Housing question

[Bluebirthdaycard]

Hi, I've been on the housing register since last July. I have a 17 and 13 year old and no longer want to be with their dad. This is the reason I have given for requiring a property. I've been put on band c and have now just bid on my 31st property. I'm for the most part always ranked at over 20. Basically I'm losing hope and won't even be considered for a shared ownership, has anyone else been in my position to give me a bit of hope?

You are probably right. I might have more of a chance with a 2 bedroom.

Bid on everything that you can if you are serious as well.

I was band B and I got a flat, there's less interest in flats with no outdoor space. Also mine is third floor with no lifts so it was unsuitable for most people with disabilities. Don't be picky.

How long was you waiting, I'm not fussed about a garden either so would take a flat.

6 months however I was living in temporary accommodation so I was in a higher band.

@StevieNicksWannabe

The point is that 18 unless there's mitigating circumstances eg care leaver, disabilities, young people should be aspiring to stand on their own two feet. We have young adults who are saving for deposits to buy currently, one will be buying at the end of the year, one next year and the other has been gifted the deposit by fil to be as a wedding present (yes the other two are jealous!) the housing register is an important safety net but should be for those unable to support themselves rather than cheap rent

From what I'm hearing 2 beds are hard to come by as people are downsizing due to bedroom tax.

You say you were turned down for shared ownership. Have you checked why? You might be able to put that right.

Not everyone worships at the alter of homeownership.

Or rather at the alter of the banks owning your home for a large chunk of your life, fuck around with how much you pay them month to month on a whim and can hoof you out if you ever ended up on your uppers.

Unless you earn over £80k or know you’re ineligible for a mortgage you should keep applying for shared ownership. The process of securing a SO home is different to social housing. You have to keep applying if you like a home and different housing associations will have slightly different criteria.

In my area you would be in the Bronze band (lowest banding apart from homeowners) and be waiting years for a property. Your best bet would be for your ex partner to write a letter stating that he is kicking you out of the property and go to the homeless team. They can look at alternatives, temp accommodation, have a list of private landlords and can request a higher banding to be awarded on the waiting list.

You quoted my post so I thought you were asking me, then I realised after that you weren't.

I looked into a 25% share of £91250 with a 10% deposit and was refused. This was just an online calculator linked to a mortgage company who I assume the housebuilders use. It might be my earnings, credit rating (I have no credit cards) or my age (50 this year). If it's my age, there's nothing I can do about it but I can't get my head round that because if I wanted to borrow £200k, I could understand but with deposit, it's about £82k which could be paid off in 10 - 15 years. Ironically a house I've bid on this week is in the same development.

Who refused you? Did the Housing Association who manage the development say you weren’t eligible in response to a personalise enquiry or did the calculator just spit out a negative response? You should speak to a mortgage adviser to understand what you can borrow at 50 (because I agree on paper the amount you’re seeking does look fine).

It was just a mortgage calculator, I didn't speak to anyone although they did phone but I didn't bother answering as I'd been refused anyway. I may phone them back tomorrow as I would really like to know why I've been refused.

Housing associations with shared ownership programmes will be able to recommend particular lenders who are best when it comes to SO mortgages. Being refused by an online mortgage calculator doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be able to obtain a mortgage. If you have a decent income, enough savings to cover the mortgage deposit and legal fees etc, it’s absolutely worth contacting HAs who do SO for a conversation about where to start.

a 2 bedroom even if was available simply wouldn’t work for you, a 17 year old and a 14 year old

Why not? Surely OP could share a bedroom with her daughter?

My LA tells you how many bedrooms you can have, and you can't bid on a property with more, or less, than that.
Also, houses available on the bidding site, are listed with the number of people it's suitable for. So, OP, for example, could bid on a smaller 3 bed, with a box room, but a larger family, also allowed 3 bedrooms, couldn't bid on that one.
It's why some large families are stuck, because they're not allowed to bid on a 2 or 3 bed, as they've been assessed as needing a 4 or 5 bed, which hardly ever become available.

@Bluebirthdaycard if shared ownership is the best option for you speak to someone at the housing association, contact Shelter for advice on best lenders or even your local council housing office. Maybe even try a mortgage broker. I wouldn’t just rely on an online calculator. I hope it all works out for you.

Band C will have an average waiting list time of over a decade in my area.

Number 20 is quite high. By the time a property is actually ready for someone to move into (they're advertising on the bidding list before any checks are done) it could be months and the people lower down the list could have already found something else by then.

The main issue you've got is that you're currently adequately housed. They don't care that you hate your house-mate, who just happens to be your ex. Are you having to share a bed with him? I'd change that, even if it means DC sharing a bedroom. If they're opposite sex and over a certain age you'd get more points for overcrowding then, possibly. You can't be forced to share a bed/bedroom with someone you're not in a relationship with.

Im sorry what is RP? I don't think he'd be surprised in the slightest, he knows it's been over for quite a while.

We have separate beds in the same room.