To refuse to do this.

[Minus273]

I have just had the Council out as they are trying to have us taking off the list, we are homeless thanks to redundancy and are camped out in my mum's spare room. Before I get flamed for this I know we would be waiting years, I know there are no homes but not being allowed on the waiting list just feels psychologically like a kick in the teeth. I hope someone knows what I mean.

We are overcrowded as there are 3 adults, 1 child and about to be a baby so quite stressed living conditions. My Mum is elderly, I am 37.5 weeks pregnant so I have been struggling with the basic housework never mind anything else. I haven't seen DH for 5 weeks as he has been away finishing up at work away from home. The only good thing about this being his last day is I won't be trying to do everything myself any more.

There is a box room with the boiler on the wall, not in a cupboard but just in this small room. She objects that I didn't move the storage cabinet in the room for her. I could do it normally although would take a while I'm just not up to it at the moment when even walking hurts and I spent the time leading up to the 37 week mark on MW orders to rest to try and avoid premature labour due to signs I was showing. She then said I could fit a cot in if I slid it under the boiler so we wouldn't be overcrowded. When I objected saying it wasn't safe as the boiler regularly drops pressure letting the seal go and leaking boiling water. She said this was my choice not to do this so was deliberately making ourselves overcrowded and should do it as she thinks we shouldn't then be over crowded and have no right to be on the list. She spent the whole quick visit looking down her nose at me and making it clear she though I was scum. I can't stop sobbing now.

Am I really so unreasonable not to move heavy things when so heavily pregnant and to refuse to put my baby's life in danger?

You don't have to be on the streets to be treated as homeless.

But anyone is allowed to join the council waiting list. You don't need to be homeless or overcrowded.

So your DH has an appointment at the Job Centre, yes? You will ring and make a definite appointment with CAB? What other action are you taking to sort this?

Maybe I don't have enough experience on mumsnet but it seems to me that: the OP can't work as she is 37.5 weeks pregnant - fair enough
the OPs DH has been made redundant, they were living hand to mouth so couldn't pay rent - fair enough
they have moved in with her mum - fair enough
her dh has been working away from home and now is being made redundant so will be coming back to live with his family - fair enough
the OP is about to give birth and is freaking out about not having enough space for her family - fair enough
the OP has encountered a nasty, grumpy jobsworth and is upset - fair enough

I don't understand why several people are trying to tear her to bits. It's really horrible.

If your story isn't true OP, then obviously please stop it and go away. If it is true, then I am very sorry that youre in this situation. I hope your dh picks up some new work v soon. Good luck with your soon to be newborn x

So what have they not allowed you to do? Have they said:

1. You are not homeless and will not put you on the "homeless list".

OR

1. You can't go on the general housing waiting list.

If it is option 1, then they would be looking at why you lost your last settled accommodation. And it sounds as though you gave this up voluntarily. You are in priority need (being pregnant and having children) BUT if you gave your last house up when you didn't have to (actually didn't have to, not made some strange choices to pay CCs instead of rent, and not signing a lease when you could have claimed HB).

If it is option 2, ANYONE can register onto the waiting list, even the Queen. It doesn't matter if you are homeless / overcrowded / whatever. The only difference those issues make is to how quickly you get a house, as people with worse circumstances get more points. So if you have not been allowed on the waiting list, it can only be because they Council will not accept you because of your previous conduct - either rent arrears or ASB. They have to conclude that you would be unsuitable as a tenant because of that conduct.

The council told me not to apply as we wouldn't be entitled I didn't know at the time they were talking bollocks.

I'm not making it up I wish I was. Beleive what you want, what's one more person thinjking I'm scum.

Sweetpea5 , it's more about how councils work rather than MN - unfortunately it isn't fair enough to just end your tenancy agreement.

Well, it's true, we should stick to the original AIBU, and I think there is broad agreement that of course a baby should not sleep under a boiler.

But your rationale for not renewing the lease is bizarre. Why would it be a lie? You are only committing to paying the rent. If your DH gets another job or you get HB then you can pay the rent.

You are about to have two children who deserve a stable home. You need to make that a priority, not moral qualms over lease semantics.

I suspect you are not eligible for benefits for some reason, that is the only explanation for the decisions you are making at the moment.

Not read whole thread minus.... But put someone in the room with the boiler ( not really, but make it appear as tho you do)

Then call env health. I recently got overcrowding status from my HA as I sleep in lounge with a gas appliance. It's not 'allowed' and so we have to be legally rehoused within 6 weeks. HA said if they couldn't give me overcrowded official status, then env health can do more.

Give it a go. Does your mum have a carbon monoxide alarm?

Upward I don't know about how councils work as I have always rented until I got my own place - but if your tenancy is up for renewal and youve no money for next months rent what are you supposed to do? I think I would do what the OP has done and move in with family (if theyd have me!) until I had enough money together to move somewhere for myself again.

I will go and read the thread now!

Have your mother write a letter stating that you must leave her home by xx date. Give it to the council, they'll house you as homeless from that date b&b accommodation most likely and then to a home when one becomes available.

I'm sorry your having such a tough time.

Sweetpea5 , in that case you should sign the tenancy agreement and apply for housing benefit/ask the homelesness team what you should be doing ih their eyes...I know it sounds bizarre, but shelter have more info here.

"Intentionally homeless is:

you deliberately did (or didn't do) something
that caused you to leave accommodation
which you could otherwise have stayed in, and
it would have been reasonable for you to stay there."

Ladyintheradiator - there have been loads of what I think are really mean and unjustified comments - just on this page 'one of the stupidest things I have ever read' , 'boggling in disbelief'.

I don't know - why does the OP deserve these comments? Just seems nasty to me.

And, as I sadi before, neither me nor my family have needed help from the council before so if me and my husband were suddenly made redundant I really wouldn't know that the council would expect me to sign up for a house that I couldn't pay for. But then again, maybe if I was in the situation I would find that out.

Minus - no-one is saying that you are scum? Why do people keep telling you that you not entitled to things?

You say over several threads that you have been told that you are not entitled:

to benefits
to job seeking assistance
to housing benefit
to go on the council list

NONE of this is remotely true! And despite reams of good advice, you seem to have failed to check anything out.

Plus your dh is is being diddled out of redundancy money
The council are telling you to put your baby in a cupboard with a boiler in it
That your mum would have to sell her house at some point because she is "old"
That if you don't live in a spotless house, your ex will come and take your child and you will never see her again.
That you are not allowed to leave the local area with your dd, even to go on holiday
That your ex MIL is "in" with SS and has spies everywhere.

I think I am with Reality on this one - I think you need some serious help. Please go and see your GP.

Nobody is saying that you are scum. But your story certainly has a lot of flaws in it, and really does not make much sense.

You did make yourselves intentionally homeless, and there is no real reason why you cannot go and find a private let that will take housing benefit payments either. You will need a deposit, and if your husband is about to be made redundant, then you use his redundancy pay to fund the deposit.

You will not get a council house, so you need to sort out a private rental.

For what it is worth, cot in boiler room would be a big SIDS no-no.

Ok thanks for the info Upward, I hope I am never in the terrible situation of redundancy/poverty but if I am, I will at least have this info. I suppose it does make sense not to leave safe accommodation.

No problem sweetpea5 - I was shocked when I first discovered that was the case...and I'm glad that I went to get advice from shelter and the council when I was at risk of homelessness rather than after possibly doing what the OP did here.

You need to use the 'boiler in the boxroom as a bedroom' thing and be pro active about it

Get put in a bed and breakfast. You will then be officially homeless which will put you at the top of the housing list

Does your council use a bidding system?
Are there some housing associations?