hard these days esp. in the London area...
can you count CB, WFTC etc in as your earnings?

[expatinscotland]

Why is your DP not stepping up to pay to house his kids?

[spongebobsmallpants]

Theres a website yestodss.com or something similar.
I've not used it but ive heard of it. maybe worth a look

[celiacelia]

Its doing my head in. We just need a new start and every door just seems to be slammed firmly shut in our faces. I spoke with a few (well 24) agencies at length and they all were of a similar thread "We don't take other benefits as apart of your income our credit check system uses your salary and that's where we generate your credit rating and risk from".

Its so frustrating as I am quite flexible in my requirements (beggars can't be choosers as they say) I am willing to move anywhere within 30mins bus ride of Wallington (so ds1 can go to Secondary school on his own), yet still its one stumbling block after another.

[NigellasDealer]

and will there be any child maintenance from the ex? can that be counted in?

[NigellasDealer]

sorry x post

[celiacelia]

because he is being an absolute douche expatinscotland. Long story but he refuses to believe its over and I guess that's his way of keeping us here.

[celiacelia]

thanks spongbobsmallpants I will give it a go

[expatinscotland]

Is the tenancy in both your names? Try some of the relationship threads there are ways to split without your having to leave.

[celiacelia]

Yes NigellasDealer they use that as extra income (still a far way away from that magic £30k threshold)

[celiacelia]

Tenancy is in both our names thus I don't have to leave but I would rather leave so we can have a fresh start and so ds1, ds2 and dd are not squashed into one room.