To ask what would happen in this scenario?

[greenmint]

I have been asked to advise and I honestly don’t know.

‘Eleanor’ has a baby and is a single mother. The child’s father plays no part whatsoever in her life.

Eleanor has no other family to support her. She works full time in an expensive area of the country and rents a small flat and pays for FT childcare for her baby. She gets no benefits other then CB.

Eleanor owns a property that was left to her as part of an inheritance that is let out. The income from this means she can rent her flat and contributes to her baby’s nursery costs.

Eleanor has now found out her landlord is selling the flat. She is unable te rent anywhere else because of poor credit. Is there any onus on the council to help Eleanor and her baby?

Eleanor doesn’t mind a bedsit or hostel

Eleanor sounds just a tad naive. Which is probably why she’s unable to figure this one out on her own and has come to you to solve it for her...

Please tell her to contact the CMS. One day the father will be deceased and have an inheritance. Eleanors child is entitled to this. If Eleanor registers a need for support now with the CMS she will eventually get backdated paid back to the date of registration. If she does not do this she will never get anything and the pennies all add up.

She doesn’t mind it because the alternative is worse.

The only work she would be able to get if she moved back to the midlands would be short term temping on just above MW. That’s not what she wants long term.

you cant just evict someone who has a contract theres no gro9unds for it

ask the council u never know

The only work she would be able to get if she moved back to the midlands would be short term temping on just above MW.

Why would that be the case? What's her job currently? The Midlands isn't the middle of nowhere, yes jobs may pay less but there are plenty above minimum wage and permanent positions.

If she’s on £48k she is educated and experienced. You don’t just walk into a job on that salary. She can achieve more than min wage temping in the midlands. There are more than min wage jobs in the midlands. What’s the job? Someone where will definitely be able to advise on her job options.

Where= here

She needs to sell her property.

What she needs to do is pay the whole amount (a years rent) up front. Then she won’t need credit check, just references.
The other thing she could try is open rent, local councils run scheme where by people who don’t meet the criteria for council housing but also don’t meet the criteria for private rent.

I know that ice but it’s specialised work.

She doesn’t mind it because the alternative is worse

She doesn’t mind having her child potentially having to live with randoms, doesn’t mind having no privacy, doesn’t mind having to be in or out at certain times of the day, doesn’t mind being moved on frequently, doesn’t mind having no say in where she lives or who she lives with?

I know that ice but it’s specialised work

What is it she does?

Try a private landlord, not through an agent. Look in local paper. Less likely to credit check.

Eleanor has a lot of reasons why nothing can change, but the plain fact is, unless she can get something to change- she's going to be in a hostel 30 miles away from her job unable to work anyway and paying for the privilege! If she is in a high income area in London, the councils are completely swamped and absolutely won't house her unless legally made to, and may house her in pretty unsuitable accommodation.

Quite a few solutions have been suggested, the main one to seek LEGAL advice on her position from housing charities as this is more productive than simply saying nothing can change when clearly it actually will have to!

Why can't she become a lodger? You have fewer rights because you're living in someone's home, but the rent will be less and any checks less onerous. I've rented out a large double room in my house to a mother and child before.

£48k is a skilled salary in London, especially as she’s new to her career. It’ll be highly paid anywhere in the country. London isn’t some magical place where you get £48k a year for nothing. Unless her house is in some remote welsh valley village (I bet it will be now and all ) she’ll still be highly paid when she moves

Yes- she has done so. And tried to find private landlords etc. Eleanor has come to me after some time trying to sort this. I am not trying to be difficult with ‘yes but’ responses.

After a couple of years working Eleanor will be eligible for many other benefits at work and one of these will be WFH - she can then move back to the midlands which is why she is OK with a hostel as it’s a temporary thing.

And quite frankly anyone who would voluntarily house their child in a homeless hostel is a pretty poor parent.

That might have been helpful to put in the OP

Emergency accommodation often costs more a fortune, she’ll be expected to pay it. Does she realise that?
Does she realise that the hostel could be in another part of the country?

I would suggest contacting landlords directly; look for notices in shop windows, newspaper ads, maybe even rent an AirB&B or a room in a shared house temporarily?

She could approach the council for advise, they may have a list of landlords who will accept tenants with previous CCJs? I doubt they would have any responsibility to rehouse her though.

Apologies posie

To be honest capri I think you’re just deliberately trying to be as provocative as possible. It might be best if we wrap it up with that.

Why doesn't Eleanor want to sell her house? Seems to me she can't afford to keep it and be a single parent and live and work in the SE.

Sounds rather like Eleanor wants to have her cake, and eat it, and get the council to pay her for it.

Don’t talk rubbish. This is a fairly simple scenario and you seem determined its impossible . It’s not at all.