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Original poster

To wonder if social services become involved if you're made homeless?

140 replies

Confusedmartie999 · 06/04/2015 14:44

We've privately rented for years.
Had to move many times, sometimes our choice to follow jobs / family and sometimes landlords selling or increasing the rent beyond out affordability.
I wonder what would actually happen if this property ( been here 2 years but apparently owners are retiring next year according to neighbours and will sell ) if we physically couldn't raise deposit / rent in advance / moving costs and find a suitable property near kids school and we got evicted after notice served and went to the council.
Would social service become involved as the children would be homeless?
Or would they house us in temporary accommodation etc as it wouldn't be an intentional homeless case?
Worrying ahead of time

OP posts:
MzunguMzungu · 06/04/2015 17:31

If your not bothered about your dh losing his job then it might be a better idea for you both to look for work in a cheaper part of the country where properties are more affordable.

Original poster
Confusedmartie999 · 06/04/2015 17:24

Thanks for replies
So if not intentionally homeless which we aren't social services aren't alerted to children who are homeless?
We can't contact the landlord direct it's all through the agent we don't have their contact details it is managed by the agent
Well yes my husband could end up out of a job but that's a risk we would have to take for a council property and start again,
We can't keep this private renting up finding money from thin air every time we need to move.
It's ridiculous.

OP posts:
saoirse31 · 06/04/2015 17:24

I don't understand how your partner both works 'away' and needs to stay within 15 mile radius. I think you need to find work and childcare tbh and also determine from landlord and hsing services what situation is.

LIZS · 06/04/2015 17:19

Why are you so tied to that area if dh works away ? With the age of your DC now is the time you can be most flexible. Can you not contact the ll yourself to clarify plans?

Sparrowlegs248 · 06/04/2015 17:17

Also, the landlord has to give you two months notice, regardless of what he thinks/says or what the tenancy agreement says.

MzunguMzungu · 06/04/2015 17:15

What will you do if you get housed outside of the 15 mile radius? The housing could place you anywhere.

Sparrowlegs248 · 06/04/2015 17:14

I am a housing/homelessness officer at the local authority.

If you are served notice, apply to the council asap. Some will have homeless prevention schemes such as rent deposit loans or grants, or assessments to increase your priority on the housing register before you are evicted. Many will want you to have a court order in place before they will help. You can make a homeless application within 28 days of becoming homeless.

In our area, if you are found to be intentionally homeless (sounds unlikely in your case) we would refer to SS as we would have no duty to house you.

If you make a homeless application you can be placed in temporary accommodation.

Shelter are very good for help with this stuff.
Might be an idea to start saving a bit now, if you can, towards a deposit.

Original poster
Confusedmartie999 · 06/04/2015 17:11

Council have advised me we can't go on the list as we are housed and that we would have to be evicted under some section or other in order to be helped.
The tenancy is due up on the 30th may, landlord only has to give 1 months notice as do we, so we will know in a few weeks time the plan.
My main concern really is if it comes to it and he does sell and we have no deposit etc than the council will seem the children vulnerable as they are homeless and then it becomes a child protection concern?

OP posts:
Ratfinkandbobo · 06/04/2015 17:08

Before any of this happens I advise you to go to your local housing dept and housing association providers to see where you stand. Also www.shelter.org/UK for info.

shewept · 06/04/2015 17:06

So less than 8 weeks time? I would have thought the LL would have told you by now. Is may when this years tenancy is up?

trashcanjunkie · 06/04/2015 17:05

No, council have an obligation to help regardless of your employment status. Also, your local mp should be worth getting onside.

trashcanjunkie · 06/04/2015 17:03

I am in Newcastle. Ten years ago my partner left suddenly and I had one dc and was pg with twins. I couldn't afford the rent on my own, so was evicted. The thing is, the eviction by itself means very little. I had nowhere to go, so stayed on in the property after the eviction, but I was then able to get council accomodation much sooner.

Basically, if you are evicted, and are worried about ss, don't leave the property. It's totally not ideal, but ultimately you have to put yourself first, and that's that.

I also spoke to Shelter, the charity. I heartily recommend contacting them immediately as you are threatened with being homeless. Their advice is excellent.

Best of luck.

Original poster
Confusedmartie999 · 06/04/2015 16:56

What do you mean very unlikely?so where would they put us with 2 children if we were given notice to leave through no fault of our own??
Sorry this may, not sure if I wrote next year but end of May this year.
It's a 2 bed the kids share a room but we are happy here and wouldn't want to leave but if it comes to it we can't keep finding thousands to move we just don't have it.

OP posts:
Original poster
Confusedmartie999 · 06/04/2015 16:53

Hi
Husband works away most months and his shifts are very unpredictable so term time only is all that would really work so pre school would take the bulk of childcare with possible a childminder alongside.
I can't apply to go on the council list as we don't have a housing need at the moment.
Yes this is all hear say we don't deal with the landlord only the agents and the agents have said they won't know anything until nearer the time?!
I don't know, it just seems there's no end to the vicious cycle of privately renting.
If I were to be working full time and we were earning a lot more we would still not be able to save for a mortgage for about 10 years and by then the kids would be almost adults so that seems pretty pointless.
Do the council only help if you are both unemployed?
Someone suggested to me that if one or both of you are working they always get you into a private let again rather than council accommodation

OP posts:
Mrschicken01 · 06/04/2015 16:48

Confused why do you need a term time only job?
Can u not look for something to fit round your husbands work (early mornings/ evenings/ nights?
With both of you working surely things would be a lot more manageable??

Ratfinkandbobo · 06/04/2015 16:39

It depends where you are. Where I am you would have to go to borough council and present yourself as homeless. We gave emergency accommodation in the form of one bed flats, studios. No bigger, you can be there up to 2 years, rent is high as with all temp accommodation.
There is no ss involvement, they only intervene in extreme cases in our area.
You would have to bid for properties every week, how successful you are depends on what priority band the council have put you in.
I know the council still encourage private renting rather than HA properties.

LIZS · 06/04/2015 16:37

"Social housing" which is less council owned properties increasingly housing associations these days. Op , you could apply now but will probably be low on the priority list.

AngelWings74 · 06/04/2015 16:33

Social services will only become involved if there are additional concerns as well as hosuing. They are very very unlikely to put you up in bed and breakfast

shewept · 06/04/2015 16:26

Are you hoping they will find you a council house? Based on the fact that you are homeless. They may do eventually, but it could mean living in a b&b for a while first. They are unlikely to find you a council house straight away.

Actually not sure they are still called council house, but I am unsure of the correct term.

Vixvix74 · 06/04/2015 16:26

No social services will have no obligation to provide you with housing. You need to approach the housing needs team within the area. Some councils will lend you the deposit for a private let accommodation and you will have to pay it back out of housing benefit but they will not do this if you have any rent arrears. People tend to confuse social services with housing. Social services have NO stock of houses or any ability to pull strings with housing. Good luck

Original poster
Confusedmartie999 · 06/04/2015 16:23

Yes that's right but moving to a cheaper area would lose my husband his job. He has to stay in the local area ( a 15 mile radius max )
If I was working too and we had a higher income and this happened would they still help us or expect us to somehow find the deposit

OP posts:
shewept · 06/04/2015 16:21

This may or next may (your op said next year) You haven't heard this from the landlord, just the neighbour? Speak to the agents or LL (if you usually deal with them directly) before worrying.

Sounds like you have already decided a course of action that could be unnecessary.

I get hating moving. Its awful, but that will happen in any privately rented house.

LIZS · 06/04/2015 16:18

If you get hb would you not get child tax credits to help with childcare costs? I noticed from another thread your DC are still young, do you get early years funding and will one start school soon . They are still young enough that a change of school/daycare need not be a major issue if you moved to a cheaper area or wherever council could accommodate you.

Original poster
Confusedmartie999 · 06/04/2015 16:11

We have no childcare and I have been looking for term time only jobs but no luck
If they do sell it will be in may so not enough time to save £3000 which is what it's always cost for the rent in advance deposit a van etc

OP posts:
LIZS · 06/04/2015 15:58

Is there any opportunity for you to also work in the meantime and start setting money aside?