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

Once you have reached 56 days to the end of your eviction notice, you are classed as homeless and your local authority will then put you on their application list.

As others have said, you don't have to leave if you've not found anywhere by the end date. Your landlord would need to take you to court which is taking months and months due to the backlog caused by coronavirus.

Shelter are brilliant for advice.

I'm sorry everyone is giving you such a hard time. In a caring society, people such as yourselves would get the help they need, especially when you're going to be giving so much back to society yourself when you qualify. I don't have any advice as I'm lucky enough to have never been in your situation. I just want to say I really hope you find a solution. It must be a terrible, stressful time for you all.

@Proudmumtoday

She doesn’t need a grant. She needs to get a part time evening job. Care work. Hospitality. Something like that. She should get care work easy enough as a nursing student.

And I say that as someone who went to uni full time, worked part time in a petrol station lates, and was a single parent too.

This includes grants, working, everything. The grants are out there and someone will claim them so it might as well be her if she’s in need. This is a serious situation to be in so the OP really needs to explore all the options.

Ultimately many social housing association ate only rehousing people who a
re homeless and st this stage this does not apply.
Despite the flat being sold they still have to serve you a section 21 notice and follow legal procedures for eviction. They are more likely to help when you have a court order. Don't move out they will see you as making yourself intentionally homeless
Good luck OP. I hope you get sorted.

Maybe you are looking for a medal @Proudmumtoday but have a

Yes but she’s not even making any effort to get a job

What is her plan for childcare once she’s at uni? It’s mid July. nursing will go back mid/end September ish. She’s had months to sort childcare and not got anything in place.

Her baby is 7 months. Many many people don’t have the luxury of that long off on maternity leave.

Oh come on.

Almost a year of maternity is a luxury she just can’t afford. Why can’t she go and do a job in the evenings when her husband can have the baby? She could get full time hours between now and uni going back.

@GraduallyWatermelon

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.

I agree with this unfortunately If it is possible could you defer your studies until your OH gets a better paid job?

Have you looked at your council housing website
Because they normally advertise properly to rent from private landlords too

I would talk to your uni about a hardship fund or ask if they can help with accommodation

@Tibtab

If your landlord sells then the new owners become your landlords. They have the same legal obligations and these don’t stop on the sale of the house. You have to stay put and wait for eviction which is stressful but it’s the only thing you can do as the council will not rehome you if leave before this. That’s the system.

This is wrong, you can't become an automatic landlord when you buy somewhere with a tenant in situ. There are all sorts of rules and regulations which apply when you want to become one.

I agree that OP could probably pick up some work in hospitality at weekends, could make an extra £80 a week that way, BUT not sure where that leaves you with your maternity benefits as you cannot work on mat leave and may leave them worse off

She says in the op that her maternity pay ends this month?

Get husband to sign up with a temp agency. His zero hours employment isn’t working for your situation. Temp agency will get him into full time work immediately, even if it’s cleaning toilets.

I’ve had to accept a job working 6 days a week in a warehouse because I couldn’t find the childcare for the dream job I was offered. Sometimes you have to take what there is.

Your situation won’t improve without an income increase. Saying there’s ‘no job’ in your ‘most expensive area of the country’ is tunnel vision. There’s always minimum wage jobs going in warehouses, pubs, fast food outlets, taxi driving, cleaning toilets, etc.

A CCJ might fail you on letting agent criteria for private rentals yes, but you just have to provide a guarantor instead. With husband on zero hours contract and you a student you’d be hard pushed to get accepted by letting agents anywhere.

On eviction day, you go to the council offices in the morning and they’ll put you in emergency accommodation. That won’t mean a nice two bedroom flat or house, it wil mean temporary accommodation in a hostel bedsit,, homeless B&B, that sort of place. You’ll then have to stay there for months possibly years in order to bump up your points and ‘qualify’ for accommodation in housing association, again, you might hit same oroblem with your income. HAs want to know you can actually pay the rent.

Maybe better off putting the nursing studies on hold for a year, apply for a bursary with them, get one or both of you into full time work so you can save.

I think some of you are totally missing the point - OP hasn't said they are not prepared to pay their way and this is why they are going to need help. They are not getting accepted for rental properties because of a CCJ on her partners file. Depending on when he got this, it could be another 6 years before that is removed.

If you are receiving a Student Loan you can also apply for a Child Care Grant to cover the costs of your child care whilst at Uni.

It's only a relatively new piece of support available but definitely something you should check to see if you qualify for. Should you qualify you just need to make sure the child care provider is suitably registered but you can get info on that from the UK Gov website.

www.gov.uk/childcare-grant

@Proudmumtoday

Oh come on.

Almost a year of maternity is a luxury she just can’t afford. Why can’t she go and do a job in the evenings when her husband can have the baby? She could get full time hours between now and uni going back.

Can’t you read? I said she should look at all options?

Citizens Advice will also be able to help.

You have to know someone who is prepared to be a guarantor as well as making sure they fit the criteria as well. Also, if there are multiple potential tenants for a property the landlords/agents are more likely going to go for those who do not need aa guarantor/has a ccj on their file. Why would they take the risk if they don't need to?

Where I live is not even the most desirable in the country (although admittedly we are on the coast) but houses and apartments round here are on the rent sites for a couple days before they are taken off as they've been let agreed. It's so tough atm. Two of my friends have been trying to get into private rented houses for the last 6 months and keep missing out.

OP, I second the previous advice to call Shelter for expert advice on how to deal with your housing situation.

Sticking to your plan to qualify and for your DP to refresh his experience is also the right approach for a long term financial independence IMO.

Does your uni have a list of student landlords? They would be more inclined to accept a student loan as income and may welcome a more mature family set up even with a child compared to a group of student? Unis also sometimes have student housing specifically for mature student with families

What sort of IT work does ypur partner do? Some IT sectors are desperate for staff at the moment and he might have more transferrable skilks than he realises and just needs to rework his cv etc (i appreciate hes probably looked at this already)

If you’re talking about London, the chances of getting social housing in your situation are next to zero unless you’re willing to be homeless for years.

I don’t understand why you’re so resistant to raising your income when that is clearly the family issue. Did you say your partner only earns 12k? There is lots of work going in London, even someone with no skills will earn well over that if going full time. He needs to get full time work. You need to get work that fits around his, maybe nighttime care work.

Secondly as his job is not actually brining in much money, there is no point prioritising this when it comes to location. You said you are paying 1k per month rent—sorry even in London that’s not cheap. With a baby you can share 1 room, get somewhere small and cheap on a bus not tube, without a seperate sitting room. Should save you at least a couple of hundred a month.

Thirdly, you need to get work. Immediately! Like care work in evenings/overnight. You don’t have the money to be a SAHM!!! He minds the baby in the nights while you work. I’ve rented a lot in London and I don’t remember ever being asked about my probation period, you realise people in professional jobs often move work and house every year, in your reckoning that wouldn’t be possible? The more income you have as a couple, the better.

Your problem is twofold: a lack of money, and needing to get a landlord to take you. The first is entirely solvable. Second you can work around—use places like open rent, slightly dodgier or cheaper landlords too who don’t bother with the checks.

I think the quicker you give up the dream of a central London council house the better, to be frank!

When you say you've been served notice what do you mean? Stay put until it gets to court and the bailiffs have to come. This will take months and once you have become officially homeless you will likely get placed in a hostel until something more permanent comes up. This could take years.

In my area of London the waiting list for council properties is 8 years.

Also lost landlords will accept the student loan as income, a guarantor will help though. Do you have a guarantor?

Whatever you do, don't leave the flat of your own accord when the notice period is up. The process is:
a) you refuse to leave
b) the landlord (current or new owner depending on when they complete purchase) takes you to court
c) the court orders you to leave within x number of days
d) you refuse to leave
e) the landlord takes you to court for breaching the order
f) the court sends the bailiffs in to forcibly evict you

Only when you get to f) will the council change your priority. If you think about it it makes sense. Right now, today, you have a roof over your head. Right now, today, there are people who don't. They won't prioritise you until you are one of the ones who don't. Imagine if on the day you were finally evicted and were on the street there was one council house available, and it went to someone who's landlord had just served them notice but still had a roof over their head that night?

You have to play the game. Ultimately landlords know that there's a chance their tenant won't leave on time, it's a risk they have to take for the benefit of making their fortune out of other people's basic needs.