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

Definitely speak to your uni - they will have a person who can advise on benefits, emergency payments, hardship funds etc. It might be complicated because you've deferred but they should be offering some support.

I'd definitely be looking for evening or weekend work round your partner's hours so you can take turns looking after your baby. The extra cash would obviously be useful and would make you more appealing to landlords if you've got two incomes coming in. There's always job adverts for carers, bar staff, cleaners round here.

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

And you cover all the court costs I hope because it was your circumstances that put the land lord through this?

We bought a house that had tenants in situ and insisted on a long stop on completion and also there must be vacant possession

Unless they are a btl ll , with no mortgage, and taking over sitting tenants it is very unlikely the sale has exchanged yet.

Are there key worker schemes in your area as you both work for the NHS.

And you cover all the court costs I hope because it was your circumstances that put the land lord through this?

Why would someone pay to effectively ge made homeless? It’s the landlord’s decision to sell the house, it’s not like they’ve defaulted on the rent or caused antisocial behaviour.

As he works and you were previously managing to pay a high rent, I think you have to keep looking for private rentals. Maybe move to a cheaper area and commute, or put your training on hold for a bit until you’re more secure?

Do you get UC or PIP to help?

Nursing pay starts off very low how do you intend to manage on that?

You may need to present as homeless to the council and accept temp accommodation eg in a B&B or house share.

@Flowers500

Look it doesn’t really matter if it’s shitty for the landlord, we can all agree that but if the alternative is a baby sleeping on the streets…

My point is though that they can afford £1000pm-the problem is finding someone who will accept that from them.

Being able to afford £1000pm rent isn't a bad situation to be in & it should put them a long way from being on the streets.

Perhaps current LL would vouch for them?

@Spanielstail

I can't believe how many people are suggesting she overstays get notice and waits to be evicted. That costs the landlord money!! (s)he owns that property and has a right to sell it without someone squatting in it refusing to leave.

They're not squatting... The only 'right' the landlord has is to serve a s21 and go to court if OP has nowhere else to live to get them evicted.

And as many people have rightly said... Many councils perceive as leaving a tenancy without a place to go to is making themselves intentionally homeless...

Why should she go against her family's best interest to suit the landlord??

(naturally the OP is there purely to suit the landlord....)

@IamtheDevilsAvocado it's very easy to take the moral high ground until you're in the situation.

What should OO do? Have her family on the street because of the needs of her landlord?

The rules are there to protect people and landlords are aware of these before they take the decision to rent their property

[quote Tibtab]Today 09:04 butterpuffed

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.

@butterpuffed
The tenant is “in-situ” and the change in ownership does not change their tenancy agreement and rights:
www.samconveyancing.co.uk/news/conveyancing/sitting-tenant-5173[/quote]
Apologies then ~ I was told differently by my local authority.

Defer your studies for a year and get a job while your partner looks for better paid job.

While doing that you could apply for nursing in different university’s where living costs are cheaper and your partner could look for a job in the same area.

You may find you get housed first in emergency accommodation (hostel/b&b etc) and then moved into temporary accommodation, which in your situation would be a self contained unit which you will pay the council the Housing association rate for (if they don't cock up and forget to bill you, which is a distinct possibility)

You can then sit in TA until a private sector property is found for you by the council under a landlord incentive scheme (the success of which vary massively from council to council), you find your own property which the council will support you into, or you move into social housing, which is likely to have a massive waiting list, and once you're in secure TA you'll no longer likely to be bumped up it.

PP are right in saying stay put, leave now and there's no duty to house you as you're making yourself intentionally homeless.

Once you're in TA, one option you could speak to local landlords or agents about if you receive the housing element of universal credit is having an alternative payment arrangement put in place. You have to apply for this through your online journal and the landlord has to fill in a form (UC47 off the top of my head) but it means the housing element of UC is paid directly to them. May mean some may overlook the CCJ.

@butterpuffed no worries! Lots of people don’t know this. It’s a massive risk if you buy a property with tenants in situ and they don’t move out by completion. Tenants have rights and people become landlords without necessarily wanting to.

If your credit rating is ok, might it be worth just getting a job for the few months before you start university and applying as a single applicant.
Do you have better earning potential than your partner, maybe it’s worth you seeing what’s available and letting him Be the stay at home parent for a few months, before you start university.
The option of waiting to be evicted in the hope of social housing and potentially living In a hostel for indeterminate length of time sounds very stressful to me.

[quote ButterflyCat2028]@WorraLiberty

If you're in this situation with a child, can you afford to return to studies instead of getting out there and working?”

Holy hell as if you've dared say that. What an absolute.... you are!

She will qualify as a nurse, and their family will be in a much better position afterwards. It's not their fault partners earnings reduced due to a bloody pandemic! Or that she started uni in X locality! Bet you are the type to moan if people don't 'better' themselves as well. How spiteful can one person be. Really.

OP, unfortunately, until you are made homeless, nothing will be done. Any relatives you can stay with and push re 'overcrowding' in the mean time?[/quote]
Oh calm down with the amateur dramatics 🙄

It was a perfectly valid question, which a lot of others asked further on in the thread too.

If your husband works for NHS and you are nursing student, would you qualify for key worker housing?
Also worth posting in local FB groups perhaps.

Have you approached your university housing office for advice? They are small in number but there are some family student flats dotted around - usually aimed at foreign students. Would be a 9 month tenancy only but likely to accept your loan

OP, I can understand why you don't want to leave your course and it sounds like the issue is the CCJ not income, which won't be solved by that either.

Some thoughts (apols if mentioned upthread). Have you tried:

• contacting shelter
• seeing if someone can be your guarantor (if that negates the CCJ issue)
• seeing if uni has any family accom
• putting a note up in the hospital your husband works at to see if anyone has any private housing leads
• contacting the uni and seeing if any pastoral support services who can help you

Also I agree the best thing might be to let your landlord serve you an eviction notice. We are landlords, and you take this risk when you become one. If it was that or make my 7 month old baby homeless I know what I'd choose.

Best of luck to you, I hope you have a happy update soon!

If oh has a job in nhs, he may be able to transfer it to a cheaper area of the country and you transfer university's.

Some unis have family accommodation

@Kerberos

What skills does your partner have?

You really cant have looked at the job market if you are claiming there aren't any jobs. Right now there is a HUGE shortage of skilled workers. There are real problems with hiring in our sector (tech) due to lack of candidates.

And unskilled workers too, by the sound of it - I was in the supermarket a little earlier and one of the checkout staff was telling someone that they have 29 vacancies atm. And it's only a small supermarket!

@StrangeToSee

As he works and you were previously managing to pay a high rent, I think you have to keep looking for private rentals. Maybe move to a cheaper area and commute, or put your training on hold for a bit until you’re more secure?

Do you get UC or PIP to help?

Nursing pay starts off very low how do you intend to manage on that?

You may need to present as homeless to the council and accept temp accommodation eg in a B&B or house share.

Nursing pay starts at 25k and can increase significantly with enhancements on top.

Priority need will only be awarded once you are physically homeless, you will then be housed in temporary accommodation till a suitable property is found.

With a CCJ against you it's imperative you do not take any steps that will count as "intentionally homeless" as private rent sector will not touch you.

You must remain in the property past the eviction notice. Do not leave on the eviction date. As bad as this sounds you are going to have to be removed by bailiffs.

It's not great for the private landlord, or the possible new buyers, but this is how the housing system works sadly.

Stay put, wait for bailiffs and once you have a bailiff notice contact the LA Housing department and state you are being removed by bailiffs on X date.

Sorry to hear about your son's epilepsy, OP. If he needs more attention and monitoring than a baby of the same age, you could well be entitled to claim DLA for him.

A DLA award would also mean your UC goes up by over £300 a month (carer's element and disabled child element).

An organisation that supports parents of babies/children with disabilities would be best placed to advise you, as a lot of mainstream advisers will tell you that you can't get DLA for babies, which is simply not true.

I know you say that your housing situation and your finances aren't connected, but when you have more money coming in, it's always easier to find somewhere to live.