Social housing - what I would be if I move home with kids?

[Snowtimex7]

Hi so I’m a bit stressed
basically we are constantly moving and we privately rent. We moved away from family for cheaper rent but I got ill and we needed help with the kids so family pushed us to move back. We are glad for the support but we pushed our boundaries to afford rent. Due to the area we live in, we still get universal top up.

my husband works a good job and gets 35k. I was working, fell pregnant with my second all healthy all fine and then I’m now under physio; spinal and routine appointments due to nerve damage, pain in joints, pain everywhere. I have finally filed for pip while waiting on hospital help but i have a 6 month old at home and 5 year old at school and some days my husband does the school runs as I can’t walk to the school so full time job isn’t an option for me.

we are coming to 2 months away from the end of our tenancy, they don’t want to renew. They want to sell. There is nothing to rent in my town. Or for 3 miles. I’ve been checking for 6 months and I’ve seen like 3 come up that go within 48 hours. Then further out the rent jumps £500 minimum. And up to 5 available. We have debt. Big debt so we are at our budgets. Go up to 10 miles and looking 700 minimum increase and then I would have to drive to get her to school.

the landlord is nice. The agents are the main ones for miles so making trouble will be bad for future renting. We don’t want to go the bailiff paths with have young children, it’s a small town. Everyone will know. And it will destroy our eight years rental history.

i am debating moving into my mums council house with her. It’s a small 3 bed. My mum and adult brother live there and then with me, my husband, two children it will be classed as overcrowding. If I go that route will the council help? For social renting?
im running out of ideas. We already moved four hour drive away. For cheaper rent im looking at like 30/40 miles out with no family friend support. There is nothing cheaper. I live on the coast if that makes sense.

sorry for the rant.
I’m not sleeping I can’t seem to figure it out.

In my area that would be celebrate overcrowding and the council wouldn’t help rehouse you. The could but often don’t try to end your mums tenancy if she didn’t evict you.

Since moving in with a relative and then being evicted is quite the known way of trying to get a council place without having to hostel it first.

Genuinely if you need a council place your going to have to go the bailiff route just explain it to your landlord that you cannot find anywhere else and because you need council housing your going to have to sit and stay until the last minute.

You could try going to housing now so they know the situation, show them the evidence you are being evicted. They will advise that you wait for ballifs but when it comes to that point say your mental health will be too severely effected with the stress of the process so you will be leaving and staying on your mums sofa. I can't guarantee they will provide housing but they may be obliged to assist as you are not intentionally homeless.

Contact Shelter and ask for advice.

Deliberate overcrowding won't get you a council place. Your best hope here is to stay put which is what the council will advise. Wait for the landlord to evict you then the council will/may have a duty to house you.

Where I am that would be considered deliberate overcrowding, and could risk your Mums tenancy if she didn't ask first.

If, somehow, she did get permission to have you all there then my council would rehome your mum to a 2 bed and your family to however many bedrooms you need.

You really do need to be careful.

Unfortunately your best bet is going to have to be waiting for eviction, then the council have a legal duty to rehouse you, however it could be in a different area, in a b&b, or hotel for months, or even years depending what part of the country you're in, and there's no guarantee to get into your area either, when you're homeless you don't get a narrow area of housing to accept.

Sorry op, the housing situation in this country is awful.

Just going to mention my mum is in a council house. She’s been in one for twenty years so I doubt they would kick her out for helping but my mum is so hard to live with so I don’t think I can risk it

i honestly have no idea what to do. I can’t afford 2k on rent.

our landlord has been struggling financially and tried to sell our house before we even moved in. There’s no guarantee they will be able to sell now and if they change their minds and let us stay it’s just delaying the inevitable

thanks for your advice