AIBU to be in a total state about this?

[ArtemisW]

I live in a privately rented flat and have been here three years. My rent is set to increase by £400 a month shortly and I just don’t have the money to pay it. I’m also dealing with Complex PTSD and other trauma-related health conditions that require me to have a daily Carer that Social Services send to my home. This to say, I am not well enough to take on extra work to pay for the increased rent. I’ve been looking for cheaper places to live for months now with no luck. I am facing a very real likelihood of homelessness and living on the street.

It has reached a point where letting agents/landlords are refusing to even offer viewings due to the overwhelming response they receive within minutes of listing a property. I was just told yesterday that I’m on a waiting list to even be allowed a viewing.

When I’ve tried to voice my concerns to people in my life they don’t seem to grasp how serious this is at all. One just shrugged and said, “Can’t you just buy your own home instead?” Another said, “Haha yeah we are all having to cut down a bit on holidays and new clothes these days.”

I don’t have holidays and new clothes because I can’t afford them. My last holiday was in 2008.

I’m not sure how well I am articulating myself here. Basically, this £400 a month rent increase is not just a slight inconvenience or something that will mean I have less to spend on the fun things in life. It is something I literally cannot pay and it looks very much like I am going to end up homeless.

Can anyone relate? Is there anyone else here for whom these drastic housing cost increases don’t just mean having to cut back but mean actual homelessness?

My current flat is nothing fancy, it was the cheapest flat I was able to find really. I am eligible for some benefits due to my illness/disability but the maximum housing benefit they pay was already £350 a month less than my actual rent.

Apply for a discretionary housing payment from your LA to top up your rent

You should contact your local council or social worker if you have one. As you require carers you will be classed as vulnerable and offered emergency accommodation at the very least so shouldn't end up on the street.

YANBU OP. Unfortunately more and more people are in your position. Don't suffer alone. Contact Citizens Advice, Shelter and your GP.

YANBU, but this is the position that most of us are finding ourselves in. My mortgage has gone up by £400 a month. Nothing we can do about it, we have to find the money or lose the house.
You simply have to figure a way around it, houseshare, move, relocate etc or earn more. I wish I could say something to help, but there is nothing to say.

I think you're being a little over dramatic - you are NOT going to end up on the street.

If you cannot afford the rent increase then you need to communicate with the landlord. Tell him you cannot afford it. Just keep paying the previous rent, or negotiate an amount you can afford.

If your LL isn't happy with this, he can issue an S21 for eviction. When it expires (you don't HAVE to move out) he can then take it to court, appoint bailiffs, then once the bailiffs turn up you will have to leave and the council will have a legal obligation to house you. Bear in mind that housing is in short supply so this could be a B&B or something miles away...

In the meant time, if the LL insists on the increase then pay the original amount and keep looking for something else.

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/private_renting/rent_increases

She isn’t being over dramatic, she’s just explained she has complex mental health issues, and this is a serious subject which naturally would cause a lot of stress to anyone. She may well not have been aware of the helpful advice you gave after being rude as well.

@TeaKitten Thank you! I am not being over dramatic at all, I am just stating my reality. I've also explained why I'm not really able to get an extra job.

Of course one of the first things I did was explain my situation to the landlord and try to negotiate. They couldn't care less. They said that is the amount they can get for the flat so if I don't like it I can just leave as they will easily rent it to somebodye else.

@TooBigForMyBoots Thank you.

YANBU to be worried but YABU to think there's anything your friends can say that can solve your problem. People are downplaying it to try and make you feel better, rather than building it up into a huge crisis and making you more worried.

@8times I will try this. Thank you.

If you have carers arranged via Social Services I’m presuming that you have a social worker involved somewhere and are deemed as vulnerable?
Contact them and explain the situation to see if there are any other benefits available or top ups you may be able to access.
As previously said Citizens Advice is also worth a call.
You could possibly end up in emergency housing somewhere but you won’t be on the streets. Keep calm, sit tight and try not to panic. 💐💐💐

I didn't mention the mental health issues.

My comment being over-dramatic was regarding the comment about being on the street. No one will end up on the street. The council have a legal obligation to provide housing.

@TeaKitten If that is the case, why do people, including people with severe health conditions sometimes, end up on the street?

@Nannydoodles Yes I do have a social worker and I believe I would most likely be classed as "vulnerable" by the Council. What I've tried to convey, and perhaps not sucessfully done so, is that there's a lot of ableism. Housing insecurity is vile for absolutely anyone but when you're seriously enough ill that you can't meet your basic needs without daily Carers coming in and you're not fit to work it's really hard to cope and comments like "get a second job" are quite able-ist.

Generally because they don't have the mental capacity to cope with the system. You sound as if you can and you have ss to advocate for you.

You’ve tagged the wrong person there, wasn’t me that said that.

I dont think you're being over dramatic, the proposed rent increase is not within your grasp and it directly affects your ability to meet your obligation to house yourself.

The council will have an obligation to house you, but this is a widespread issue, rents are increasing and people who can not or will not pay more will be evicted up and down the country, so when does the councils obligation run into lack of housing stock or provision for vulnerable people to stay?

I'd also like to address that living with C PTSD means that this is going to be much more scary for you than it would be for a person without CPTSD. I have it too, and the housing situation is scaring me enough that it's one of the only things I seem able to focus on.

Longterm, it may be worth considering shared ownership. It's something that I am going to be doing in the next year or two. Whilst I have health conditions that mean I cannot remain in full time employment consistently, and DH earns a decent amount, he will still struggle to reach the affordability to get a mortgage for the circa £400k it's costing for a new 3 bedroom house.

We will have enough for a 10% share and MIL has offered to loan us the other 10%, we will staircase the 1% each year they allow for the first 15 years, and hopefully in a few years when the lending rate smoothes out, we will then mortgage as much as we can.

Ultimately we probably won't own the whole house ever, but rent increases are capped at 2% increase per year and in older age, along as we own 75% of the house, rent is waived.

It's our most reliable option of remaining housed.

@TeaKitten Sorry about that, it gets a bit confusing.

Artemis, sorry I don’t know how to tag onto a comment but I certainly didn’t say or imply that you should get a second job. It very much sounds that you are doing the best you can under difficult circumstances.
I do think your social worker is probably the best person to help you though at the moment as when I was working we did have certain connections within the housing associations which could prove useful for you.

@ArtemisW

Its a very difficult situation for anyone, but when you have C-PTSD etc etc it's overwhelming.

However, given you're vulnerable, there should also be more help for you. It's just a matter of finding it.

pen & paper & go through the thread and make a list of any suggestions.

personally I would start with the person/organisation that provides your careers. Then shelter.

You obviously present as fairly capable & able to sort yourself out. Do you have a friend you can really be vulnerable around and explain exactly how you feel?

Do you have any family/friends you could move in with, lots of people are having to have lodgers or flat share due to the cost of living. Someone you know might be thinking about it.

let us know how you get on with the suggestions people have made.

Also, I don't think you will be homeless, and you have a long, long, time in your current rental before the system would make you move out.

People end up on the street for one or more reasons such as:

1. Leaving their previous accommodation before they are physically forced to leave by court appointed bailiffs. If you leave a place voluntarily the council don't have to house you.
2. Being unable or unwilling to engage with the process to be housed by the council. Some people can't and others won't.
3. Drink issues, drug issues or antisocial behaviour whilst in the accommodation you're allocated can lead to you being removed.
4. Some people refuse it because they don't like the place they're offered, it might be a long way away and it's not going to be particularly nice, it's a last resort type of place.

@Tooyoungtofeelthisold Thank you for this. Yes, with CPTSD it's very hard to cope with this. I also have Dissociative Identity Disorder and lack of housing stability makes symptoms spiral out of control. In the years when I was relatively secure in my housing situation my dissociative symptoms were really well-managed. Now the dissociaton is spiralling and I'm doing stuff like trying to cook a meal while in a dissociative episode, having no awareness that I actually have food on the stove due to the dissociation and ending up with a fire in the kitchen.

@Nannydoodles Thank you.

I'm sorry to hear about your situation @ArtemisW and I fully understand why the situation is alarming you - I also understand fears and insecurities around housing all too well.

Along with other posters I would suggest that your Local Authority may be able to help you and also please do speak to your SW about the situation as they will be able to signpost / help you access other sources of assistance.

You don't have to suffer this alone and I wish you all the best.

@potniatheron Thank you. I am going to talk to the council and to my social worker. I have never had a Discretionary Housing Payment, but it looks like I might well be eligible to apply for one.