Council House Advice?

[1997r2017]

so basically I'm pregnant due Oct 2017.
due to circumstances i need to apply for council housing and i qualify.
the only issue is i wish to continue my studies at uni in sept 2018, however the distance isn't possible to commute (4 hour train each way), however i have read on my councils site

'Please note that due to government legislation changes, this Council will be offering all applicants aged 35 and under a 2 year fixed term tenancy.'

i can't afford to rent privately etc, will i be able to move to uni in sept 2018 (rent privately using loan/grants etc), or will i have to drop out of uni all together?

thanks.

i know not really AIBU but posting for traffic xx

Can you get the accommodation you're entitled to and look for a swap closer to uni?

You are asking for a HA flat in one LA? Then moving to another area in 12 months? You wouldn't get to keep first flat (if you get one by then) and live elsewhere for 3 years. Or are you asking for a HA flat near uni and worried you won't have it the full 3 years?

If it's the latter, you could ask housing dept if they then renew tenancy for a further period until your circumstances change.

no i need to live in my town for 1 year, then go to uni in sept 2018, and I've calculated that with all the gents/loans i get at uni i will be able to rent privately, but atm i need council accommodation, unfortunately i don't qualify in my unis area :( so i have to move.

can you swap between boroughs?

If you get a flat in this LA you could ask for a housing swop in lead up to uni to the right area. Or are you worried about them making you stay 2 years in the first flat?

Almost certainly not, if they know about it. It would count as "abandonment" which is a breach of most tenancy agreements.

However, if you keep paying the rent, and no neighbours grass you up for being awol, you'd probably get away with it. But then a lot of neighbours do grass people up for having social housing and not living in it, especially if they've got family members who've been on the housing register for years without getting a place. And bear in mind that you have a lot less security when you have an introductory tenancy.

I actually feel it would be a bit unethical, tbh.

yes I'm worried i will have to stay 2 years and then not be able to go back to uni

You can't usually get a "swap" when you're on an introductory tenancy.

That sound a very specific rule to that LA housing dept, so I would ring and ask your housing officer so that you can think options through. Congratulations on baby coming! And for uni place!

I work in this area. The issue of two year tenancies is due to anticipated changes to housing benefit for single under 35( not those with children).

You need to contact your own council for advice and to make a homeless application, depending on the area it is highly possible that they may offer help to privately rent rather than a social housing tenancy anyway or they may decide to view your case differently since you will have a 2 bed need shortly.

If you are looking to move area this can be very difficult at the moment since local connection is a criteria for homeless law and most council services, waiting list etc. However if you privately rent now but you are threatened with homelessness after April 2018 you can approach any council for help since the homelessness reduction Bill is changing things.

If you want detailed advice or aren't happy with want the council offer contact shelter.

Best of luck

Ah, there are better qualified PP in here than I.

presumably it's a 2 year fixed term because they will start reassessing people to see if they are still eligible (due to the changes in rules making things stricter)? meaning that if you are not guaranteed a longer tenancy. Your rent would still be paid monthly and you would not be forced to stay there if you can afford private rental at uni. Don't see how they could enforce people to stay in council accomm if they no longer needed it, or why they would want to.

the uni is in central london so housing benefit won't cover most rents and i looked into it and no landlords wants housing benefit, also i don't have deposit money etc.
yes i will ring them tomorrow and see if i can get a 12 month contract not a 2 year one. i just saw it nowand started panicking.

If you were in my area you able to complete a Notice to Terminate your tenancy at any time - if you've got a fixed term tenancy you'd also have to complete a Deed of Surrender which is the document that gets you out of your fixed term.

No HA or LA will force you to stay for the duration - it isn't like they've got a shortage of people waiting for housing.

If you're asking if you can keep your council house and then live in the other area while you're at uni then no, it would be treated as abandonment as PP said. Any house you're given needs to be your primary residence.

I planned to go back to uni within the same time frame and found that I actually couldn't due to the amount of time I had to dedicate to the kids in the evenings (I only studied part time)

Could you defer for a year?

I've tried to transfer uni but none of the decent ones near me accept second year transfers.

@mumoffiv the reason i could afford london was because on my student loan/uni bursary and i had a job too.

@Windbeneathmybingowings
I'm taking one year of uni until she is 10 months, then with the things I'm entitled to i get 2 days nurse for £20 a week and her paternal grandma lives in london and has offered to help with child care.

I have a council flat and I was allowed to move to another city for university without it being counted as abandonment - I was only spending term times in the uni city and came back to my council flat every holiday and reading week, and kept all my belongings and furniture at the flat. I checked it with my housing department and it was fine. I was getting partial housing benefit (on both properties) as a student parent as well. I'd recommend speaking to Shelter to get the current law (as my situation happened a few years ago, under a secure tenancy) - you may be able to hang on to your council house.

E.g. (not my council but I don't want to link to my area) Thanet council advice on housing benefit

Camden council advice on leaving a property temporarily

Sorry to sound negative op but how far through the process are you? And have you spoken to your council about how long the wait is likely to be? Because in many areas applying now would still see you in temporary accommodation by the time you go back to university, in which case you need to explore other options.

@mumoffiv why can't she work as single mum? I have three children and manage it...