To ask WWYD as I am so stuck with this

[ificouldwritealettertome]

I'll try to be concise but don't want to drip feed. Me and DH have one DC, would love another sooner rather than later. Currently renting, but would like to buy before TTC so we are set up and financially sorted.

Money is tight- DH covers the rent and bills with very little left over and I cover the food shop, baby milk/clothes whatever we need. I'm a waitress on NMW and just about have enough money for these.

We have just under a 5% deposit for a 2 bed house in the area we live in. Our budget would not allow for a 3 bed, but of course we will need a 3 bed for our 2nd DC. So We would have to build an extension on the 2 bed (financially doable as we have friends/family in the building and carpentry trade and would have help).

Starting now, to secure a mortgage, we would have to reduce our monthly spending (even smaller food shops, etc) for at least 3 months and I would have to up my hours at work so that our pay slips look better and we save up the rest of our deposit. I am currently doing 30 hours and DD is only just 8 months so that will be hard.

We would see very little of each other as a family and money would be extremely tight, we have already cancelled things like Sky and have changed energy providers to the cheapest tariff, etc so our bills are as low as physically possible.

If we get denied a mortgage, we will be applying for social housing as we can not afford to rent a 3 bed and our current place is absolutely tiny. My question is, AIBU to think about jusy going for social housing straight away?

We are already struggling financially and I don't know how many more hours at work I can take. I am exhausted. I already miss the baby and am looking forward to a sibling for her but, realistically, if we buy it would be a couple of years to extend by the time we have completed the sale, applied for planning permission and built it.

I feel as though we may go through all the stress of applying for a mortgage and get denied anyway as we do not have much money and will only have a 5% deposit. Should we push for a house that we own, which is something we both really want, or just accept that it is too ambitious for us and apply for affordable housing? WWYD?

Why not join the housing waiting list now? If you then decide to go down the other route you simply cancel your application.

Please dont think I'm being a CF just trying to live off the state, I thought you could rent off the council so still pay for your house just at a cheaper rate.

I have only ever rented privately so I really don't know how this works.

Bedroom calculator lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/bedroomcalculator.aspx

When i was bidding it was not possible for me to bid on anything bigger than 2 bedrooms, but i now have a 3 bed private rent.

Do both, go onto the social housing list but do the graft as well to get a mortgage. See which one comes up first, if it's anything like here it will be the mortgage.

I think you need to do some research. You can’t just put you’re name down for social housing and bang you get a three bedroom house plus you’re children will be expected to share up to certain age. I think it’s now 10 for opposite sex children and up to 16 for same sex children.

I used to work in housing and it is tough. They we look at you’re income and savings and may decide you’re both working with savings so can privately rent. I think buying the house and building an extension will be the better option. Social housing is not for life anymore. They will review you’re housing after so many years to see if you’re still entitled.

Where I live the waiting list is incredibly long and operates on a points system. I don't think you would ever qualify as there would always be someone more in need than you.

I don't understand why you are set on buying just one specific house with a tiny second bedroom

Have you looked at 2 bed houses in your area and seen what the options are? If you can't afford one in your area look at 3 miles away. not far but may make a difference?

Alternatively I would look at buying a flat. If you are lucky enough to be able to afford to buy then you should probably do that rather than rent. Unless you live somewhere where social housing is easy to come by..............

Thank you every one for the helpful advice here, I do still love the thought of buying and will definitely look into 100% mortgages. I had just assumed you applied to rent a council house same as you applied to rent a private one.

Are there any shared ownership properties being built in your area? They seem to be available on most new developments around here but I'm not sure what qualification criteria is.

I guess you could put yourselves on the list for social housing, your current circumstances wouldn't make you anywhere near priority round here so you might have a long wait for it.

I don't understand why you are set on buying just one specific house with a tiny second bedroom I don't want to out myself but our postcode on rightmove with a 3 mile radius bring up two houses. The one opposite us and an even smaller one.

In my area with social housing your DC would be expected to share permanently if the same sex and until the eldest is 10 if opposite sex. Even then there is no guarantee you will get one- entitlement does not equal availability. We were able to get a 3 bed when my eldest was 8 due to his SN and even then we had to provide all kinds of medical evidence. If you have the means to buy a 2 bed I'd do that in your shoes. You can split a large bedroom or save up to extend at a later date.

Have you spoken to a mortgage advisor? I think you need to find out the amount you could borrow, deposit needed and monthly payments.

Then you will be in a better position to decide what to do. You may be able to afford a house on your current hours or it could be that even increasing your hours for 3 Months would t work as the lenders want a fixed contract for a certain number of hours rather than what you have actually worked.

Or it could be you can buy a 3 bed in a different area or one that needs work doing, etc.

No its not cf to try to get into social housing, it would have been about 10-15% cheaper for me here but choices are limited as to what you can bid on due to rules about space, limitations that do not apply in the private rental market.

I have been on my local list twice once when i got pregnant with a partner and had to move out of a 1 bed flat and again when i was served an eviction notice on that house as my partner had left and my income was deemed insufficient on my own by the letting agent, both time i found a private rental quicker than getting a social housing property.

If you are adequately housed at the moment and not in danger of losing it then you will not get the points needed to win a social housing property.

Not cf just hard to get into social housing. Mortgage will get you what you want and a lot quicker than council

OP it does depend very much on where in the country you are. For example in London, you kids would have grandkids before you could ever get a council place! The list is so long and you wouldn’t be seen as priority. Whereas there are some areas up north I’ve heard of with no waiting list at all.

We have a 2 bedroom house with 1 dc and one on the way. It's what we can afford in the expensive part of the south east we live in. We had to move much further out from the city centre than we were used to or than I would have liked to afford anything at all. I don't drive, never needed to, and used to walk everywhere from our old flat. Now its an hour commute by bus. But it was, and remains the best of our options.

If the 2 bedroom places you can afford in your area are too small for 2dc to share, you need to look at cheaper areas. Sounds much more reslistic to buy a house with 2 double bedrooms, where the dc could share the larger. If you are against the idea of dc sharing at all, then you should probably put off having another until you have secured your mortgage, moved in, secured planning permission, had your extension done and resettled into your home, which agree sounds like a lengthy timeline. You could also think about improving your earning potential in that time instead, and then being able to get a bigger mortgage.

I don't know about social housing either but agree with pp that it sounds pie in the sky to imagine you just sign up and they'll give you the type of house you request. Why would anyone rent in the private sector if it worked that way?

Check your local authority guidelines
In Edinburgh the social housing is a bid system, allocated on need etc
Here the rules state
A couple will be expected to share a room
• Each household member over 14 years will be entitled to a
room of their own
• Two children under 14 of the same sex share a room
• Two children under 7 of different sexes share a room

Also if the person wishes to allow two same sex children of 14 years and over to share a bedroom this should be their choice. Due to the lack of larger accommodation a household will be considered for accommodation outwith these parameters where the move would reduce current overcrowding.

I have 2 DC aged 12 and 14 and moved to a 3 bed house in Feb this year - they've always shared. It's been fine, don't put yourself under too much pressure.

Oh and with social housing, yes you would be allocated a two bed place most likely, but..you can exchange into a 3 bed if you find someone willing to swap with you. I did a four way swap to get my current property!

Probably no one will agree with me, but IMO YABU thinking of having a second child when you barely have enough time, money or space for the first one.

It's morally wrong in your current situation to actively try for another child and expect to be given a three-bed house.

Is it possible to buy in a cheaper area? Have you considered buying a three bedroomed flat instead of a house?

Why would anyone rent in the private sector if it worked that way? extremely good point, I never thought if it like that.

I don’t think you’ll be eligible for social housing..not quickly any way. You won’t be seen as a priority as you already have a suitable roof over your head. If you want to put yourself on the list, you’ll probably be waiting a while.

Have you considered help to buy with a new build? We thought we could only buy a house at X amount until we went in to a sales office and explained our situation, they put us on to a mortgage advisor then and there who estimate what we could afford a house £80,000 more expensive and much bigger than we originally thought too.

It is unlikely that you would qualify for social housing in our area as they are low on stock and are not allocated to people making themselves intentionally homeless by giving notice on thier private rented.

I suspect you are quite young and one of the generation who expect to have things that other people have (by having worked/saved to afford). Go back to your plan where you work more and sacrifice things until you can afford to buy or rent what you want

Your aim should be a bigger 2 bed not a 3 bed. Kids will have to share - you could put in a bunkbed when they’re older. While babies one sleeps with you and the other in the second room. It is what it is. Social housing is for desperate cases.

I worry that you have not factored in other costs related to being a home owner.

To buy a house you will need a solicitor, you will need to pay for a survey, which if the purchase falls through it is not refundable, you might have to pay stamp duty, you will have moving costs to find .

You will need to purchase buildings insurance as well as contents insurance.This is non negotiable, the mortgage company will insist on it.

You will have to pay for any repairs , replacements of stuff like boilers, broken windows, if the place needs decorating that will be at your expense, ditto garden maintenance, boundary maintenance etc.

It sounds as though things are very tight financially, I would not think of buying a house/ttc in the same time period. upping your work for three months to get better payslips is not a good strategy, mortgage offers are based on your ability to pay, if your hours go back down again, or your work is reduced then you do not want to be struggling to repay a mortgage. If you then lost your wage during maternity leave you would be well and truly scuppered.

If there are no houses you want where you are the you are looking at time or distance, either further away or wait until you have the money or a house you do want comes up in the area