Would private rent be a good idea?

[ChristmasCarrot]

Hi there,

We've been in temporary accommodation for the best part of a year now. We ended up homeless due to an absolute hellhole of a council house. The TA is in extremely poor condition, which nobody is willing to sort out. I've been to the council, I've spoken to the management company which oversee this property for the landlord, I've spoken to Shelter and solicitor blah blah. I've been in and out of housing options, who are very hard to deal with and are quite prepared to chuck us anywhere. The management company just say to keep waiting until we are housed.

I've been looking at private rent, all of which are a bit expensive, but I've seen one which I really quite like, although it's about 5 miles away from any of my friends (I don't drive & there aren't any direct bus services). I don't particularly want to move from this area, but I don't feel we have any choice. This area is in the 'higher availability', but is very rarely offered to homeless folk, as it's 'up and coming'.

Anyway, a lot of people keep saying that council/ HA is a 'tenancy for life'. I understand this, but when you end up in something like I had last time and end up homeless again, that isn't very appealing. But there again, we could end up homeless again with private rent.

Any reasonable advice is welcome, thanks.

[JoJoSM2]

Private landlords will have their own circumstances so you might be able to live in a property for a number of years but they might need to sell or use the property for themselves/family etc. They're also a mixed bag when it comes to maintenance and repairs - some will attend to things immediately while others drag their feet.

Is your intention to always live in a rented property or might you wish/be in a position to buy at some point?

[ChristmasCarrot]

I would love to be in the financial situation to buy, but it definitely won't be an option in the near future. In the area that I live in now, house prices have risen over 24% in one year alone.

[JoJoSM2]

If you're going to be renting for a while, then council/HA gives more stability. However, as you've found out, it isn't always a great experience. Perhaps you could have a look on the open market. If you get a chance, speak to the landlord to see what their property plans are to increase your chances of finding somewhere long term.

[ChristmasCarrot]

@jojosm2

I've been looking for months on what's available in the price range. Unfortunately, privately renting can be very expensive and finding an actual landlord is a nightmare, due to most of the availability being with property management companies/ estate agents.

Preferably, I'd want to stay around here, especially as my friends are here and I've applied for a half day school place for my elder child.

When I was in a council house, they couldn't be bothered doing the repairs and were just absolutely awful landlords. I don't have any choice about whether it's council or housing association. The place where we were put was so awful that we had to leave and ended up homeless again, whilst heavily pregnant.