Council housing

[Whatamidoing157]

At 36 weeks pregnant I found myself homeless and unable to afford a deposit for a new private rented property. I had also just left for maternity leave so was expecting a massive pay loss. I had recently gone from working full time as maternity cover for another colleague to part time when she returned (which was ideal for me at the time due to a difficult pregnancy). When I return to work my employer has agreed that it will be full time as they are expanding the business. I was put in temporary accommodation but the council have decided that with universal credit I will be able to realistically afford a 2 bedroom private rented property and will not provide me with a bidding number. I am now looking for a landlord that will accept dss short term but am running out of places to look and am being turned down constantly as no one will take it (which I fully understand and probably wouldn't either in their circumstances). I have done a few calculations and although on maternity pay I would be fine with private renting, once I return to work full time I will be left with almost nothing after paying the full rent! I don't feel this is fair when others who don't work at all are entitled to an affordable rent when I'm really trying to support myself and would rather not rely on UC to pay the rent. Would it be unreasonable to appeal and expect them to change their mind?

@Whatamidoing157 I did message further back with a few questions. It doesn't really matter how you think the council should rent out properties or the cost of private rent, it is what it is.

There maybe some way around your situation but without more information no one here can help you.

If you just want to moan about the system then go ahead but it won't get you anywhere.

@SonjaMorgan the council will help with a deposit but I can't find any properties that will accept me. I spoke to someone at the housing office and they said that it could take a long time to find somewhere but just to keep trying. The temporary hostel I'm in is not particularly safe and the other residents are not happy with my daughter crying in the night. I'm really trying but just don't know what to do!

It sounds as though you are going to be housed under homelessness legislation. In your case it means they are going to discharge their "relief duty" this means that they can offer you a privately rented property as long as it us available to you for a minimum of 12 months. You should have been given a personalised housing plan setting out steps that you can take to find your own property and one if the steps is looking for your own privately rented. However under the relief duty you should be offered a property. You should be given a letter stating that is a final offer. It does not have to be social housing. You can challenge anything the council has done if it is unlawful but you cannot challenge the type of property ie PRS or social.
An awful lot of people think that if they make a homeless app they will get social housing. This is not the case especially where there is little stock. The waiting list is different and is down to each councils policy. Homelessness is governed by law. I think you need to ask your council to explain it again to you.

You and thousands of others think that way too- you aren’t then only one. Hence there is not enough accommodation, and you either take what you can or nothing at all. That’s not being nasty that’s being frank. Do you realise how many people are working full time and in social housing, because they don’t earn enough to rent privately? Look the figures up they are interesting.

@SonjaMorgan sorry I didn't see your reply. I'm in south London and ideally I need to live within the borough or neighbouring, all of which are very high rents. I could relocate but would then be unemployed and with a young baby I feel that would be a backwards step.

Sorry. You can challenge the suitability of any accommodation offered be it private or social but it has to be a fundamental reason and is rarely successful. Hope meant that the council have not active d unlawfully by offering PRS so there would be no challenge. I can offer more specific advice but would need to ask you loads of questions and posters don't usually respond as they aren't usually wanting advise just s rant.

@Whatamidoing157 sorry if my reply was abrupt, I am always reading thread where people don't really want advise and just a rant.

I can't offer you advise on how any appeal may go but it seems a few other people who have replied know more about this than me.

I think it would be worth considering if applying for new jobs in a cheaper area could be beneficial. By all means put in an appeal to the council but being proactive in other areas will be your best bet. You don't have to give up your job, just research and apply for a few and see if anything comes from it. My last employer allowed telephone interviews so you may not even have to travel. Do you have family or ties to other areas of the country? I know that you can apply for social housing in any area you have family and some areas have more stock availability that others. And even if not rents are so much cheaper. We personally rent out a 4 bed house for 600 a month, London prices are crazy.

You will be on UC regardless of whether your are in social housing or private rented. You seem to be thinking that you will be given a house and the rent paid for if it is social housing, let me dissuade you of this fallacious notion. YOU WILL BE ON UC REGARDLESS. It is an in and out of work benefit.

I've been there - I was given a eviction notice with a 9 month old when my private rental would not renew my contract for one in my name only even though i had been living there for those 9 months and paying the rent alone. I was on unpaid mat leave for the next 3 months.

I went on the list and bidded for properties i got informed of the private rental bond scheme. Fortunately for me my dad's acquaintance had just had a tenant leave a property they were renting out and i got in there even though half the floor was rubble. Some last minute luck there.

Back to UC if you are in social housing you will get the full amount of rent (minus any applicable spare bedroom rates and deduction for any non dependant person over 21) added to your entitlement. If private rent you will get 2 bedroom lha rate for your area or full rent if lower minus any over 21 non deps. Make sure you know what the lha is for you so you can factor it in when looking for the private rent. lha-direct.voa.gov.uk.

You need to face the fact you are very low priority, when i was bidding i was somewhere between 16 - 30 on the list, i am in the NW with a very short list in my area, still takes an average of a year to win on the bidded list.

Do not forget that you can get childcare costs reimbursed on UC up to 85% up to £646/Month. And you may still get UC top up as only 63% of after tax earnings over £287 are deducted from UC entitlement.

I'd rent a one bed in your position. It will be fine indefinitely - you could have a sofa bed in living room?

Is there a lack of council housing in your area? Is there any information on the councils website about eligibility?
I was under the impression if they recognised you as unintentionally homeless and in priority group (you have a child) then they had to house you.
Maybe that's just my council, but I'd read up on it. Give shelter a ring too, they're fantastic.
I don't know what they expect you to do if you keep being turned down by landlords. Give shelter a ring.

The temporary hostel I'm in is not particularly safe and the other residents are not happy with my daughter crying in the night

So, you've already had your baby or do you already have a DD, too?

Can the the father's family help their grandchild at all? It is a legal requirement to have a pension through your employers these days so you may wish to check whether there was a death in service payout for him that your child is entitled to - the least she would be entitled to his pension contributions that were made in the jobs he has had.

Sorry for your loss.

@Musereader I know I'll be on UC until my maternity leave ends but when I return to work I would be able to pay the full amount myself if I was in social housing, I don't expect it just to be paid this is my problem. Without cheap rent I won't be able to afford to go back to work full time and will therefore be reliant on UC. The. I feel like I'll be stuck in a cycle

@Tistheseason17 I had my DD 4 months ago and she's my only child. I don't have a relationship with his parents at all, neither did he really and they were never particularly nice people. He was a self employed roofer and was only 24 so unfortunately no pension.

Thankyou for you're response

@JustAnotherMammi Thankyou! I'll give them a call and see if they can help. I have been temporarily housed but it's very unsuitable for a baby and that's not just me being picky!

I think your problem is there is an extreme shortage of all housing in south London so most councils try to get people in private rental to get them off the list or avoid them going on. Much of the housing built in Southwark and Lambeth for instance is private they occasionally attach affordable housing but extremely rare to insist on social housing hence lists not going down.

OP - all of your response is a real shame - especially his family. You have your DD so there are better things to come

As a temporary measure could you look into renting a room in a shared house rather than a flat. Your baby will be sharing your bedroom anyway. Older women often rent out spare rooms and would be OK with a baby in the house.

Speak to Shelter & your local MP, with an upcoming election, they will be bending over backwards to help you & secure your vote.

It's highly unlikely anyone will be able to magic you up a 2-bed social housing place in the specific part of London you want to stay in. Nothing to do with being more deserving, there are just too many people needing housing and not enough stock. There will be thousands of people in your exact situation or even worse (there are families with severely disabled children living in shipping containers). Shelter might be able to help you find a private letting agent who takes UC).

UC is an in work benefit, from your posts you seen to be thinking working and being dependant on UC as mutually exclusive - in order to be inellgible to claim UC you need to be earning at least £40K year and you could very well be earning up to as much as £76k before you come off it depending on where exactly you live, how much childcare you claim and how old you are. Yes you will be on UC for a long time.

Apply for the register and carry on looking for private rentals. In my area you are supposed to look and bid at the same time because bidding is unlikely to ever get you anywhere. Private renting is a non starter on UC too. So you end up stuck in the middle in bnb accommodation for bloody years.

If you are struggling with deposit there is a Scheme where they help you with deposits to go into private rented if you can afford that - ask them about it - basically they pay it or provide guarantee to landlord so it is waived.

'I am now looking for a landlord that will accept dss short term but am running out of places to look and am being turned down constantly as no one will take it'

Just don't tell them you're claiming. They'll have no way of knowing in most cases, unless maybe it's an estate agent who asks for bank statements or something (most don't do that.)

Yes, appeal- there's no harm in doing so, and get yourself on the register for in the future.

Fucking hell. I know shit all about this but op, it seems bloody unfair to me. Who is higher priority than a woman and newborn baby? Who the fuck are in all the council houses?! And why in the name of all evil governments are they still SELLING the houses they have?