Is this overcrowding? Living in living room? Social housing/council home

[Hannahandbaby]

hey guys. asking for my cousin.

her and her parents moved into a 2 bedroom flat when she was 17, she is now 27

in 2018, 8 years ago, her parents separated.

she ended up living and sleeping in the living room because her mother moved into the her bedroom

so her dad lives in one bedroom, mum in another and daughter in living room

Someone moving out was not an option because:

father shortly before divorce ended up disabled, her mother worked minimum wage. Both parents are now pensioners.

so due to low income/pension credit/benefits impossible to find a place to rent

also one moving out would make the daughter homeless as she and and her mum wouldn’t be able to afford the rent.

also landlord now keeps rent reasonable, they wouldn’t be able to afford other private rents

few years ago my friend ended up disabled too (same illness as father, i think inherited from father) and due to illness had to cut hours and her health condition is getting worse and worse everyday. She is really scared she might have to gave up work completely and scared of the future

The living room connects to the kitchen so her parents pass her by to use kitchen everyday/constantly.

her parents are also having constant fights. They hate each other. Screaming on top of lungs, yelling, insulting each other, swearing at each other. so the stress of all this is awful. I myself witnessed this a few times while on phone with her or visiting her.

i know legally, this isn’t really overcrowding, her living in the living room.

but should she try applying anyway? Is there any chance they’ll accept her on list?

she doesn’t care about waiting even decades, she just wants to get on the list. She is terrified about the future.

this is east London, Redbridge

She is 27 and she has a job?

Yes. But due to her health condition/disability had to cut hours and go part time and since her health condition getting worse everyday it’s looking like she will lose this job soon

She needs to take responsibility and move on.

She should try to find a room to rent in a shared house. If she is on a low wage she may be entitled to some universal credit and it might also be worth looking into PIP.

What about disabled parent (s) being housed in social housing for older people and her staying in the flat

her parents are on the waiting list already

and when they move she would not be able to afford it

I don't think she would qualify for housing. She needs to look for accommodation that she can afford, even if it's a room in a shared house or a bedsit.

She needs to speak to the council to see realistically how long she will be waiting
I think its unlkely she will have any priorty though
I live in a 2 bed council house in the northwest with my dh and two sons ,my 16 year old is severly autistic and unable ti share aroom so my 19 year old sleeps on a sofa bed in the lounge all the professionals involved in my sons care are supporting getting a bigger houss ,but its still likely to be a wait of 2 years plus .

What if her parents “threw her out”?

My nephew got thrown out by his parents and was housed very quickly in a small flat (different area though)

I don't think that would change her eligibility. Either the council are required to house her or they're not.

However, as she does have a disability it would definitely be worth speaking to Shelter to check her eligibility.

Who is legally the tenant/tenants?

This. Can she then apply for temporary housing? If possible it sounds like she needs social housing as moving into private rental and then losing her job would be difficult long term. Poor thing

Depending on her disability and ability to work she may be entitled to help.

Its worth her getting (non mumsnet) advice.

She’s got no chance of getting alternative social housing even if she is overcrowded - she’d be a list with people who have 5 kids in a 2 bed.

Firstly, the local authority will have lots of information on their website about the housing register, how they assess supplications and what to do if a person is likely to become homeless. I would suggest that would be a good place to start. The situation is different depending on where she lives in respect of the housing register. Most areas have a huge shortage of accommodation, but unless she asks about her own circumstances where she is, no one here can advise properly. She could always phone them to talk about her options. Again, that will vary depending on where she lives.

She should phone or visit Citizens Advice who will talk her through options. Don’t take advice from mumsnet! Well, other than this obvs! 🙂

She is on the tenancy agreement

All 3 of them

I was thinking this too but someone told me it’s quicker to house a single person than a family because families are waiting for bigger homes/more bedrooms which have much much longer waits and there’s less of those than of studio flats

more demand than studio flats.

though I don’t know how true that is

No it would usually be quicker to get the parents into older persons housing though. That’s low demand

they are on the waiting list

Can she not find a bedsit or house share? Sleeping on a sofa isn't going to help most disabilities. Can her and mum not have a single bed each in the bedroom?
Can she get pip or disability allowance? She's gotta try something rather than rotting away on her elderly parents sofa at 27 years old

I don't know anything about the area, but a Google brings this message up on the housing page (pic should show shortly)

No, I don't consider them to be overcrowded. They have a room each to themselves, and shared access to a kitchen and a bathroom. That's the best that most young people who work full time can expect when they leave home and have to go into a house share because they can't afford a place of their own. No-one considers them to be overcrowded.