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 actually think most people have been fairly pragmatic and helpful.

It's not mean to point out that OP would be putting herself in real danger here.

Where have people been mean? Posters have asked pertinent questions for the OP to think about and pointed out flaws in her plans but no one has been mean.

Last two paragraphs are hardly kind are they?

And that's just what I've read now. It's always the way. Always someone putting the boot in. Earlier on there was a ton of lecturing and TELLING.

reality can sting - in a crisis kindness doesn’t always help, facing the truth of the chaos of your life and deciding what changes you need to make to move forward does. The OP wants validation for poor life choices when other options are available, she doesnt want to put in the effort

i have the utmost compassion for those struggling but sometimes you have to see how much of it is of your own making, and where you can ask for help to move forward.

some people live chaotic lives - no judgement, they are the hardest people to help

OP if you live in a high tourist area are there local hotels or holiday parks that have staff accommodation that could let you stay for a short while if you offer rent or possibly work some shifts around your other job? Worth a thought maybe?

Are there any caravan sites nearby? You could ask them about living there long term in a touring caravan. You could buy one for £1-2 k after you have had a couple of months wages and ask the seller to tow it to the site for you.

Your short term tenancy is "coming to an end" - could you give more details on this? Are you a lodger or a tenant with a tenancy agreement?

If the latter, have you been served with an eviction notice or is it just that the fixed term coming to an end?
Or, have you given notice to the landlord?

If you haven't given notice and your landlord hasn't evicted you then you're under no obligation to leave just because your fixed term is coming to an end - it'll just roll over into a periodic (rolling monthly/weekly) tenancy.

Do not leave. Keep paying the rent, but do not leave. The process to remove you will take many, many months. Just keep paying, be communicative, keep looking, something will come up.

Various edits but - even if your landlord has evicted you, the council is likely to advise you to stay until the bailiffs come, this could take months as Pp said

You should still make a homelessness application ASAP

And I'm not a housing lawyer just a disclaimer, but the key point is that you don't necessarily have to leave if your tenancy is coming to an end, this might just mean a change in the type of tenancy

No, I agree, she’s definitely vulnerable in this situation and it is not long tenable.

All I am saying is, and to answer the question

No, you are/she is NOT Unreasonable to make oneself homeless for the dream job - with the caveat that car sleeping can only be for v short time - but car swap to van would make it possible for a lot longer. Given a graduate salary, saving for a van, absent current housing costs and even minimal credit capacity or savings, shouldn’t take long.

Having said that I personally would only feel safe sleeping in a vehicle in a friend’s driveway or an official camping site.

I don’t know a lot about these aspects of the law/ credit market, but it sounds like the OP may eventually want to move into the rental market once she is more established and has been earning for a few months or a year.

Surely having been forceably evicted by bailiffs would mean years and years before any landlord would touch her! This suggestion is not for someone with a job and good prospects but just temporarily in a difficult situation? Surely although she might be housed for a few extra months her prospects of permanent housing would be much worse?

I've already posted this, but the key is to look for a lodger type arrangement with a private individual, and not a 'rental' property with a company that will require deposit and financial checks. Many people in the CoL crisis are renting out rooms- you can look on NextDoor (post there), Facebook (local), Gumtree, Monday to Friday and SpareRoom websites (that's 5 to try). You can also go the paper route and put up ads in local newsagents or supermarkets if they have noticeboards.

If near a uni town or a student area, there are heaps of spare rooms all summer as the students have to pay to live there but are not there, but at home/abroad, so those are sub-let for cheap as well.

I know it is harder in rural areas, but if you are in a small town, these above things should work, as should chatting with local shopkeepers/in the local cafes and asking about- if in a city, the websites above will find you somewhere- and the key thing is they will often take you without a substantial deposit (much less than for a whole rental) and a reference from your previous employer will be enough.

OP said her landlady is moving back into the property and she doesnt want to put her in a difficult situation. I suggested she chat to her about the possibility of staying on longer. Maybe the landlady will be able to figure something out.

Please stop saying OP can live in her car short term. She can't, because she doesn't have a car that works. You are advising her to rough sleep in a fixed location. There are other options, such as a campsite or hostel that would be far better.

Again, a lot of excellent suggestions from pp about finding accommodation. Please stop advising OP to sleep rough.

You could ask at the local church too. They may know of somebody that lets rooms. Don't they have youth workers that come and stay locally for a few weeks at a time?

No, you are/she is NOT Unreasonable to make oneself homeless for the dream job - with the caveat that car sleeping can only be for v short time - but car swap to van would make it possible for a lot longer. Given a graduate salary, saving for a van, absent current housing costs and even minimal credit capacity or savings, shouldn’t take long.

But there's no way to guarantee that it will be for a short time, that's the problem isn't it?

If it was "sleep in my car for a week until my new tenancy starts" or "while the landlord does repairs" the responses would be very different, I'm sure.

If it was only a week she could do Air BnB

I am SO sorry for the position you find yourself in OP, and also for the amount of flack you've received from people on here, who obviously don't have a clue how bad things are out there. I know a couple who having lived in a flat for several years, were served notice because the elderly owner wanted to sell up. Because they'd had debts previously and had been advised to take up a debt repayment scheme, no landlord would touch them, unless they had a Guarantor, which they also struggled to get, due to their previous bad debt. The fact that they both have well paid jobs, made not a bit of difference, and they've ended up living in a really grotty area, in a pretty grim flat, but are incredibly thankful to even have that, so I for one, understand how difficult this situation is for you.

I'm afraid I don't have any really useful ideas for you, but would perhaps suggest that once you've started your new job, you could maybe ask among your new colleagues, if anyone has a room they'd be willing to let, to a friend of yours. Then if anyone says yes, and you feel they can be trusted, you might feel able to fess up and tell them it's for you. As an aside, do you have anyone who would be prepared to act as Guarantor if you do find the CCJ is a problem? It might be worth talking to parents if they're around, just in case?

@FranceIsWhereItsAt have you even read the thread? Pp have given so many suggestions, ideas, links, advice. What flak has the OP had? People have tried really hard to be helpful.

Join a gym that has early morning opening. Join the library.

Locate suitaable parking spaces.
make insulated blackout blinds for all the windows.
live in the car during the week. And go on adventures at weekends
There is a teacher on insta living in a car in the UK. Learn from him.

Did you read any of the OP’s subsequent posts?

A teacher living in his car is so grim 😫

you sound a bright intelligent woman

Is OP a woman? I must have missed that.

Could you just ask your new employers if you can work fully remotely for a while - if your job allows - and could you live during that time with friends/family whilst you look for a more permanent place to live?