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Original poster

Council housing question - how can I help my neighbours?

39 replies

StanfordPines · 21/02/2021 16:34

My neighbours are council tenants, and it is council not HA.
The tenancy is in the name of their mum but she doesn’t really live there any more, just the two brothers. They both have been out of work since March last year due to coronavirus.
They wanted to sign the tenancy from their mum to them but the council wouldn’t do it. They struggled to make the rent as they couldn’t claim housing benefits due to not having a tenancy.

Long and short is that the council are moving them out as soon as the whole ‘you can’t be evicted’ thing happens.

Is there anything I can do to help them? Is there anything that can be done to over turn this?

OP posts:
Gingernaut · 21/02/2021 16:35

Where is their mother?

AngelDelightUK · 21/02/2021 16:36

I imagine their mum could get in trouble for it too

dancemom · 21/02/2021 16:37

Unless the Council transfer the tenancy into their names they can't claim any assistance with the rent.

Where is the Mother? How old are the sons?

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Benefits Property legal advice
dancemom · 21/02/2021 16:37

How long have they been living there?

Original poster
StanfordPines · 21/02/2021 16:37

The mother is living with another sibling and isn’t helping at all.

I’m really pissed off with their family. It looks very likely that one of them is going to end up homeless, who can stand by and see a sibling end up homeless.

OP posts:
NovemberR · 21/02/2021 16:38

I think council houses are in very short supply and there is a long waiting list. There will be other people much further up the queue than two (young?) single men, I imagine.

I guess the best thing to do is for them to speak to their council, but it sounds like they've tried this.

Original poster
StanfordPines · 21/02/2021 16:38

@dancemom

Unless the Council transfer the tenancy into their names they can't claim any assistance with the rent.

Where is the Mother? How old are the sons?

The sons are both in their 40s.
OP posts:
Original poster
StanfordPines · 21/02/2021 16:40

They have said that the council aren’t really happy about two single men living in a family house. But then what is the difference between that and the retired couple a couple of doors down?

OP posts:
Suzi888 · 21/02/2021 16:40

Do the sons work? Is there any reason they can’t rent privately?

Suzi888 · 21/02/2021 16:41

Well the ‘retired couples’ are exempt....

Original poster
StanfordPines · 21/02/2021 16:42

One has managed to find work and is off to rent privately.

The other was due to start a new job in hospitality the day after lockdown was announced. He didn’t get furlough and hasn’t been able to find work since.

OP posts:
Brunt0n · 21/02/2021 16:42

They’re in their 40s? Time to stand on their own two feet!

Original poster
StanfordPines · 21/02/2021 16:44

@Suzi888

Well the ‘retired couples’ are exempt....
And I wouldn’t want to see them moved on but it’s upsetting that these guys are being moved out.
OP posts:
Suzi888 · 21/02/2021 16:44

So they aren’t living together anymore? What the council may do is move the other brother into a flat for a single person.

PanamaPattie · 21/02/2021 16:45

How did the council find out their situation?

Original poster
StanfordPines · 21/02/2021 16:45

@Suzi888

So they aren’t living together anymore? What the council may do is move the other brother into a flat for a single person.
Will they though? He’s not technically a council tenant.
OP posts:
Original poster
StanfordPines · 21/02/2021 16:47

@PanamaPattie

How did the council find out their situation?
They were in the process of getting the tenancy transferred over but the council refused to come out and sign it over. Because of that they couldn’t claim housing benefit, and fell behind on the rent.
OP posts:
MercyBooth · 21/02/2021 16:48

"The other was due to start a new job in hospitality the day after lockdown was announced. He didn’t get furlough and hasn’t been able to find work since"

@Brunt0n there is a pandemic on.

huuuuunnnndderrricks · 21/02/2021 16:48

Do they have any learning difficulties? If not then how did they get themselves in this position? They can't just take on a house , they need to get it the proper way like everyone else has to I'm afraid . He needs to speak to the council and see if they can offer a refuge or something ? He can't just stay in a house that he isn't entitled to .

Original poster
StanfordPines · 21/02/2021 16:49

No learning difficulties but talking to them today I think the older brothers mental health is in tatters.

OP posts:
AubergineDream · 21/02/2021 16:52

The Mum should have added the sons once they turned 18 to her tenancy, or really at any point while she still lived there. Instead she has abandoned her tenancy. They do not automatically get it. Because they are over 18 they are not classed as her dependents, even if they were they would be expected to move with her. It used to be that council tenancies could be passed down in tenancies, but it rarely happens now and is at the discretion of the council. In this situation it sounds as though the mum has abandoned her tenancy. So those two were basically squatting in a council house. They had no right to be there, and then to top it off they didn't pay their rent either! There mum would have been evicted for non payment of rent too. Now the remaining brother is feeling like the victim of all his circumstances when actually he's had the privilege of living in this place rent free for a while, and piggy backed off everyone around him (who have now left him to his own devices).
There seems to be layers of dishonesty, where there have been many opportunities to come clean about the change of circumstances to the council, and instead it's been left until the last moment and now he's panicking.
He needs to find a studio or something that will take DSS and start receiving his benefits until he can find work.

AubergineDream · 21/02/2021 16:54

Did the council refuse because they owed money? They won't let people sign a tenancy while they are in debt to the council.

Original poster
StanfordPines · 21/02/2021 16:56

I think they have been clear with the council. And the council were going to transfer the tenancy but claim they haven’t been able to do so because of Covid, which seems like a poor excuse.

OP posts:
Original poster
StanfordPines · 21/02/2021 16:56

@AubergineDream

Did the council refuse because they owed money? They won't let people sign a tenancy while they are in debt to the council.
Ah. That might be the case.
OP posts:
Oldraver · 21/02/2021 16:59

Is there anything that can be done to over turn this?

Why would you want to help to overturn this ? They are not entitled to the house so need to move on and find something else