To ask for help about renting as a single parent.

[BeaAndTiscuits]

I'm currently living with my mum, but I want to move out. We live in a city where the average rent is way more than I get paid.
I tried to apply for mid market but they told me I did not meet the criteria as I don't earn enough.

What can I do? The mid market rent is £775 pcm and the private rent is around £900, This is for a 2 bed flat/apartment.
The list for council housing is years long (same as anywhere I guess) so what am I supposed to do?
I'm sharing a room with my 3 year old and it's really getting to me now. I don't have my own space, it's affecting my mental health but I need to stay in this area for many reasons.
All my family live elsewhere (8 hour train drive) I only have my mum and my brother here, if move away from the area it means I have to pay for childcare, get a car or commute to work and I'll be alone. My mum is no help, what do I do? How are regular people affording this rent? I know I'll get some help but do I apply for that when I get a flat, or before? When applying for a flat, I'm obviously not being considered as my income is so low- am I supposed to tell them I will get some benefit help? Some adverts state they don't want any Tenants that are claiming benefits.
I feel like screaming, I don't want to present myself as homeless as they could put me really far away and I may have to stay in a hostel etc. I just don't know what to do, or where to start.

Can you move somewhere cheaper? Where I live in the East Midlands average rents are much less than where you are.

Yes you need to be honest re benefits as you could put the LL asset at risk if his insurance becomes invalid etc.
Can you up your hours? Move area to somewhere cheaper, may not be what you want but many do it.

@PyjamaFan somewhere cheaper would have to be quite far and then I'd have to pay for childcare as finding a job that offer hours during nursery/school hours is really difficult and I don't really want to have to leave my current job as I'm progressing.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss the applications I have tried so far don't even ask about benefits, only my income so I don't even have the opportunity to lie (not that I was planning on) but am I supposed to write this info elsewhere on the application?

You could try Citizens Advice and Shelter for advice and help on what to do. You said “the average rent is way more than I get paid” and that average private rent is £900/mo. Are you an apprentice or do you only work part time?

Citizens Advice can tell you what you’d be entitled to both staying or moving out. For example, your child is 3 so you should be entitled to 30hrs free childcare a week wherever you live. Also you’d probably get universal credit with a housing element to top up your wages.

Shelter can help you look at housing options and housing associations. It is true many landlords discriminate against working families on benefits, but they should be able to point you towards letting agents who represent landlords who take on people just starting out like yourself.

Could you move into a one bed flat instead and sleep on a sofa bed in the lounge for the time being?

Have you been on a benefits website to see how much you would get towards your rent and council tax? You will get something but the max housing benefit will only cover the lowest 30% of rents in your area.

Are you saving at your mums with no rent and childcare? Do you have deposit for rent and upfront 2-3months in the bank?

You are going have to find estate agency or landlord who is willing take you on so having deposit will go along way and then get in your claim for housing benefit or whatever it’s called under UC these days. It is Catch 22 though as even though can’t legally discriminate many do. Worth checking shelters website on how to get around this.

It would probably be helpful to get an idea of where you are based, your income and how many hours you work? It sounds like you work (at most) part time in a low paid role--if so I think a 2 bed flat in a reasonably expensive area will not be easy to swing. If your pay is rubbish then I wouldn't base my location off that, I would try to find a higher paying job to move near.

We don't unfortunately know what area of the country you live in but I do appreciate that rents are insane at the moment.

Obviously the current situation isn't working for you so something needs to change. As someone else said perhaps look at moving to a cheaper area of the country. I know it's hard to move from everything you know and are used to but you could in the long term find happiness elsewhere.

I wonder if there are any other mothers in the same position, or friends elsewhere you could potentially look to flat share with? Is it the fact that you live out of one room in somewhere you don't feel is yours? Or the physical space itself?

Either way something to think about.

Op, what do you mean by mum is no help? Do you mean she has no suggestions or you don't get on together?

Some very good advice from previous posters. With kindness Op the reality is you need to increase yr hrs to full time to maximise your earning potential. There will be associated child care costs but with yr funded hours, benefit support and the knowledge that yr child will be in sch from the age of 5 , the big monthly childcare expenses will not be for ever. It will allow you get a place of your own choosing and in the area you want. You can only really have full say in where you live if you have full control on acquiring it. I managed to get on the property ladder in the mid 90's when i was young but it was hard work and a lot of sacrifice. Even so, when i finally started my family and had my DC, i had to move 100 miles away from my family and friends and endure a long commute to work , to be able to afford to buy the house i wanted for me and my children , to get the space we needed and the opportunities it offered for a better quality of life, even with the equity i had already accrued.

Sadly there are no easy fixes to your problem and sacrifices and changes will need to be made if you are to get the accommodation you want. Increasing your hours to full time and therefore your income is the first step. Also, creating a budget planner, listing poss rent, utility bills, food, council tax, childcare, phone/tv contracts, clothing, transport to work etc will give you a good idea of what your monthly outgoings may be. Put this against your new salary and any benefits you may be entitled to and that will give you a good idea of what accommodation you can realistically afford and its location. It does sound as if living with mum is not sustainable anymore and you and yr DC need your own space now.

Have you even considered living somewhere cheaper? Have you actually looked into flats, jobs, possible childcare etc?

You seem to dismiss any suggestions straight away.

Could anyone advice on this or been in a similar situation? Could really do with your help as I am feeling lost..
I am expecting my first child in January and I am going to be a single mum. I am already looking for a more confortable place for me, my baby and my mum who would come from abroad to help me with a chidcare. Where I am renting now I am ok on my own but the place is definetely too small for 3 of us. I applied for a council home but obviously I am not on priority list as I am not homeless and the waiting is at least 1,5 years. At the moment while I am working, I can afford to rent, but I want to be clear with the landlord and tell straight away about my situation, but I feel like they are worried I will not be able to pay rent once I go on maternity. I feel like asking dss option puts me down on the bottom of the list and they rather give the accomodation to someone else. How should I go around it? Is it possible at all to find a place to live being a single parent?

How are you presently affording/paying for childcare?

Oh ffs just seen it's a zombie thread I was answering!!!

Just start your own thread?

Go for the long game. While your current situation isnt ideal, its cheap/free. Can you use this time (with 30 hour childcare funding) to train for something with better pay prospects?

@Lovisa85
You are barely 3m pregnant and already know you will be a single parent? Hope I dont offend but if the father is buggering off this fast is keeping his child definitely the best option for you all? Are you likely to get any child maintenance?

How is your mum going to come? Is she entitled to live in the uk? There are a lot of conditions to be able to bring a dependant family member to the UK, it's very difficult.

You can private rent now but a contract may require you to notify your landlord of either the addition to your family or the use of benefits towards rent and you may face eviction.

The father of the child shows no interest so far, he might appear later, but I can't count on him. I am not sure if he would pay child maintenance as we are not in touch at all. I know I have chosen a tough path for myself, but having an abortion is not an option for me.
My mum would not live in the country permanently. She would come to help me out for some time but would not stay to live with me.
I feel like telling landlords about getting housing benefits puts them off renting properties to single parents. I am just wondering how they manange to find the accomodation.
I have some savings, I might just about manage to buy but again it would mean that I am putting all my money to the morgage and would have no spare money aside.

I was thinking while I am on maternity leave look for a flexible job from home.

@Lovisa85 I am a single parent renting now, it took me about 2 months to find a place but I live in a very busy city so it's hard to get accommodation anyway, no matter your situation. When I applied for a property I had to either have 6 months rent in advance or have a guarantor. The letting agent I am with have been amazing too, I had a guarantor, filled the application and had some credit checks done. They've given me food parcels a few months too. So not all letting agents and landlords are against those on benefits, just he completely honest with them, I'm sure a great place will come along soon.
As for your mum, im not sure how it would work for benefits. I claim universal credit but it's just me and my daughter. There is a really helpful Facebook group you could join and they can give you the amount you'd be entitled to and how it would work with your mum being there too as . They know alot and are really helpful, it's called "universal credit survival". Good luck with everything.

Thank you very much, I will look for this group on facebook. I know I do not need to rush just yet, but I want to be everything ready for a baby when he/she arrives and it's easier to move out while I am still phisically able to pack my stuff :D
My mum would not be able to be there all the time for me, so I would be a single parent raising the child on my own, so I believe I would be entitled to child benefits and I hope that baby's father will come to his senses and eventually will decide to lift a finger to help me out.