Any estate agents here? So upset I don't know what to do.

[Nixpix1]

I'm so upset I can't tell you guys how I feel. I have 3 children and I live in a mice infested place. We see them quite often. Since being here my children and I have been ill time after time and suffering for a lot of itching and rashes stomach aches.

We gave notice and need to leave in a few weeks but we have been unable to find a landlord who will rent to us as we have housing allowance coming it. We don't need to admit we have received it according to the council but we can't hide it as it's on the bank statements.

I understand that there are some awful dss tenants but I'm not one of them. I've even offered guarantors references from estate agents and landlord from previous properties but to no avail. I pay my rent on time and keep my house tidy.

I don't know what to do. I have 2 weeks before I have to move out and I'm scared I'll be homeless.
Does anyone know what to do?

Thanks for reading

Bump, please help me

Have you tried speaking to Shelter?

Time to open another bank account purely for those housing payments.

What area are you in?

Hi OP, I’m so sorry to hear your situation.

Number 1 point is that you can withdraw your notice at any time. Don’t panic, you won’t be homeless. Just write an email or letter to let them know, you don’t have to say why.

Who do you rent from? Private landlord? Is it through an estate agents?

Yes I have exhausted all sources of information. They all say the same thing, no need to disclose.

I wouldn't but its on my bank statement which can't be hidden.

Is there any chance of extending your current home?

It's impossible to find somewhere that will accept housing allowance where I am; it's seen as too unreliable and controversial. I have friends who live in some awful homes because they can't find anything else just yet.

I think the least stressful way would be to extend your stay and then deal with the mice until you find something better; but if that's not possible(l, I'd start talking to Shelter. It might also be worth a conversation with the council, although I believe they may find you intentionally homeless for giving notice unless you're in a quiet area without a housing list.

I wouldn't but its on my bank statement which can't be hidden.

Does it look like you can afford housing payments without it?

I'm thinking I will have to withdraw my notice and move things around for now. I feel so upset for my children. This is not fair. I'm a good decent person who likes to live in a clean environment and I feel like i'm being cheated.

No housing won't be affordable without it. I live in London and I want to move to a cheaper area but even cheap will be only 200 less. My husbands business has us bound within a certain distance.

OP am so sorry.Are you in an area where there is high demand for council properties? Can you drive? I say this as where I am council properties in some rural areas are not in great demand due to lack of transport.

Ah sorry have seen you are in London.Have you involved Environmental Health?

I'm confused - I rent but at no point have our letting agents asked to see our bank statements - they would have no idea if we received housing benefit or not... is there a reason you need to disclose bank statements?

How far back do the bank records need to go?
You could open up a new bank account. Transfer your housing benefit into it and pay your rent from that.
You would only have to stay in the mouse house long enough to have a record of payments from the new account

Why do you need to provide bank statements?

Decent landlords around London want to see you can afford to pay the monthly rent and run a credit check on potential tenants, which includes providing bank statements. The council are well aware so it’s shite of them to tell people “they don’t have to diaclose” when it fact that’s exactly what happens - everyone gets checked. Even worse if you’re self employed and don’t have an independent accountant. Then you need to show 6 months of steady income via your bank statements. This isn’t the estate agents specifying, these are independent 3rd party credit check companies who run all the checks on potential tenants. Oh and they charge independent landlords btw £30-50 for this service, so the mark up estate agents whack on top of actual credit check costs is ludicrous

Some (a lot of?) BTL landlords couldn't rent to you because of the housing benefit, regardless whether they wanted to, as it can often be a term of the mortgage not to rent to such tenants.

OP, withdraw your rent and then when you have time, go into estate agencies. If you meet someone nice (they do exists!), they will try to help you, especially if your rent is only topped up by housing benefit rather than paid in full.

*Withdraw your notice, not rent!!

They want 6 months bank statements to see what out spending are and where if we pay rent on time and what comes in. Then they want 3 months pay slips.

I called the local council and they said environmental health will come and see of we want. But then again they also said they can only offer incentive i.e deposit as worse case sinario and I will hve to search myself for new property. As far as I know most ppl are being sent out of London by the council. That doesn't help either.

I will have to juggle accounts by what most of you are saying.

Have you tried getting rid of the mice? Traps baited with snickers bars and sprinkle peppermint oil all over the floor carpets and bedding. House will smell a bit like toothpaste, the mice hate it.

Get environmental heath out as they might be able to force your landlord to make improvements to keep the mice out. Small holes for example.

In the end if you stay in London mice are a thing unfortunately, so persuade them not to live in your house. If you move it could happen again.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/454772-i-have-had-mice-in-the-last-4-houses-i

Lots of threads if you search

where i live a lot of people are on local community facebook pages and sometimes people have found rented accommodation by just putting it out there..
short term environmental health is your only realistic option in your situation....i would ensure that this is charged back to your landlord as well....

We’ve had mice in our house this year for the first time in 18 years.

I wouldn’t move because of mice tbh, they’re as likely to be in the next place.

I live above a shop and next to the shop below us is a chip shop. That's where they r coming from. The pest control.Guy said they will keep returning and that they didn't take any bait as he carried out 3 weeks wortj of treatment and set 3 different traps. I'll vouch for that as I have seen them still running around. They have ate through the wooden flooring and the carpets on top in corners of the room. Its nothing that will get sorted out quick and easy by the looks of it.

I'm Only bothered because we r all suffering from bouts of some sort of allergy as we itch like crazy, to the point where we have had scabs. And to add to it, my children, who never get ill, are off ill every month with fevers and stomach aches. This has started only after we moved and I Can only connect it to the fact that the mice have something to do with it. It's both of them through out the months and everytime it's something different.