Getting rejected for houses because we have dc

[Whatsthestitch]

Little bit of a click bait but partly true

Me and dp currently live with an abusive parent and we are trying to leave. I have had dc so can't work and am on uc. Dp works full time. Even though we have money for a depoist and holding depoist I still don't understand how we can afford to move out!

Has anyone had experience of moving out on housing benefit? How did it work for you. I can't see any landlord accepting our situation and as our budget is so small (900pcm) most flats we see say they aren't family/children suitable. I didn't even think of the possibility of landlords/ladies discriminating against children. Surely a family of 3 living in a 1 bedroom isn't that overcrowded or absurd given the current climate. I'm willing to get a part time job but even that will only be about 2 days max as it will be family looking after dc for free childcare.

Help! Seeking advice and posting for traffic

This is always bandied about as the solution. Moving some distance away costs a lot of money, and in most cases people are moving away from their support networks which is counterproductive (abusive parent excepted here).

Most people in this situation can't afford a long distance move. It's not the brilliant solution you think it is.

Moving costs money. We moved as a family to a cheaper area but it cost a fair bit of money to do so.

A bit of a reach to accuse me of being against parents supporting the children they have. "Scuttling off" to CAB? 😂as if it's something shameful or weaselly to do? That's what it's there for. If there are benefits OP is entitled to, she should get them! They'll also be able to give her actual relevant advice specific to her and her area.

Social housing is provided for a wide range of occupants not just young families.

What I, and almost every other poster has suggested, is to try to support herself and her family.

She has dismissed the idea of working other than very part time when the reality is that many young parents work in order to put a roof over their heads.
She hasn't even tried yet to get work.

It's not other people's responsibility to provide housing for her. She made a choice to have a child when she was already living with her parents.

@tattygrl Wouldn't it be so much better if the OP was advised on how to improve her income, rather than rely on income (benefits) provided through taxes, by other young parents?

I guess we just have a very different outlook on life and personal responsibility for life choices someone has made.

@Whatsthestitch I don't get this post. If you had fulltime nursery/ childcare why couldn't you then get a full time job? You say full time nurseyr would eat up the wages from any part time job?

We don't know OP, we're all strangers on the internet. So much advice on housing, jobs, benefits and rent is going to depend entirely on OP's specific, personal situation, so CAB is the obvious solution. Also, no, I am not against benefits at all, for anyone. We (almost) all pay into the system at some point through our taxes, which is what entitles us to access the benefits if/when we need them. It's not living off other peoples' taxes, it's ALL of our taxes, which create the social security system essential for a civilised country. I've never accessed benefits and paid taxes for 10 years - I don't begrudge people using "my tax money" as benefits in the slightest.

Yes, it'd be great if OP gets some good advice about improving her income from this thread. But that doesn't mean she might be entitled to some benefits, too. There's no virtue in unnecessarily struggling financially if there are state supports you're entitled to and not using. And again, CAB can actually definitively advise her, unlike strangers online.

I don't think you understand universal credit. Universal credit has replaced 6 benefits and effectively rolled them into 1 including housing benefit. Go on the website entitled to and it will show you what you are likely to receive. You claim as a couple with children, rent and childcare costs. It will take into account any income but you will be better off in work on UC then out. Your UC will drop with earnings but your UC + earnings will be more then UC on its own.

I had all sorts of issues with this OP! refused time and time again due to being on benefits (even though working with great references, deposit etc). You might benefit from speaking to the council or saving up 6m rent in advance.

Your posts don’t make complete sense - why would you pay for a full time childcare place then only work part time? Of course that’s not financially viable - you work the same hours you get childcare for! And why can you not work full time because you need to be there to look after DC while your partner is at work? If you have a full time childcare place that isn’t an issue because the child is in childcare while you’re both at work. To be honest it sounds like excuses.

I don’t understand why working is apparently impossible for you because you have one child, yet millions of families manage to have two parents working. Even with multiple kids, so harder logistics.

Why are you different? Why can you not do what many, many other people do? Including people who don’t earn bucket loads. That’s what UC childcare help is for, for lower earners.

I’m not trying to be unkind but you sound very quick to say things aren’t possible that really should be - they might just be more difficult than staying at home and not working. If you want a home for your family you might just have to do things that aren’t the easiest option.

Full time job should pay for full time childcare..
Am i missing something?
I managed to rent as single parent with a child, paying her childcare in full myself (exh contributes now..but back then didnt). It sucks not having much left at the end of the month but u just budget well.
It was tight. But if I had a partner with income it would have been much better.
Could this not be an option?

You don’t fit DM criteria with that, really. It’s the ones who would have felt fulfilled being those people in workhouses who turned away paupers if they weren’t virtuous that I’m aiming at with my DM tarnishing 🤣

@tattygrl Have you missed the fact that the OP is already claiming UC?

As others have pointed out, she doesn't seem to understand this is all previous benefits rolled into one single benefit.

I don't begrudge people claiming benefits if they are disabled and can't work or have hugely mitigating circumstances that mean they cannot work (much.)

The OP is not one of those.

She has made a choice to have a child when she can't afford to house herself and appears to still be living with her parent(s.)

She is ruling out working (very much) and blaming landlords for not offering her unsuitable accommodation.

No one owes her and her partner a living (or a home.)
If she is able to work, she should.

Not working should not be a lifestyle 'choice' just because it's not super-convenient or doesn't equate with whatever mindset she's created to support that choice.

I think some on here don't realise how expensive nursery/childcare is.
I agree on getting a weekend or evening job though.

OK but if OP is on minimum wage (assuming she is 21 or over) and 8 hour day will earn her £76. She won't even make enough in a day to cover the nursery fees, so her partner will have to top those up which leaves them with even less money. They can get it back as you said, but how do they pay for it upfront first. Women not being able to work due to childcare costs is a real issue. I am limited to part time work myself because of my partners earnings we are not eligible for UC but there is no way we could afford nursery fees because I simply don't earn enough to cover it and we would be financially worse off if I were to be in full time work right now.

OP I don't know what the answer is, sadly more and more people are being forced to stay in abusive or uninhabitable situations because there is just no help anymore, the days of being able to survive from one wage are long gone and I fear things are only going to get worse.

This sums up my thoughts exactly. You clearly cannot afford to now work, so find a way to get working - whether that be evenings, overnight, weekends, do what you need to do. What were your plans for housing and working before having a child (you should have had a plan).

OP I've rehoused many people in similar situations in to private tenancies.

Honestly, private renting is unfortunately massively competitive, so you will indeed need to look at moving somewhere less competitive than where you are.
This will likely bring with it moving away from support networks, but that is what folks are having to now to find housing they can afford.

You would be well advised to find work and put your LO in childcare to match those hours.
You will likely barely break even, but having that income on your application will make you more attractive to landlords.

What was your job before baby? Why did you not return after maternity leave?

Sit down with DP and, using Rightmove filters, find areas with tenancies you can afford.

Good luck.

Oh my god. My opinion is she should go to CAB because they can give her accurate and useful advice, not that she should start a benefits racket, sit on her arse and rinse all us hard working tax payers of our money.

I haven't missed that OP is already claiming UC. I think she should seek accurate benefits, work and housing info from CAB, that's literally it. I detect cynicism from you surrounding people on benefits and it's not an attitude I can align with. The reasons people use benefits are complex and unique. I don't think they should only be used in the most extreme circumstances, actually. I think if they can help improve your life, and you're legally entitled, you should access them. People thriving and supported function and contribute to society, instead of being worked and stressed to the bone for the sake of not accessing benefits. I don't think we're going to agree, though, somehow.

@Greenfairydust I am not a landlord, I was speaking from experience of DC renting in the London market. One landlord wanted 85.00 payment for tiny mark on 4.00 cushion cover when they moved out of 1 bed flat at 1400 pcm. DC went to shop and bought a new cushion for 4.00.

They can claim UC. 85% is covered until around a combined income of 40k. 85% of £210 is £178 leaving £30 a week to top up. The second income would cover that fine.

Uc has housing element and you get a housing allowance with that so you'd get around £500

If I was a landlord of a 1 bed flat I would not rent out to a family of 3

Cramped and limited living space so more likely to incur damage

More likely to leave to somewhere bigger pretty quickly and incur cost and delay in getting someone new in

What nonsense.
The law defines what overcrowding is, not people on mn forums.
This wouldn't be classed as overcrowding - look it up.
That's why it's discrimination i.e. discriminating between the OP and others because they have dc. It's not okay or fair on the OP.

It's not the OP's fault that childcare is so expensive - (£14k a year on average) that working doesn't make financial sense. Or do you think only people with 14k per year spare income should be allowed to have children.....?!!!!!

Why do you all live with an abusive parent, how did that come about? Did you have somewhere else to live and then moved in with them or did your partner move in with you and your parent and then you had a baby?

How is the parent abusive?