AIBU to not understand why we don’t meet social housing criteria?

[Lulubon]

Does anyone have any experience with social housing?
We have been on the register for a year, band C and 13 points

Our situation:
My partner was made redundant during the pandemic and found it hard to find a job, he now works a low paid nhs job, full time.

He has a previous ccj which prevents us being accepted for rental properties. We’ve been turned down more times then I can count.

We live in one of the most expensive areas of the country. (Just happened to be where we grew up and we previously were relatively high earners)

We have a 7 month old son. I am currently receiving statuary maternity pay which ends this month.

I am a nursing student and will be returning to my studies in September full time.

We currently rent a small flat which is £1000pm. We originally lived her a few years ago when both in full time work, well paid jobs.

Rent is almost all of my partners earning and we are left with just enough to cover bills and food. Although I often have to put at least one food shop on the credit card.

Our flat has been sold and we have been served notice.

We have nowhere to go as we have been frantically applying to rent through letting agents and haven’t been accepted for low income and the ccj.

We contacted the council to ask if we have gained priority and they said no!?

I am completely at a loss and so heartbroken to be in this situation, we were living a care free lifestyle with quite a bit of disposable income pre pandemic.
I want our son to have a secure home but the woman we spoke to today from the counsel said we would need minimum 25 point (we have 13) to even be considered for a housing association house.

Can this be correct? If so what can we do in this situation?

Thanks in advance

Butterfly Cat, it isn't an unreasonable thing to ask if she can afford to continue with her studies for now though. Of course it would be unfortunate to have to pause them, but in the OPs circumstances its certainly something to consider! Sadly, further education is a luxury, and people can't always afford to study full time, that's not being nasty, just a fact of life. I would investigate whether I was getting all my benefits, and investigate bursaries etc, but with a young baby I would be prioritising my housing situation over everything else.

I think you need to talk to someone about the right benefits.

If your jncome is 1k a month amd you haveca child Im pretty sure you'd get some of the housing benefit element.

Have you approached housing associations or cab?

In my mind in a few years you will be earning as a nurse so this is a temporary problem. I dont think you should get a council house but rather help to find somewhere else to rent and money towards that.

I just want to say no matter what continue your education. That is what will fix this problem long term. Do whatever you have to do even if that means a few nights in a temp accomodation.

Have you applied for UC? From what you say you might be entitled and that would help with housing costs.

Whatever you do, please continue with your course. It will be worth it.

Good luck.

Can you talk to your uni OP? I can’t imagined it would help with social housing but they could potentially help with accommodation in other ways. They will likely have hardship funds etc.

Do you have a student loan? You’d be entitled to a decent amount annually.

I applied directly to my housing association... 7 weeks later I had the keys to my house. They are allowed to rent a certain amount of their houses directly rather than through the council.
Councils will have a list of social landlords too, they may accept if you have a ccj.

I would go onto a benefits calculator to see if you’re eligible for Universal credit based on your income. Being on the housing list is luck of the draw, the criteria is so strict now because properties are in short supply... I was told I wasn’t eligible at all... with a 6 month old and landlord wanting to sell my 1 bed flat.

You won't get anywhere with letting agents.

You need to look at private renting through landlords.

Why are you getting smp?

Are you getting any benefits?

Unfortunately the social housing is only sufficient to provide for those who have absolutely no alternative. Currently you do have an alternative - you can stay put where you are and you have a legally protected right to stay there until your landlord obtains a court order to make you leave. When that court order exists your housing priority will increase, but not a moment before. You don't usually have to actually subject yourselves to being forcibly manhandled onto the streets by bailiffs though.

If you follow that path, the emergency housing you are allocated will probably be just one room that the three of you have to share, with maybe a microwave in the room or maybe having to share cooking facilities with others, and the location of this emergency housing could be 2 hours travel away from your DHs work and your own hospital site of education and training. Given that, it might be that you can avoid being allocated something that is really grim by actively choosing to lower your aspirations a little and choosing to move somewhere that is a bit grimmer than you are happy with, but not as grim as you will be expected to tolerate when you have no other choice.

There are various schemes to provide deposits etc, contact Shelter to find out which schemes you can qualify for.

OK we've been in similar position (no baby though and not pandemic)...

Our advice via property barrister...:

Don't move until you have a court directed bailiffs knocking at your door... Or you have signed contract and have keys to another place... Which you've checked do work on new home.

Depending on area it can takes months for landlord to get to court, and then court has to give you a specific amount of time ad nauseum.

Ensure your notice to quit (think s21?) was served correctly (check with CAB or ask a free solcitor- through house insurance? /union? Or better ask SHELTER). ....a good third aren't... The notice has to be exact, with the EXACT notice given and EXACT dates given ... So if it is incorrectly served (any errors) then courts MUST strike it out ( as if it hasn't been served...) and they have to start the process again.

They must give you a minimum of 2 months notice.

If s21 (?) incorrectly written, don't tell landlod/ agent. This gives you more time. Wait until they're expecting you out... Then tell them... We did this... Horrible landlords but we couldn't /didn't want to move... In the ended we negotatied over leave date and they paid all our moving /storage costs.

This gives you massive leverage... As they'll want you out to sell... You can then negotiate... (you may find a private rental in meantime).

Continue to pay rent...

Be ready to move at very short notice... You don't want to miss somewhere if you're not organised...

I doubt whether your 7.month old will be aware of where they're living! You'll be protecting them!

Many years ago I worked in local authority... Emergency accommodation was just that... A roof over your head... But shared everything else...pretty grim tbh.

Make yourself as attractive as possible to future landlords - can you get good reference from current/past landlords? Have you always paid on time?Pay upfront a few months? Emphasise what a stable work history you had til pandemic.

Can you ask on any FB noticeboards?

Ask uni for advice.

Can you pick up some evening /night shifts...? There's always loads of shifts going locally to me (South East).

When are you due to complete?

Also isn't the pandemic rules still in place wrt to eviction??

See it stopped on June 1st...but it looks as if you may still have a lot of wriggle room
...

england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/coronavirus

Guess you could post the s21 here with your details blanked out and someone should be able to advise?

It's a shit system and unfair on both tenant and landlord but if you leave before the court orders bailiffs in then in many areas the council turn round and say you're intentionally homeless and therefore they don't have to help. (I used to work for the housing dept of a local authority with a massive lack of housing and a waiting list so long most people would never get to the top.)

Shit as it is, you need to stay put. You will probably be put in temporary accomodation at first (and if you refuse it, well then intentionally homeless again!) but it's better than being on the streets! And I know some people go waa waa poor landlord not their problem well no, but that's just tough shit when the alternative is a baby on the streets or taken into care because the parents are on the streets.

Universities usually offer assistance with childcare, means tested. Usually a nursery on site with free or discounted places for those in need. If you haven't approached uni for advice on all this please do, they have a lot of resources

Could your husband look after child whole you work? Where we are there are lots of hospitality, care jobs etc around, one of you could do that? Or work around each other?

I’m surprised you don’t qualify for housing association help.

Flats near me have couples without children etc.

As you are training to be a nurse you should be essentially a KW. As is your husband. Double KW and you can walk into HA flats here it seems. (Cambridge)

Thanks everyone.

We do receive a small amount of UC. By small I mean it allows us to pay our council tax and help towards food!

I’m not leaving my studies because we are relying on the fact that I will have a better income soon. Plus it’s my passion and I need to find a way to make it work.

My student loan is due to be quite high but I won’t receive that until October and my local estate agents don’t seem to accept my loan as a form of income. Plus we need to find a home now, not in October

Those saying continue looking to rent, I will do as this is the preferred situation but SH has seemed to be the only way we could secure somewhere (clearly not)

Re childcare. The uni offers an on nursery, unfortunately it’s full!
I’ve looked into others but many arent very inflexible so we are on the hunt for a childminder instead atm- I will look in to government help but im not sure if all childminders would accept???

@BrieAndChilli's post wasn't rude and was entirely valid.

@LobotomisedIceSkatingFan
It’s down to how I interpreted it. It was passive aggressive and unhelpful in my opinion 🤷🏼‍♀️

Are there any new build estates round by you? If so, most will have a proportion of social housing, usually rented at below market rates. Do the rounds, find out who the housing associations are and apply directly to them. A lot give priority to families in the local area.

Also agree with the suggestion of working evenings/weekends to bring some extra in. Supermarkets/care work etc so you’re on opposite shifts to your DP

When I was training to be a nurse many students deferred a year to earn and save because of financial pressures. I know it's not what you want to do but it's what lots of people have to do.

@Lulubon

Looks like everyone is saying the same.

I did forget to mention that the council did say we shoplifting essentially not leave the property. Seems like such a strange and backwards way to go about it. They said they could send Balyliff etc!? Not a situation I want to put my son through.

What has shoplifting got to do with it-I don’t get that bit?

If you were both high earners but your DH is now doing a low paid role and you are a student in an expensive area-I’d wonder if now was a good time to be a student if you can’t afford living costs. What was your salary before? I’d look into going back to that and see what UC childcare help you can get.

My brother lives in social housing. Chatting to him about it, I was surprised that there's not a periodic means test (say every 5 years to check that you still "qualify" on income or other grounds).

He's allowed to stay in his for the rest of his life and can pass it to his son if wishes. Obviously this isn't a problem per se, and many may choose to move out and into a bigger property, but it really surprised me. Given the high demand and limited supply of social housing, I'm surprised that councils don't review tenants' circumstances to see if they can free up properties to people on waiting lists.