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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder if social services become involved if you're made homeless?

140 replies

Confusedmartie999 · 06/04/2015 14:44

We've privately rented for years.
Had to move many times, sometimes our choice to follow jobs / family and sometimes landlords selling or increasing the rent beyond out affordability.
I wonder what would actually happen if this property ( been here 2 years but apparently owners are retiring next year according to neighbours and will sell ) if we physically couldn't raise deposit / rent in advance / moving costs and find a suitable property near kids school and we got evicted after notice served and went to the council.
Would social service become involved as the children would be homeless?
Or would they house us in temporary accommodation etc as it wouldn't be an intentional homeless case?
Worrying ahead of time

OP posts:
ChocolateTeacup · 06/04/2015 14:59

Yes they do become involved in my area

ChocolateTeacup · 06/04/2015 14:59

Do speak to local CAB before leaving the property, and your local council housing dept

Lovedandexhausted · 06/04/2015 15:00

They would not house you if you were evicted due to unpaid rent. Speak to your council before this happens so they can help you most councils have a deposut scheme and discretionary housing benefit for people in your situation

bunnytoes · 06/04/2015 15:04

Yes they became involved when we were evicted from our private rental. We had to wait until the 11th hour though (until our eviction notice ran out), and we were keen for them to get involved as they could provide evidence for our situation to the housing dept. It was SS intervention that got us an exceptional standing on the waiting list so we ended up with a lovely HA house in a very sought-after area. They would not necessarily put you in temporary housing, we were able to go straight from a relative's home to our HA house. Stressful and intrusive but worth it in the end.

Original poster
Confusedmartie999 · 06/04/2015 15:06

It wouldn't be because of unpaid rent!
It would be ( if at all as at the moment it's hearsay ) that the landlords are selling up.
We aren't in the same financial situation than when we first rented here, it's unlikely we would get another rental place as my husband doesn't earn anough so we are topped up by housing benefit and we have no deposit etc
If the landlord did sell an we were served notice I wondered if social services would become involved due to us having children

OP posts:
Original poster
Confusedmartie999 · 06/04/2015 15:07

Bunny toes
We have no relative we could stay with so god knows what would happen if it came to it
How far did they get involved? Assessments on the kids etc?

OP posts:
MzunguMzungu · 06/04/2015 15:11

They don't get involved in my area.

LittleBairn · 06/04/2015 15:13

I know about 6 years ago when a relative was made homeless (similar situation private rental put up for sale she didnt have the finances to afford another private rent) with a baby and teenager there was no SS involvement.
She was put into a seriously scummy hostel so bad she had to send her teenage DD off to live with relatives for her own saftey. So I would have though they would have been but I suppose it depends on the local authority.

Spero · 06/04/2015 15:18

They might get involved.

There are some links here that might be helpful - they could help you under section 17 of the Children Act but I think it may depend on why you are homeless.

www.childprotectionresource.org.uk/category/financial-help-and-advice/

ICallConnerie · 06/04/2015 15:21

They don't get involved in my area when you initially present to your LA as homeless.

If your LA find you intentionally homeless then you will be referred to SS for them to house you due to you having children.

My LA are quite strict about homelessness applications and they do really push you to house yourself. If you are evicted due to rent arrears it's deemed intentional but equally if they feel you aren't looking or engaging with services then they can discharge their duty to you.

We were offered a private let via the LA who was willing to accept HB. I turned it down due to it being too far from DD's school for public transport. Initially they said they would find me intentionally homeless due to this but after a meeting to prove the distance and DD not being able to travel it due to SN they did back down.

Fifis25StottieCakes · 06/04/2015 15:22

No they didn't when i was homeless (on paper) a few years back, reposession and 2 kids, i wasn't actually homeless though as i stayed in the house and luckily got a house days before they locked the house up. Probably different if your actually homeless with no where to go, i would guess they might get involved but it would probably help if you have their support anyway.

bunnytoes · 06/04/2015 15:23

Our relative didn't even have a spare room for us, we were all on her sofa/blow up beds in the living room! If we weren't able to stay there, we would have had to go to temporary housing but we didn't want that as it would have taken us far from the dc's schools. Yes they did a full assessment but that's what they had to do in order to trigger the help we needed. It's something we pushed for as we knew we wouldn't get the right support for housing otherwise. We have disability issues in the family as well so we are used to SS support and we know about the procedures involved.

I don't know if SS would have insisted on getting involved if we hadn't encouraged it ourselves. But I know that we wouldn't have got our housing priority without it, so I suppose if you were really against their involvement they might not bother, but then you wouldn't get support from them either.

yellowdaisies · 06/04/2015 15:25

If you have children and get evicted when it's not your fault (eg landlord selling) then the council homelessness department (not social services) will find you somewhere temporary until you get a council home, or they help you get a private rented one. The temporary place doesn't have to be near your children's schools though, and it might be some sort of hostel. Lots of info on Shelter's website.

Social services only get involved more rarely if families are homeless and it is considered their own fault (eg unpaid rent, or left before actually evicted) They may put the whole family up in B&B temporarily, or may sort out foster care instead for the children.

LIZS · 06/04/2015 15:26

If you got to the point of being homeless probably. However there are schemes to guarantee/loan deposits and upfront costs which may assist you . Even if you went to the council there is no guarantee you would be accommodated , particularly near a specific school or long term. Maybe they would sell to another ll with you as sitting tenant.

Original poster
Confusedmartie999 · 06/04/2015 15:54

Thanks.
Just sick and tired of privately renting and having to move every year or so when the landlord decided to up the rent or sell or move back in.
We've always scraped together the funds however with one wage that will be impossible if it happens this time.
We've always tried our very best never to go down this route especially with schools now that the kids are settled and happy in ( although this last one means a drive to school every morning of half hour ) but a large part of that reason has always been the fear of social services becoming involved. We had them briefly after my little one had an accident and the stress it brought I vowed never to give them reason to become involved ( not that the accident could have been prevented but I mean housing wise )

OP posts:
LIZS · 06/04/2015 15:58

Is there any opportunity for you to also work in the meantime and start setting money aside?

Original poster
Confusedmartie999 · 06/04/2015 16:11

We have no childcare and I have been looking for term time only jobs but no luck
If they do sell it will be in may so not enough time to save £3000 which is what it's always cost for the rent in advance deposit a van etc

OP posts:
LIZS · 06/04/2015 16:18

If you get hb would you not get child tax credits to help with childcare costs? I noticed from another thread your DC are still young, do you get early years funding and will one start school soon . They are still young enough that a change of school/daycare need not be a major issue if you moved to a cheaper area or wherever council could accommodate you.

shewept · 06/04/2015 16:21

This may or next may (your op said next year) You haven't heard this from the landlord, just the neighbour? Speak to the agents or LL (if you usually deal with them directly) before worrying.

Sounds like you have already decided a course of action that could be unnecessary.

I get hating moving. Its awful, but that will happen in any privately rented house.

Original poster
Confusedmartie999 · 06/04/2015 16:23

Yes that's right but moving to a cheaper area would lose my husband his job. He has to stay in the local area ( a 15 mile radius max )
If I was working too and we had a higher income and this happened would they still help us or expect us to somehow find the deposit

OP posts:
Vixvix74 · 06/04/2015 16:26

No social services will have no obligation to provide you with housing. You need to approach the housing needs team within the area. Some councils will lend you the deposit for a private let accommodation and you will have to pay it back out of housing benefit but they will not do this if you have any rent arrears. People tend to confuse social services with housing. Social services have NO stock of houses or any ability to pull strings with housing. Good luck

shewept · 06/04/2015 16:26

Are you hoping they will find you a council house? Based on the fact that you are homeless. They may do eventually, but it could mean living in a b&b for a while first. They are unlikely to find you a council house straight away.

Actually not sure they are still called council house, but I am unsure of the correct term.

AngelWings74 · 06/04/2015 16:33

Social services will only become involved if there are additional concerns as well as hosuing. They are very very unlikely to put you up in bed and breakfast

LIZS · 06/04/2015 16:37

"Social housing" which is less council owned properties increasingly housing associations these days. Op , you could apply now but will probably be low on the priority list.

Ratfinkandbobo · 06/04/2015 16:39

It depends where you are. Where I am you would have to go to borough council and present yourself as homeless. We gave emergency accommodation in the form of one bed flats, studios. No bigger, you can be there up to 2 years, rent is high as with all temp accommodation.
There is no ss involvement, they only intervene in extreme cases in our area.
You would have to bid for properties every week, how successful you are depends on what priority band the council have put you in.
I know the council still encourage private renting rather than HA properties.