To feel really a bit crappy about being disabled and trying to privately rent

[Rentingtroubles828]

basically AIBU to feel so crap?

I’m disabled due to MS which has flared in recent years since having my 3rd DS and therefore I am unable to work (I now have to use a wheelchair most of the time)
I have a DH who used to work in a fairly decent management position but had to leave 7 months ago to care for me and the children. DS1 is 6, DS2 is 3 and DS3 is 1. It unfortunately isn’t an option right now for him to go back into work and even when he does it will be part time.

We have been living off of universal credit and disability payments since he quit work. He has a small amount of savings but nowhere near enough for a deposit on our own house.

We’re living in a pretty bad area at the moment with a high crime rate and we just want to get out desperately. We are private tenants and have paid our rent on time for 8 years now without a single hiccup. We are so proud to have never failed with that. We also need a bigger house due to our children being stuck in one small bedroom.
No credit issues. Certainly no CCJs and excellent references from previous landlords.

However we are totally unable to find anywhere new at all. In the past month we have viewed 37 houses, some completely out of our desired area, and we have applied for 26 of these and have been rejected from every single one. We are persistently told the landlord wants someone that works. Sometimes I even ring letting agencies to enquire about a property and they’re straight up rude and tell me they don’t want tenants on benefits. It’s so hurtful. I called one just this morning who after hearing I was disabled said that NONE of their properties at that letting agency accepted tenants on disability benefits so she couldn’t help me. I felt so small and ashamed.

We have offered 6 months rent upfront everywhere and are again, told no. We have offered guarantors - we are told no.
Every single property we view and apply for has about 25-30 other prospective tenants also applying for it and most of course have jobs. The landlords literally do not want us

I’ve no idea what to do at this point. My family keeps asking me why I can’t just apply for a council house - we HAVE done that and have been told we are in the lowest band due to being private tenants. We were told to expect over 5 years to even get a flat. It just isnt an option.

I feel so low today with it all. Has anyone got any advice? The only other thing we can do is wait for my DH to go back into working part time and then hope for the best on the rental market but I still don’t think we will get anywhere because the competition is so high these days

Also to add - we have even gone as far as to offering OVER the rent the landlord is asking for but it still falls of deaf ears.

How long do you think it will be before DH can go back to work? I'm guessing you were already in a 2 bed when you had DS3 rather than downsized into that?
There's no way he can take any part time work even if it's evenings?

We’re hoping he can go back into work when our youngest can have funded hours at nursery (at the moment we can only afford to send him 1 day per week) which will be around January of 2023 time. We haven’t really got support or help from family either. I just feel really lost and as though I’m failing my children

YANBU and I don't know what to suggest. Yes landlords all want the perfect tenant (high earning, no pets, no kids) but I thought the law had been changed so that a blanket refusal of people on benefits was illegal (in reality of course they can just select someone else if there is competition for the property but you shouldn't be hearing "no benefits" from the agent).

The rental market is, by all accounts, really hot at the moment. As it cools you may have more luck if you just keep trying.

One question. If your current property were to become unsuitable for you - say if you couldn't manage the stairs - does that change you prioritisation with the council? It might be worth having a talk to shelter or maybe charities which support people with ms. Very few rental properties are adapted in a way which makes them suitable for a wheelchair user.

That's really shit and unfair. You definitely shouldn't feel like you're failing your children though - it's not your failing, it's the failure of the landlords / rental market / humanity n general.

If he had a good management job previously you couldn't afford the childcare then if he went back to it?

It's a tricky situation although if you're relying entirely on the taxpayer to support your family then you're unfortunately at the mercy of what's available.
Presumably your disability should bump you up the housing ladder although not sure if that would still be the case given that theoretically your husband is not disabled and should be able to work.
It's not a great situation to be in though.
Could you put the children in full time childcare so your husband could go back to work?

This is one of the problems caused by the ban on properties being advertised as "no DSS" i.e. they won't accept tenants on benefits.

It sounds like a good idea in theory, but it just wastes the applicant's time. The landlord isn't obliged to offer their property to someone on benefits, they just can't advertise that fact.

@MorningStarling

This is one of the problems caused by the ban on properties being advertised as "no DSS" i.e. they won't accept tenants on benefits.

It sounds like a good idea in theory, but it just wastes the applicant's time. The landlord isn't obliged to offer their property to someone on benefits, they just can't advertise that fact.

That's exactly right.

In fact you also aren't allowed to specific sex/gender in houseshare adverts. I have some houseshares that are all female. The women in the house want me to get another woman when rooms become free. But I'm not allowed to put that in adverts so it wastes everyone's time.

As to the OP's problem. I don't know. It sounds shit. As a LL myself I would certainly consider people on benefits if they have a guarantor, in fact I do let properties to such families. And if they seemed 'nice', and the benefits were enough to cover the rent, then I can't really see the problem. And as you're also offering upfront rent/higher rent I can't imagine why you're not being considered.

*specify

I've experienced this too. Husband on disability benefits and I work full time. Despite fact I earn well and could afford the rent, estate agents were a flat no when asked if husband worked too and I said disability benefits.

In the end I applied as a single tenant, and then just moved in with my husband. Not ideal but I got desperate.

It's horribly discriminatory but renting in my area is so competitive, that they just wouldn't consider us when I applied jointly.

I think you might be better off trying to find something privately rather than through an estate agent. Has your local area got a renting and selling type of group on FB?

I don’t see how you would be the lowest band. Where do you live I could help you find some sort of advocacy group maybe, there are several disability advocacy groups who could potentially help ? Not to sound horribly nosey but what kind of disability do you have ?

Sorry just seen it is MS. Do you have a community or specialist nurse you could speak to?

Also could you widen your net and look for shared ownership type schemes where you don’t need age big deposit?!

mstrust.org.uk/life-ms/your-finances/legal-advice