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?

For what it’s worth I was on a 35k salary, applied for and was offered a 65k job at the other end of the country. However once I worked out housing, childcare etc, I would have only been a hundred a month better off. So I had to make the decision to turn it down- because I could not afford to do it. I could have tried for a few years until my children no longer needed childcare etc, but it would have been miserable, with no family, friends, the trips to take ds back to see his dad frequently etc.

So yes I understand her want and need to stay in her job. However, she has to realise that something needs to give. Either her job and she moves, or she sells and uses the profits for rent. She can’t have it all. That’s life unfortunately.

She needs to keep her job and her flat, So her only option is to continue looking for a private rent. As pps have said the council may have lists of landlords who are more flexible about renting to people with ccjs etc.
If I were Her I would stay in the current flat for as long as possible or until she finds a new flat. If she has to leave you can hire a room through airbnb for £900 per month or less. Even if the council would get her emergency accommodation, she wouldn’t want it.
She should also try to claim maintenance from the baby’s dad (if she doesn’t already) and find a nursery close to work, then she will still be able to pick up and drop off in time if she needs to move further away from work.

For what it’s worth I was on a 35k salary, applied for and was offered a 65k job at the other end of the country. However once I worked out housing, childcare etc, I would have only been a hundred a month better off.

Indeed. In Eleanor's case she might find the same is true. If she moves into the house in the Midlands even on a lower wage she might find herself better off, especially as the burden of rent will be removed.

but the. She will lose career progression

She needs to keep her job and her flat

By flat do you mean the house she owns? If so keeping both doesn't seem like it's going to be possible. In an ideal world perhaps, but in reality something has to give. And I for one think she would be crazy to give up a mortgage free house which would provide a safe and stable home / future for her child, just to stay in a job.

That's the way I'm thinking as well Icerebel I'm really surprised to see people suggesting Eleanor sell up her assets and throw them at the black hole that is London rents.

but the. She will lose career progression

True but who knows what tomorrow will bring for her job, funding may be cut, the company could fold, she may get a new manager that makes working there so unbearable that she wants to leave. Career progression is great but Eleanor has other more pressing matters like finding a home for her and her child.

Like I’ve suggested. I WORKED for a private landlord. She CAN get a private tennant. Infact. If she’s in SE. I might be able to help her. I know plenty of private landlords. All over the SE. And Surrey.

The other option. She could remortgage. There ARE options. She’s just wanting the easiest. She’s just got to work harder. Her only option. As hard as it is. Might be to sell her property. She doesn’t want too. Understandably. But she’s got herself in a real pickle. Her own fault

Unless the father of her child is dead. She can get money from him. As far as I’m aware. Through the CSA.

She needs to keep her job and her flat

By flat do you mean the house she owns? If so keeping both doesn't seem like it's going to be possible. In an ideal world perhaps, but in reality something has to give. And I for one think she would be crazy to give up a mortgage free house which would provide a safe and stable home / future for her child, just to stay in a job

Ice is right

Something has to give.

And a hostel. Hotel?

With maybe unsuitables. Like drug dealers. Stoned people. Blaring music

Her daughters and her health are not worth it....

Privately she could rent if aomeone were to act as a guarantor for her. Does she know anyone willing to do?

Greenmint- in the nicest way possible, Capri has a point. A hostel/bedsit in a shared house would by far be my very very last option. Have you seen how bad they can actually be?
A friend owns and rents out several of the bedsit in a house type of properties, and even the “good” ones, I’ve heard horror stories of, MH issues and addictions are rife. The latest was a woman who kept shitting in the kitchen sink and smeared her hands over random bits of the kitchen repeatedly. I’m not saying that is the norm, but it does go to show that sharing close living quarters with people does mean you don’t get to be shielded from the worst parts of them, there are also frequent calls to the police, a lot of noise. A lot of weird comings and goings. And as for the hostels, my dad volunteers in one, the mental health issues of some who use them is very scary, if a woman who earns £48k a year is putting her child in a position where they have to live in a situation that is as far from ideal as this, yeah I’d have some concerns about their parenting. Especially if I knew they owned a house with no mortgage the other side of the country. No life may not be what she wants there, but having a child that roof over the head is everything.

And I cannot believe that a lady who earns £48k a year in the south will go to the north and earn minimum wage. Not at all.

She may earn less, but she will have far less outgoings.

Sounds delightful Letsmoveondude

By flat do you mean the house she owns?

YEs, the flat she owns. If she can stick it out in this job for 2 years she’ll have much better prospects and be able to work from home. In her situation I’d find a way to make it work. There is a tenant in the flat she owns so it’s not like she can just move in or sell it straight away.

I wish people would read the OP’s posts, at least, before asking questions that have already been answered.

It doesn’t matter what you ‘believe’ either. If her job is location specific, then no, she’s not going to get a comparable job elsewhere.

She has a great opportunity where she is.

With a BTL Mtge on her Midlands property and on £48,000 salary a good mortgage broker will get her a mortgage. It might be a studio flat or a maisonette, but that’s an ok place to start on the property ladder. (I’m in the SE I know how expensive it is, but she could do it).

A hostel/bedsit in a shared house would by far be my very very last option

Mine too. But that’s not her only option vs moving north. I’d focus on finding a place to stay close enough that she can stay in her current job,

If she can stick it out in this job for 2 years she’ll have much better prospects and be able to work from home.

Sticking it out would be fine if this were a short term problem but it's not.

• The flat she is renting is being sold and she can't find somewhere to rent because of her CCJs and no guarantor, neither of which are likely to change.

• It will be at least 2 years before she might, (not guaranteed) be allowed to WFH

• She has a child who needs a stable environment yet she is willing to consider a hostel in order to keep her job.

• if she presents as homeless to the council and they do place her in temporary accommodation such as a hostel, it is likely to be a considerable distance from her current flat.

Meanwhile she has a mortgage free house in the Midlands. Which yes does currently have a tenant, but if she had got the ball rolling sooner he could already be on the path to leaving.

Sounds like one of those case studies I used to get in exams at university. E.g., is Elenor homeless or threatened with homelessness, if so is she unintentionally homeless, if yes, does she fall into a priority group, and if yes, what level of assistance does the LA need to provide?

At a guess, she will be unintentionally homeless (she owns a property but cannot currently occupy it) and falls in to a priority group. I would say that once E has been made homeless the LA should provide temporary accommodation whilst they carry out further investigations, which would result in her either being assisted into another private rental, or to give her time to either serve notice on the tenants in the property she owns or to sell it so she can be self supporting.

I cannot envisage her being allocated social housing.

The solution is to offer the property she owns as security. I'm sure she can find a landlord that would accept that.

Can you act as guarantor for her? Mfriend did that for me.

She just needs to find a landlord who will accept rent up front. It’s really not that hard to do that. (I know because I have done it) theres also a good chance that in 2 years she’ll be in an a relationship and her ccjs will be cleared at some point so her situation could be completely different. she shouldn’t throw away a great career opportunity and future financial security for a short term solvable accommodation issue.

On that salary, she should easily be able to find something. She just needs to put a bit more effort into house hunting. Facebook pages for the local area, gumtree, local papers, notices in windows. Not every landlord will run a credit check. A letter from employer stating salary, and reference from her current landlord should suffice in some cases.

She could commute to London from the Midlands dpending on where it was. I know people who do Leicester to London, Rugby to London, Leamington Spa to London. It's only two years. She could reduce her hours slightly to minimise any extra childcare.

she needs to just move back into her own flat. No the council cannot help Eleanor.