To sell my house and try and get a council house? To think I'm too poor to own?

[RedFence]

I don't want to rub people up the wrong way, I know its not easy to get a council house, I've never had one before, but I am at breaking point.

I've posted a few times about my house; I bought using a government scheme which means I have 60% equity. I am a single parent to 2 sons, 9&13, 9 yo is SEN. I work PT around their school as youngest cannot attend wrap around.

I bought the house whilst we were homeless, 3 of us in my mums tiny and damp spare room.

The house had so many issues not on the home report and because I'm stupid and didn't 'see' the issues. I had to get a new bathroom due to leaking, insulation, roof repair, raw sewage coming up through pipes into bathroom, it's been awful. I am in debt. And then last night, I come downstairs to a large area of the wall wet and dripping because the roof is leaking again. I can't afford it, it'll be another debt.

I have £9 in my account. I behind on my council tax, every month just seems to be a new repair. It's unsustainable. I skip meals, I haven't had my hair cut for 9 months, I wear trainers with holes in them. I don't mind if the alternative my sons miss out, I just want them to be okay. We have moved three times in just over a year, I feel so guilty.

I feel I was never in a position to be a home owner, inevitably I bought a house with issues because that's what I could afford, but I can afford the repairs, or the upgrades.

I don't know who I can talk to about this. I don't know what to do. Private rents are rare and ridiculously expensive, we also have a 5year old dog. I am breaking.

Who owns the other 40 percent of the house? They may fund the repairs as they have a vested interest in keeping the house in good condition. Maybe contact them? Also perhaps your ex could help with a one off payment?

You’re probably right about the income but you definitely aren’t eligible while you own a property. I am probably getting confused between UC and housing, as I was looking into them at the same time.

Our local council housing waiting list for a 3 bed home is 11500 people, the council allocate 150 each year.

That doesn't inc 2 or 4 bed houses.

So it doesn't really matter whether you are eligible of not, you wont get a house.

If you were genuinely homeless, with children, maybe a B&B, without children, a hostel or £300 per month towards an HMO.

I knew people would say this! It isn't necessarily true. Lots of places council houses are like gold dust but please take advice specific to your own LA.
A friend of mine was living her her own 2 bed house with a son and a daughter with a 7 year age gap. She wanted a house near her parents as they helped with childcare and it was convenient for her workplace. It wasn't generally a sought after area. She had to take steps to sell her owned home but they were minimal. Just an advert on social media iirc. She rented a 3 bed council house near to her parents and let hers out to tenants. When the council area became too rough she gave up the tenancy and took a private rental. She wants to eventually sell the owned house and buy a bigger one.
Whether or not your specific council allow this is another question but council housing varies massively. Some are in poor state of repair, most are great with regular new kitchens, and better sized rooms than the new builds near here. Some areas are nicer than others but this isn't a constant, areas change for better or for worse. Good luck!

When government organisations talk about secure housing what they mean is that no-one else can legally make you leave.

Because you (part) own it you are secure in that sense.

A lot of houses cost a lot of money when you first buy - we were skint when we bought our first house and we had to live with a lot of big great stuff. We fixed what we could, bought in tradesmen when we had to.

Roof leaks in a big storm doesn't necessarily mean you need to whole roof replaced. It may well be a few tiles have come off or the lead underneath has moved, both of which are cheaper fixes.

Or you can do what we did for 5 years and put buckets out in each storm!

It’s natural to fixate on a solution when you’re overwhelmed with problems. But several people here have explained why a council house might not be the miracle you think.

let’s talk about your current house. So you own 60% of it, or 40%?

what does the lease agreement say about the repairs?

does your home insurance cover things like leaks? Some do.

is your £1800 after tax? What is your take-home? How much is your rent.mortgage repayment? Have you done a budget?

this isn’t the time to miss work as that gives you financial security.

if you post your income and outgoings here, people will help.

My mum lost her home when she got divorced but found that she couldn't buy a smaller home for herself because she didn't have enough of a nest egg. She couldn't get council accommodation because she had too much in savings because of the nest egg she did have (about £90k, so nowhere near enough to buy a house). She's in a shared ownership now, like you.

You're not going to get a council house when you have the equity from your current home. I think for my mum she had to have lessthat £32,000 in savings, although obviously this may have changed now (was during covid).

As far as I can see, your options are to move to a cheaper area and get a shared ownership there, move into private rental or try and work more hours / get a higher paid job. You're not going to get a council property I'm afraid.

Incorrect.

If you are a shared owner of a house the Housing Assciation has no responsibility for repairs. The role of the housing association is to retain a share of the property to enable the purchaser to own a home they otherwise couldn't afford. It is not to bail shared owners out if they can't afford repairs.

This

With your roof I bet it's slipping tiles. Water spreads so quickly and it always looks worse than it is. Get a good roofer or a decent builder type/handy person to have a look.

With the boiler pressure can drop. It's concerning it's happened so frequently but once the roof is sorted you could get a plumber in.

Could you try your DC with wrap around care to increase your hours? Or possibly have room for a lodger?

I know it feels so overwhelming at the moment. It's hard to think step by step when you are so upset. But I really don't think if you sell you will get a local authority property.

I agree with everyone else that it isn't a good idea for all the reasons stated.

But on a slightly random note - you mentioned your boiler pressure dropping every few weeks. But there should be a valve you turn under the boiler that increases the pressure - I have to do this with mine fairly regularly. Just checking you know that.

Sorry, bit of brain fog this morning!

I can relate.
(I have received several e-mails from DC's school this week - guess which one I accidentally swipe deleted? Yup, the only important one!).

Do you not get universal credit to help you with the rent and the service charge? Can you put your mortgage on interest only?

You won't get housed by the council if you sell. You'll be considered intentionally homeless if you apply. You could sell and move into private rental and the only advantage would be you'd get UC towards the rent but I doubt you'd be better off even if you could find a PR. The only option is to reduce outgoings and/or increase income in the place you're in.

Anyone can put themselves on the housing list for social housing, you don’t need to sell your house or move to private rent first. I would suggest you do anything to avoid private rent, it’s expensive and sometimes short term. There isn’t a poverty threshold for social housing anyone can apply but your means (I.e home and savings) may set you in a lower band.

The first thing I would do is find your local councillor and explain the situation to them. Local councils manage housing lists so the councillor should have a good idea of how to support your application. When I applied for a relative we were made aware of grants that they could apply for home improvements and repairs.
I’d also call CAB and Shelter either will be able to offer advice on their specialist areas.

Where we are, the local council does excellent work with people who are behind with their CTax and have specialist advisors who can help with budgeting etc. sometimes they can write off arrears or help with a repayment plan. The local councillor should be able to help with this.

Turn2 Us has a benefits calculator, https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/ it won’t take you long to fill in and will make sure you’re getting everything due to you.

Most importantly, be kind to yourself here. It’s ok to be in this situation but please don’t go hungry. If you need a food bank referral get one, this country is in a right mess and food banks are there to support those who go with out.

Take care xx

Golly… I wish people stopped recommending single mums with little kids to ‘take up a lodger’. Totally undoable for many different reasons.

I got an email last week about some kind of boiler scheme we’re entitled to as we claim Child Benefit I didn’t really read it but maybe look into that?!

Sorry, I've been on the school run and dog walk and it's still raining here.

Will reply as soon as I can around work.

There will be very little if any equity in this house, I only moved in in October. The first few weeks were spent in and out of a Premier Inn due to leaks and zero insulation. The guy that sold the house had left long ago. There was a leak in the bathroom the whole time. I tried going back to solicitors, no luck.

I understand what the majority are saying about council house not being a solution. I'm sorry some of you had a hard time trying to get housed.

I even thought, If my sons could live with their Dad for a year (swap to me being the weekend parent) then it may give me a fighting chance to pay debt off and save...but they would have to move schools due to distance and I couldn't do that to them.

I really appreciate people taking the time to respond, I know I'm an idiot, I have no idea what I'm doing, and didn't appreciate the scale and responsibility of home ownership, especially not a prefab 1970s house built by miners. I am doomed with this house We all hate.

Ref roof leaking

It might be a case that your gutters need clearing out first. This may be causing the leak ?

Unfortunately council housing is like hens teeth. There is an 11 year waiting list on my area and even priority takes around 1-2 years.
Have you thought about selling and just renting? Yes, it's expensive but at least any repairs are done and you might be able to get help with your rent.
You can maybe then be able to make a payment arrangement with family- to pay them back.
We rent. I used to own a house and rent one out. I now rent. I need a four bed house and can't afford one in my area. I am saving to buy a flat outright for when the kids leave home so I have secure accommodation.
Also, I dont have any repairs on the house.
I know this is a roundabout way of doing it and people think I am mad but it makes me happy and I feel less anxious renting . Good luck.

1. Use a spreadsheet or piece of paper to budget. Write down everything going in and out.

1. Check if you're entitled to any benefits on the entitledto Web page.

1. The water ingress will just be a tile that has slipped and you just need a roofer.

1. Get in touch with the foodbank and get a referral from your GP or perhaps the school.

1. It's nearly summer. The house will dry and things will look better. You only moved in October and it's been the wettest year ever.

As for a council house, then speak to your local council. In most areas there isn't much available.

I had lodgers for years when my DC was small. Always women. It saved me, when I had no maintenance and didn't earn enough. It absolutely can be a solution.

Can the children's dad help you financially.

I’d suggest you go and speak to a charity that helps people with debt. Maybe something like https://www.debtadvicefoundation.org/
They could help you look at your in and outgoings.
if you absolutely can keep your house you probably should.
I agree about the lodger idea. Women. Pick carefully.