My friend can't afford her rent. Can anyone help?

[rivery]

My friend is a lone parent to thee children. Boy ages eight, girl aged six, girl aged one.

She has been private renting and the past few years, and her landlord has just put her rent up to an unaffordable amount.

After paying her rent she is now left with only £300 per month to cover everything else, including all bills.

She's been bidding for council homes for a while, but they're like gold dust around here.

Does anyone have any advice at all please? I desperately want to help her.

Is there a social supermarket that she can access for subsidised food? But she really needs to find a job. Taking a year off with baby is a total luxury unless there is a drip feed about SEN/ mental health etc.

Her banding won’t increase until she’s actually made homeless, but to be honest this might be the only route to go down for her.

If she can’t negotiate with her landlord and falls behind on her rent, he is likely to issue her with a section 21. She needs to stay put until bailiffs arrive and then present to the council as homeless. She is likely to be placed in temporary accommodation until a council property is available, but she will be a priority at that point.

I strongly advise her to speak to Shelter.

This is very good advice IMO.
She has few options really. She either works to earn more money or she defaults on her rent payments to get evicted and will then enter into the housing system.
It's such a risk going into private rentals when on benefits but sometimes it's the only option with social housing in such great demand. There's a ten year waiting list where I live. It's mad.

Unfortunately OP she needs to consider moving to a cheaper area. As a PP said about having a year off with baby being a luxury, living in the area you want with fanily and friends close-by is very much a luxury, that many full time working couples cannot afford.

I'm in late pregnancy and despite my husband and I both working FT earning OK in public sector jobs, so no benefits/financial support. We cannot afford the house prices anywhere near my family. Our baby will be born 5-6 hours away from cousins, aunties and uncles, grandparents, I'll have no support network as a new mother. It's sad but earning and keeping a roof over our heads must always come first.

Besides, UC will pay 85% of her childcare costs, so moving to a cheaper area and getting back in to work will see her much better off.

Can you do some calculations with her on entitled to, putting in childcare amounts and a minimum wage job. Even part time work she will be better off.

If she has family locally, can they provide childcare to help your friend get back to work? If they don’t/can’t provide any real support or help, then does she actually really need to live very locally to them? When downsizing to a cheaper area could save her money. Children of 6 and 8 adapt easily, children that age fall out with and make new friends constantly throughout primary school, even if they stay in the same place.

She needs to contact her council. In my area there's a discretionary payment available for those in need. She also needs to ask for homelessness support, there'll be able to do offer advice. She'll need to have copies of her rent agreement with the new price, as well as her bank details and details of her incomings and outgoings. She must try not to get into rental arrears as that will damage her chances of being rehoused.

If she does end up homeless, if you can help by storing her possessions if possible, that will make a big difference to her when she finally gets housing. While she's in temporary, if it's a room not a flat, offering to do her washing will be a massive help too and save her having to use a launderette. Although be careful of accidentally bringing in things like bedbugs to your home on her clothes, if the place isn't totally clean.

She needs to work, 12 months maternity is something lots of people can't afford!
She needs to look at the smallest properties she can fit her family into, possibly in a cheaper area and get a job. She can look into getting something bigger/better when she has some money behind her.
Unless there is a massive drip feed coming I'm not sure why we are expected to fund her lifestyle when she is finding any excuse not to work.

Their dad(s) need to get off their backsides and take care of their kids either by looking for work or being with them while she works. The only other solution is to move to a cheaper place or family, etc or wait to get evicted and go to the council's homeless dept. She'll get a temp accommodation while they find her a permanent one. Lucky for her if they do.

I second/third those who mentioned not having any more kids. The obvious needs to be said unfortunately.

I don't know where she lives but there are parts of the country that are a lot cheaper to live. I have some btl houses in Hull which I rent a 3 bedroom house for just £675 pcm. Whilst the DC are small is the best time to move because they will adapt and soon make new friends. It's move to a much cheaper area for housing or to go back to work and put the baby in childcare. I think those are her only options ATM.

Is she definitely getting the right UC amount? Does the housing benefit cover the rent costs? Is she claiming Child benefit for the youngest and single person council tax discount? She will be better off working even with childcare costs as she should get 85% back and that includes holiday clubs for the older ones just as long as the provider is ofsted registered.

As she should be receiving about 1735 a month plus CB. Her rent must be £1500 a month she really needs to move.
My heart bleeds that is a unbelievable amount of rent!

Is this one of 'those' threads?

I am sorry for your friend - and everyone that can't find a decent and affordable place to live.

I believe that the local housing allowance (the maximum that the council will pay in housing benefit) is set on the cheapest third of properties in an area. There was talk in the news about the amounts being out of touch and needing to be updated so as not to further add to the housing crisis but I don't know if that has happened.

You can find out the local housing allowance for your area here:
https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/search.aspx

It is worth checking because even moving to a cheaper house in a cheaper area might not help if the housing allowance is significantly lower than the new rent.
E.g. in my area in the West Midlands the housing allowance is £170 a week, when I searched the London postcode N19 the allowance is £497 a week.

It is also possible that because your friend is not working her income is being capped by the benefits cap. I believe that if she starts working the benefit cap will not apply but I don't know the details of how much she has to earn for this to be the case.

Perhaps she could run some scenarios through entitled to https://www.entitledto.co.uk/

If she possibly can she should try to sit down with someone from the Council to explain her predicament and ask about a discretionary housing payment and what help they can offer her to find affordable housing - that might just be helping her find a cheaper private rental.

Hope things improve for your friend soon.

Not sure what you mean?

Get advice from Shelter?

I’m sure she has..

If you have something to say, just say it.

Any charities that can help?
Local churches?

I hate to ask, but if the ex is abusive, why did she have another baby when she already had 2 kids?

Op is your friend getting all the benefits she's entitled to??? Housing benefit, family allowance, child maintenance?? Citizens advice or turn to us are very helpful. Good luck x

abuse can include sexual abuse, coerced sex, disrupting of contraception, promises of change etc etc.
very few people holding the father responsible on here. this is something that fundamentally needs to change in this country. fathers leaving women picking up the pieces of their relationship with almost zero consequences.
i echo the sensible posters who recommend contacting the local authority for advice about funds she can access. her HV could write a letter of support if it can be shown how the situation is impacting on physical or emotional health for her or the children.
Early Help (or local equivalent) can be helpful in supporting with finances and access to pots of money and a listening ear. they can also liaise with school about discretionary help if your friend is too ashamed to do it herself.
ultimately she is going to need to find employment or training to improve all their chances. there are college courses that do have crèche facilities to support parents trying to educate themselves and improve their chances.
it's hard when you feel trapped in a downward spiral with feelings that there is no hope for improvement.
but she needs to shout for help, shout for support, have no shame in saying help is needed from wherever it is on offer and show her children why being a caring responsible parent looks like.
i wish her all the luck in the world.

She has informed them.

She also was not in a position even close to this when she became pregnant. Life happens.

Some really helpful comments, thank you. I'm going over this evening to try and make an action plan.

I agree, the father should get off his arse.

Some very presumptuous and judgmental comments made too. She didn't choose to have a baby whilst already in "abject poverty". Circumstances, beyond her control, have meant her life has been turned on it's head.

Call Shelter, Stepchange and Citizens Advice. I would ring them all and see how they can help.