Council housing eligibility

[user125]

I know this post is probably going to receive a lot of hate so I have changed my username. Please know I am not trying to be controversial or begging etc.
Me and DH were lucky enough to have put enough savings aside in our very early twenties to buy a small two bedroom terrace. Originally it was our plan to be here for 5 years and then move on to something bigger. Life had other plans. After struggling with infertility and lots of treatment we are now a family of 4. Currently the children share a room and me and DH have the other room. One of our DC's is awaiting an asd and ADHD assessment. He is a gorgeous sweet boy but struggled with being unregulated a lot and can get very violent towards his sister. This is a regular occurrence and is getting worse as he gets older.

We are desperate to be able to give them their own room but we have an appalling credit history and are unable to get approved on a higher mortgage. Someone mentioned applying for council housing. I assumed we would not be eligible because we own our home (with two mortgages on it). I don't know what else we can do. The downstairs is not big enough for me and DH to move a bed in to so the kids could have their own rooms. Would we be eligible or would it be a case of being on the list for years and years and never getting any further?

I know there are people in much higher need than us as we have a roof over our heads, but I need to be able to give both children a safe space of their own.

Sounds tough OP and I agree with a poster who said moving into private renting might be more expensive and less stable.

We have two disabled DS and have spent a lot of time with us sleeping in with them so I sympathise.

@OldCottageGreenhouse the housing register isn't a waiting list, it is based on housing need.
The only way that time waiting is taken into account is if two different families applied for a property, both had the same level of housing need/priority, it would be offered to the person whose application was in earliest.

There are thousands of people on social housing registers who have no realistic chance of ever getting a social housing property, because their housing need isn't high enough. If you're considered adequately housed, or mildly overcrowded, you could be registered for fifty years and never be close to securing a property. Newer people coming onto the list but with more urgent need would be offered first.

If you have really bad credit you might struggle to find a landlord willing to rent to you. Landlords do credit checks too.
i think you might end up in a worse position.

It might be an idea to seek out support from debt support agencies / charities etc to go all in on sorting out the debt over the next few years, getting yourself into a better position to sell and purchase somewhere larger (if debt is your biggest barrier right now). It might take time and might be a few years worth of pain, but better than putting yourself into a potential worse situation (selling / renting) or doing nothing at all.

Where is the council going to magic a house from?

Do not sell and move into rented. You are much better off owning your property!

Firstly, get the debt sorted. Speak to Stepchange and get proper debt advice. We were where you are. Loads of debt, juggling payments, struggling with the mortgage and Stepchange helped. We're 13 years down the line, now have perfect credit, no debt and managed to buy a bigger house in the end.

In the meantime, get a sofa bed in the lounge and do what you need to.

No harm in joining the list, which anyone can do I think.

Could you look at moving somewhere cheaper where you could get that extra bedroom?

I wouldn't leave a house I owned to be at the mercy of a council. Say you do private rent and landlord decides to sell. The council can then put you in a grotty private rent with 3 beds and you'll be left there with no hope of ever getting a council property.

Is there definitely nothing you can do to your place - loft or extension? (Appreciate this costs thousands and wouldn't be an immediate fix).

I would get an OT assessment on suitability of housing.

Could the house be extended or loft conversion?

Obviously it depends where you are etc but just so you’re aware my friend was put in temporary accommodation for over a year.

It was a hotel which is nicer than most temporary accommodation, but it was 1 room for her and 2 kids.

She then moved in with her new bf into his 1 bed flat and got pregnant.
Shes still on the council list even though she’s now had the baby and has her 2 kids, as well as her and her bf living in a 1 bed flat.

She’s not been offered a property, even though she’s overcrowded.

Ignore posters that say you’ll be given a bigger house really easily because the housing situation is really crap.

You would be much better staying in your home and joining the list, even though you’d not be a priority.

I personally would look into moving somewhere cheaper, so you can actually have some say on where you go etc too.

Are you serious. You own your own home and want a council house. They won't even put you on the list. People are waiting in temporary accommodation for years. You need to get real.

@MakkaPakkasCave the guidance about room sharing actually limits people securing housing, it doesn't mean it will be provided. Eg you could be a family of 7 living in a two bed flat in tower hamlets, and be willing to bid for 3beds, but not actually be allowed to do so because you've been assessed as needing 4. The fact that only a tiny % of social housing properties are 4 bed meaning that there's a miniscule chance one would become available doesn't get taken into account.
So you needn't worry that people who have been less prepared than you 'scrimping' to get on the housing ladder are being handed council properties on a whim. That's just your perception that other people have it easy, it's not actually true.

I’d be really careful with this, as others have said you may struggle to rent with your credit situation and I guess it depends on area but some places there are loads of applicants for each private rental.

Someone I know is on the council list and has been for ages. Currently living with his parents , there are 4 adults, a baby and toddler in a 2 bedroom house which I think is a council house. Again it is probably area dependent but I would make really sure of the exact situation in your area as I think this has the potential to make things worse.

Also you can get extra priority for your disabled child. You fill in a form about why they need thier own room. Like extra equipment to help calm down and regulate ect. But I've no clue about what you'd do with your house. Any chance you could put a cabin in the garden for an extra room?

My understanding is you can't apply for council housing if you own a house ,there maybe exceptions and I would check this out with your LA rather than mumsnet .

What about a Murphy's bed for the living room for you and DH? Far less hassle than a sofa bed because it stays permanently made and just rises up out of the way in the day allowing the room to be used normally.

Yes I check regularly. They changed to a bidding system so essentially anyone in the UK who is homeless and applies to our council goes before me (it used to be council area only) they have basically told me I'll never be offered a home unless I'm made homeless by my current landlord.

You would not qualify for council housing owning your house. This is not what council housing is for... They are like gold dust now and basically just for the destitute and those who have waited years. If you can afford to own a house it's just not how it goes. You would also be right at the bottom of the waiting list which would be years and years.
I mean actually if you sell your house to try and get a council house you could be deemed intentionally homeless and the council would discharge their duty to house you.

There is absolutely no way I would sell to go into rented. None. If it all possible, I will consider moving to another area where we could buy a three bedroom, but definitely absolutely and totally not into rented.

For a start having a bad credit rating, the chances of you getting a place are slim to none.

Then what do you do???

If you did get somewhere, it's going to be Hella expensive and how are you going to afford that??

There is no security in the UK with renting. You have the kids schooling to consider moving once now to buy something in a cheaper area as one thing never knowing how long are you going to be in a place or will need to move find a new place a new school..

Make paying your mortgage an absolute priority and get your finances in order. You may need some help with step change or someone like that to help you reduce your debt consolidate it and advise you how to go about it the right way.

There's nothing to stop you asking about the criteria for going on the council housing list, but I think you'd be looking at multiple years until you were if ever offered a place in the meantime I think the best you can hope for is some temporary housing which is very very unlikely to be suitable for your family.

Can you use your living room as a room for you and dh to sleep? Many of my friends in London have done this, you just need a decent quality sofa bed and good storage for bedding etc in the day!

Selling would be a catastrophic mistake, hang onto the security of owning your own home, renting is often an absolute nightmare and so expensive.

Well around me, they’re building loads and the people moving into them…let’s just say they haven’t been on any housing register/waiting list for long.

OP needs to get googling on how she can ensure she is maximising her points and/or have more children to increase her need.

I absolutely would not sell!
Speak to a debt advisory service about your options, your credit rating is already shit so it getting a bit shitter for now isn't a problem, you will be so relieved when you have spoken to someone.
Check if you could pay interest only on your mortgage if you haven't already.
In the meantime could you either have a sofa bed in the lounge for you or one of the children share with you to split them up for now?
I would personally fight tooth and nail to stay on the property ladder, especially as you have children. It gives you options that you just don't have renting and the security is priceless.

Thanks for all the advise. For those recommending porting the mortgage and moving to a cheaper area how does this work? Say for example our current mortgage is £100k and our house is now worth 150k. If we found something for £100k what happens to that extra £50k equity? Would it automatically go towards the mortgage or could we use that equity to settle other debts?

Your current provider won't let you have a 150k mortgage against a 100k house to pay other debts.

To be honest if you have no equity at all they may not let you port

If it is actual equity then as long as you had an ok LTV in the new property, you could be freeing up money for debt.