I've messed everything up. Homeless with 4 children.

[BowAndArrow]

I've been stupid. So so stupid. Please don't feel the need to tell me that. I could not loathe my stupidity more right now.

We've accidentally intentionally made ourselves homeless. We have to move out 4 days after Christmas. At the moment we have no where to go. No where. I have absolutely no idea what to do. The council obviously won't touch us because we put in our notice intentionally. Family isn't an option and no friends. No money to get another property. Am actually terrified. Totally terrified.

AIBU to think there must be a way to sort this out somehow? Please be kind.

[Caulk]

If you do need to find somewhere, there are some charities and organisations that sort out deposits.

I’ve worker in school counselling and pastoral care and parents would often come to us and let us know that this sort of thing was happening so we had information and local people they could contact. Might be an idea?

[Ginorchoc]

You must have the new address, Do a land registry check online, it’s about £3. Do it today, write a letter to the landlord. Or go round there and put a letter through the door.

[ladybirdladybug]

LouBlue1507 is giving sound advice. You haven't yet made yourself homeless. You do that if you leave with nowhere to go to.

You need to call Shelter. They are excellent at giving housing advice for all sorts of situations. They can be hard to get through to, but persevere, they will give you good advice on your rights and what to do.

[BowAndArrow]

Honestly nothing shady. I wish we were that interesting. The letting agent knows my old landlord, deals with all his properties. Old landlord had an issue with us, no idea why. We paid rent and never moaned about the house despite being blamed for things we hadn't broken. This seems to have passed over through the letting agent. Just some things he's said.

[Ginorchoc]

Has the letting agent let your current property out? If not ask to stay. If they have you should honour your notice otherwise you’re putting another family in this situation.

[LastPersonStanding]

Yes for £3 (if you have £3) you can do a Land Registry search to check on line the name of the owner of the new property although the father in law says he will sort the new place so may be it will all work out after all. Good luck with it all. Could the children's father(s) not take you all in or put up the deposit for a new place?

[AutumnTreesThroughTheWindow]

Interesting that other than your post about contacting the letting agents this morning, you haven't responded to anyone's suggestion about retracting your notice.

Nor have you said why you think the agent would recommend the LL let it stand.

[upperlimit]

Yes, the letting agents would probably like to switch tenants. They'll get more money from both the new tenants and the current landlord. But your landlord is probably happy to allow the contract to run. You should email the letting agents.

As advised, ring shelter first.

[londonrach]

What loublue says on page 3. You sound like you want to be homeless. If you act now this need not be the case. Good luck

[expatinscotland]

Good luck with the agent!

[ThisTimeItsTrue]

.

[PricillaQueenOfTheDesert]

Tell your current landlord that you are withdrawing your notice to quit.
There, sorted!

[BowAndArrow]

Thank you to all the kind messages.

I WANT TO BE HOMELESS. Seriously?!!

No, just no.

I've said I'll obviously contact the letting agent but forgive me for not exactly trusting a man who before we even moved into this place threatened to inform the landlords if it was ever untidy from the children and have us removed. Whether he could do that or not is fairly irrelevant but the fact he threatened was enough for me. He was thrilled that we were going when we bumped into him two days after we put the notice in. I wish we were nightmare tenants because at least then I'd know there was a reason for them disliking us. But we're really not, we both work, we're quiet, we just have 4 kids and a house that we can't keep tidy and so are constantly terrified of losing it. Sorry if that's not dramatic enough and I must be hiding something but no.

[Antigonads]

We could had a whip round for you.

[BowAndArrow]

If they'll keep us here then great, obviously that's brilliant.

But, going by the past attitude I'm not convinced of the certainty. That's all.

[WallyWantsWine]

Good luck with the agent. There has to be an answer to this x

[Rachie1973]

But we're really not, we both work, we're quiet, we just have 4 kids and a house that we can't keep tidy and so are constantly terrified of losing it.

You worry far too much about your LL! Withdraw the notice..... in writing. So you can prove it. That way you have an angle with the council too.

As for the tidiness, your agent should only be in there for inspections every 3 months. Only worry about it around those times.

[BowAndArrow]

Thank you, I hope so too. I'm not worried about myself or my partner, if it was just us we'd be able to find somewhere but it's the kids I'm scared for.

I was only trying to give them more space and a better place to live with more security than we have here.

[StinkPickle]

it's nothing to do with the letting agent

The decision is down to the landlord. The letting agent will have to pass on your offer of staying to the landlord. Who presumably will leap at the chance to not have to find new tenants. I'm a landlord - I'd be thrilled if (good) tenants revoked their notice.

[BowAndArrow]

It's not the landlord I'm worried about. It's the letting agent. He was so rude about tidiness and really made us worry.

[Venusflytwat]

But you can’t be evicted for untidiness!!!

You need to re read Lou’s post and follow it exactly when they open at 9.

I also think there’s stuff you’re not telling us.

[mustbemad17]

Trust me it ridicously hard to find people wanting to move in this close to Christmas; my OH's LA tried to persuade him to stay until the NY because now the place is not bringing in any rent, & probably won't. The LA can be as snidey as they want, as long as you are polite they can't make the decision for the LL. You aren't the first nor will you be the last I promise!

[BurningTheToast]

I do sympathise but I can assure you that the landlord would prefer you to stay, even if just on a periodic (rolling) tenancy for another couple of months. Will the new property be ready then or is it off the table for good? People rarely want to move house that close to Christmas so if you move out as currently planning they'll have a void of at least a month.

Also, the deposit protection scheme info that you will have received shortly after you moved in should give you the landlord's info. If they haven't registered/protected your deposit then I'm pretty certain that's a criminal offence.

Also, in Scotland landlords have to be registered and I'm pretty sure that's the case in England - assuming that's where you are.

I'm in Scotland and not necessarily completely up to date on rules elsewhere so I'd talk to Shelter.

Good luck

[Rebeccaslicker]

You can't revoke a notice but the landlord can agree to grant a new tenancy or you can both agree to treat this one as continuing (the legal side isn't quite like that, as in fact what you'd probably have is a new periodic tenancy anyway). November is a shit time for lettings; hopefully the landlord won't have found anyone else and will override his agent.

In the immediate short term, they can't just change the locks. They have to get a court order to get you out. So if you just don't go on the expiry date, they will have to issue court proceedings and have a hearing etc. Usually takes at least 6 weeks and then you will be given 14 days or so to move; possibly a few more if you can show exceptional hardship. Not remotely ideal, and you would likely have to pay a few hundred pounds in costs (unless you defended it and it got more complex), but it gives you more time to look than the end of your notice period.