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.

Can you get in a lodger to help you out?

Do you mind me asking what local authority you are under? Your friends’ situations sound familiar to my own.

I contacted my LA recently about this due to being in a shitty marriage. They told me I couldn’t even go on their register while I was on the land registry as being a home
owner.

I wouldn’t sell OP as having lived in two temporary accommodation homes and been on the waiting list a year already for a bigger home (overcrowded), I wouldn’t recommend this route to anyone. It’s really difficult to get housed and only the really lucky people get lovely new build houses. You’re likely to be given a flat if anywhere, and the neighbours I have had have been drug dealers, aggressive couples always arguing, owners of dangerous dogs etc Can your mother not help you or their father if you explain your situation?

I knew someone who was trapped in an abusive family. The father bought a delipated house in his name, to prevent him from leaving the family home. I tried to help him at a CAB session, but he couldn't get any help because he had a property in his name.

Arrange an appointment with citizens advice. They can help make sure you have benefits check and debt support.

Tbh if you can't afford the house (how did the mortgage company value it with so many issues?) you may be seen as homeless anyway.

Whatever you decide, your roof needs fixing, borrow from friends/family if possible.

Replace the gas boiler get an air source heat pump, you may get one free as long as your radiator system is suitable. Talk to your electricity supplier. If this isn't an option, think about getting centrally heating cover oordo nothing and hope it holds out until you sell.

Sending best wishes, I hope it works out for you and quickly x

If I’m being honest it sounds like you’re living beyond your means. It’s amazing you want to be a great mum and do lots of things with and for your children, but having a home is more important than a day out…

ring citizens advice.

You can’t claim carers allowance if your income is above £151 a week after allowable deductions, but UC would confer a carers’ credit (lower amount than carers allowance) if OP was eligible, plus she may be able to claim support for mortgage interest if she’s eligible for UC - although this is a loan and has to be repaid at some point.

Intentional homelessness. They won't help you I'm afraid. Sell by all means but don't think you'll get on the list as you won't. Only way would be stop paying and be repossessed.

@RedFence how old is the property you live in?

If you’re spending more on food than on your mortgage, is your mortgage really low or is your food bill really high?

We are 2 adults and 1 child and spend about £400 a month in the supermarket, which includes toiletries and laundry products. If it wasn’t for the other two wanting biscuits and certain brands, etc, I could probably drop that by £40 a month.

You need new trainers more than your kids need an inflatable boat to use once in a blue moon. One of the best things about a day at the seaside is it’s an amazing family day out that doesn’t cost anything except getting there. If they’re getting even just 4 x £10 treats a month, that’s a new pair of trainers you could have got for yourself. We have to make sacrifices for our kids but you’re not prioritising.

In Bristol the wait for. a 2 bed council house is 4 year in temporary accommodation it’s up to 6 with a 3 bed and I think 2 for a one bed and 4 beds have a different scheme as so hard to get. Also they check your savings and with money if you sold your house they would make you rent.

Given the house was built in the 70's I'm not sure an air source heat pump is going to be suitable without a lot of work to upgrade insulation etc, possibly new windows needed (looked into it when we wanted to replace our boiler a few years ago, our house was built in the 60's.)

Okay, so a few things.

CDP - do you mean DLA? For your disabled son? If so, you can get a disabled child premium on Universal Credit but you will need to tell them about it. UC are not told that you have this entitlement so they will not have applied the Disabled Child Premium to your UC payment. If they have not, you need to tell them asap, and also ask them to backdate the premium to the point at which you were first awarded the DLA - not first payment, the date it was started from. If you have missed out all this time you will get a backdated lump sum - unlike Tax Credits, they backdate in full, whether or not you told them. But you need to request that they do this, too, or they'll just pay it from now on.

You don't ever have to repay a SMI loan until the house is sold without you buying another (so, realistically, either you pay it off after paying your main mortgage, or it is a charge against the house when you die). This can reduce your mortgage repayments very substantially, and doesn't affect your credit rating. It's also massively lower cost debt that anything else you're going to get so it might be worth doing this and allocating that money to paying off whatever the other debt is.

If you get Universal Credit you are entitled to cheap broadband. It's not going to be all singing, all dancing but it will be adequate and it will be cheap. Moneysavingexpert has information on this.

I'd also look into whether you're entitled to any financial help with insulation, boilers etc as part of the green initiatives. Again, Moneysavingexpert has info if you scroll down to the bottom of this page.

Rents have gone insane and I'm so sorry, but I don't think that that's an answer, and certainly council housing isn't. This is a really horrible time but you do have a home, and over time it will come good. I'd get that SMI loan and pay down debt and do essential repairs - and I would speak to the mortgage company about extending your mortgage term to reduce monthly payments, if remotely possible, too.

Couldn't agree more that a benefits check at the CAB is called for here. You may be entitled to more than you realise.

Hang on in there. Home ownership is always hardest and worst in the early years, but inflation will eat away at the repayments along with those capital repayments, and in 5 years, certainly 10, you will be so, so much better off than paying market rents. It will also mean you aren't having to find rent money from your pension, one day, too. This is an awful time and I feel for you, but again, you have a path ahead to better days.

I’m so sorry you are going through this. You have had some great advice but two things sprung to mind after reading your posts:

1. Your younger DC has SEN - why is he not allowed to attend wraparound club? Is that because he himself couldn’t cope or because the school have told you that they won’t take him? If the latter, then could you try and push back on the grounds that they are leaving themselves open to being accused of disability discrimination? I talk from direct experience of having a child with SEN myself but seeing a child with quite extreme needs attending wraparound club at our school on a regular basis as his single parent mother has to work
2. You mention the possibility of the DC living with their Dad for a year but that this would mean them having to change schools. I know it’s not ideal and we all want to maintain stability for our children, but it seems to me that this is your best chance to get back on your feet? Children are much more resilient than we give them credit for. You might even find that a new school for your younger child would be more supportive?

Is there no claim on your insurance? Roof leaks are often wear and tear issues but putting right internally is sometimes covered under accidental damage.

With the boiler you'd be surprised how long you can make a boiler losing pressure last. We have been in this state for three years now. A qualified friend has checked it for us and there is nothing unsafe we have to just keep restarting it before a bath, you make do.

OP I just want to say no you're not an idiot. You were desperate to get out of homelessness and you did the best you could property-wise.

Don't be too hard on yourself, you had no reason to know about all the issues with the house. You should have seen me when I bought for the first time... not a clue. You were unlucky.

It's understandable that you hate the house while it's bleeding you dry but I hope you can get voluntary help and/or a grant for repairs and start to make it your own.

I was brought up by a single mum. She's my hero.

I am sorry OP. Can you rehome the dog? Buying food for you and shoes is more important.

I know people who sold their house to get a council house (it's free, didn't you know it, people?!) ignoring everyone's advice. The council said they made themselves homeless and they also had money from the sale. Now they live with relatives because prices have skyrocketed and they can't afford to rent either!

i'm not attempting to minimise your issues, raw sewage and leaking roofs are, obviously, not things you can live with indefinitely. but i do think it's quite normal, particularly now building and materials are so expensive, to have to live with less than perfect homes. we've got damp, and windows which don't close and crumbling plaster in places, and and and, but unless you're very well off that's just life i think

as above you cant make yourself intenionally homeless to get a council place

you have to wait till your literally thrown out due to reposession an even then could be put in a b an b for months even years

I’d like to chime in about Council Tax. Check you’re getting a single person discount. Apply for Council Tax Support if you haven’t done so already and ensure you tell them about the DLA. Your income may exclude you from Council Tax Support, but it’s worth checking. Ask if there’s a discretionary support scheme for council tax. You can also get your instalments spread over 12 months instead of 10.

Also have a look on your council’s website for a local welfare assistance scheme / household support fund.

I wish you all the best, OP.

How much is your mortgage each month? You might be able to take a mortgage holiday for a few months after you have been there for a year. It could give you a chance to save some money to pay off debts or get some repairs done.

I’m so sorry to hear that. I think what went in our favour was that they struggle to fill these houses. People don’t often move out but when they do they can be empty for a while. The HA told me to write a letter to the council explaining the circumstances and that there was a house here for us. So we weren’t on any list, the council approved it and the HA offered the house to us. I think the key issue with this though is the location.

Boiler also needs looked at, there must be a leak as the pressure drops to the point of not working roughly every 3 weeks.

Try bleeding the radiators with a radiator key. I appreciate this is not the point of the thread but it took me an age to realise I was even supposed to when I moved into my first rental house.

Leaky roof.

Don't panic. If you are in one of the many areas at the moment that are affected by the flash flooding, it may not be as bad as you think. Our roof has been studied from multiple angles by a range of roofie expert types and declared solid each time. We get a damp wall every so often when the rain is particularly hard and coming in for a specific angle. Failing that it's fine. It may also not be your roof. Invest in a dehumidifier (check Facebook market place) and run it gently for a bit. Don't go mental with it as it is can cause cracks if you do at it too hard. If this is not an option get lots of cheap cat litter (Fullers earth) and place in open trays near the wall to absorb moisture. Run the heating if you can afford to. Lay newspaper at the base of any affected walls so you can monitor any new leaks.

As someone mentioned upthread- gutters. Bane of my life.

I feel your pain here. Houses are a fecking money pit. BUT it is surprising how far the status of homeowner will get you if you need it to and with your own property you have a lot more security. Sorry you are going through this.

It's just life living with raw sewage 🙄