Becoming homeless for my dream job

[ForTidyFinch]

I've been offered and ideal job in the town where I currently live but my short term tenancy is due to end in a couple of weeks. I have tried everything to find a new place to live. There is nothing available in this small town and I have no friends or family living close enough to help. I have decided to start the job and then live in my car. I've reached a desperate point now where I think there is little chance of me being able to rent privately even if something does become available. A run of bad luck has drained my finances and a CCJ was taken out against me without my knowledge (for overstaying in a service station when my car was broken down!) This was taken out while I was living abroad and I have only just found out. So there goes the chance of renting privately. So the choice I see it is being homeless and destitute staying with relatives or living in my car and starting this interesting job opportunity. I think I will live in my car. WWYD

I’d be in Facebook groups, putting cards in newsagent windows, gumtree ads etc to actively seek a lodger situation. That’s probably the best option.
As a plan b I’d get a decent tent and ask a campsite to pitch it. And I’d ask the campsite if they have any options for long term, older caravans not used for holidays for example.
I think you need to proactively asking everywhere for a room solution, you won’t just find it advertised.
Ive had short term lodgers before, friends of friends, in similar situations. I’d never though advertise a room for rent for a lodger.

And with @FictionalCharacter about your vulnerability, it's important to listen to what everyone is saying on the thread not just cherry pick the bits you like. Even the negative employer attitudes, although not commendable, are important to understand.

Is it near a canal or river? There may be a houseboat available to rent, again perhaps one that isn't being let because it could do with a refit for the holiday market, or is for sale, or the mooring rights are going to expire soon or something.

@WilfredDidNotStealYourSausages you personally may not be shouting but some posters are being a bit forceful and to be honest aggressive.

We have no idea what field the OP works in. I am sure that some companies that might be used to people moving into a city may have housing help but there’s a difference in pointing people towards more affordable areas In a city (which realistically is probably what most companies would do) and actually providing someone with a home! Telling her employers will just reflect badly on her, even if they don’t withdraw the job offer. That’s unfair but it’s how it is.

Agreed. There are also legal and compliance issues with hiring someone who doesn't have a permanent address...

I have had issues with housing, so I can confirm it can make you behave extremely chaotic as you feel hopeless and alone and you are trying to get the best out of a terrible situation. I think mumsnet is just very middle class so has no clue what it is like being in this situation.

Also, telling the employer is very risky, it can end with the offer being resigned and then she will be in an even worse situation as she will be jobless as well.

OP has already explained that they have done that 🤦‍♂️

It does actually sound like your best option is to stay where you are OP. I would start by getting in touch with your landlord, explain you haven't anywhere to go and ask if you can extend your lease. And if not, it's probably wise to stay where you are.

Is it a good salary you'll be on? If so, I would make a budget so you can save a lump as fast as poss, to go towards a car or maybe a van if you think that would work. Otherwise to go towards your accommodation.

Presumably you'll get the deposit back from your current flat so if you do move out, that will pay for a campsite or hostel for a little while. I think just staying where you are sounds like your best bet, though.

Then don't have someone who is homeless staying at your house 🤦‍♂️

Sorry missed that, thanks for correcting me. What did they say?

Then don’t do it. Others might not have your high standards or judgment of the character of a homeless person, especially one with a job and hopefully character references. There are also agencies you can go through with additional layers of protection/ insurance.

I have boats and sadly the license you need to rent out a boat costs an enormous amount of money and it has to have extra safety checks in place and a commercial license which all costs. This is in effort to stop all boats turning into air bnbs.

I own several boats.

If you are near the coast or canal system you might be able to buy a little fibreglass or plastic cruiser very affordably. Then living aboard isn't so much of an issue and it will have a shower and a toilet. You would be able access marina facilities too like showers on sites and launderettes. They are small and easier to manage than narrowboats or yacht, cheap and relatively easy to steer.

Don't buy a crap boat. It will cost you more than you can ever imagine. Boats need a ton of maintenance. If it sinks you're also liable. They cost a lot to haul out of the water and fix up if problems with the hull. Get advice from somebody who knows boats. Most will need adapting to your needs. Look up the cost of licences and marina fees etc and do a bit of napkin math before jumping straight to looking at the boats as the ongoing costs are high. Maintenance is also high. They often require daily 'jobs' lots of emptying things, fixing bits and so on. You can't empty your toilet in the marina or harbour so for sea going boats you need to take it out to sea, 3 miles for treated sewage and 12 for untreated (so you need a decent engine and to be confident getting it out in open water. as well as not hitting other boats on way in or out) you want one with a holding tank or use a cassette toilet and empty at designated points.

That is a disgusting thing to say, op is not homeless through any fault of her own, that's like saying you don't want anyone staying in your house who ever had something bad happen to them.

Congrats you're a terrible person

Exactly. There's a reason why so many homeless people can't work - because they need a permanent address (for all sorts of reasons).

Of course, it's horrendous that OP has found herself in this situation but I don't think the answer is to sleep in her car or go to her future employer and ask for help, sadly. It will just put her in an even more precarious situation.

Under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 it’s an offence to use a car on a public road if the registered address is not correct. Just because you got away with claiming you lived somewhere you didn’t (which is a common way to commit insurance fraud by the way), doesn’t mean OP would too.

They said they'd gone to the council and presented as homeless...

I'm not sure it's "disgusting" to be wary of something like this.

How would you know the person would leave of their own free will if they had nowhere to go?

And? Then what? what did the council say?

She’s an honest person.

It’s not a reflection on the OP. But homelessness does often - not always - come about through addiction and / or MH issues. That doesn’t apply here but people are wary, they just are and saying so honestly isn’t being a ‘terrible person’, it’s the reaction the OP will get in the real world and it’s best to be aware of this.

Maybe have a read of the thread 👍🏻

They won’t give a shit, quite bluntly. Healthy adults without dependents are expected to sort their own housing out.

I can see that living with family wouldn’t be great if there are absolutely no jobs around there. City where friend is probably has a fair few jobs but will have high rents too. Also sleeping on a friend’s sofa for an extended period could end badly.

That said, your current area doesn’t seem ideal either even with the job you like. Whatever short term plan you choose, it’s a concern that accommodation is so hard to come by. You could wait for years for council housing surely? And share houses are thin on the ground you say?

I wonder if there is anywhere where you could get a job and have access to a wider pool of accommodation. There are some towns where house shares and sublets etc are common and they might be a bit more flexible. College towns, areas near big hospitals, things like that. Or jobs that come with accommodation and won’t need credit information…au pair, live in nanny or housekeeper, warden, some hospitality work etc.

You can present as homeless and be housed but you won't. Why?

It's a good question and how to handle the current tenancy and how and when to present to the council has been covered by others.

But it rather supposes that a single young woman can just get housed by the council immediately, usually in a hostel and B&B

• at all
• that is commutable to work
• that has somewhere to park her car if she needs it to get to work
• that will allow her to get enough sleep to function in her job and drive to it safely
• that is actually safe for her

I've know a couple of people who preferred to sleep round the back of Tesco car park in a tent in a group rather than the dangerous hostel full of men drinking, shouting and taking drugs all night to which they were previously assigned. I spoke to a young woman informally yesterday who is 'on a waiting list' for assistance and is sleeping rough on a main shopping street in our city in the meantime. I know this is the case because I know how it works in our neck of the woods, I know of that organisation. They are overwhelmed. The councils are often overwhelmed although that is location specific to an extent, I'm not sure how it is rurally.

So, making out that the OP definitely has something up because they aren't jumping for joy over that solution is a bit of a stretch. Or the OP just doesn't yet have all the information about how to make progress which this thread should help with. How old are you OP?

That's a ridiculous thing to say

Thanks for a whole lot of nothing there haha you could have been helpful following a genuine mistake on my part, but you're just contentious and clearly bored/unemployed. I'm not that invested tbh.

Have a good one 😁