Moving home - council help!?

[Feelinglost10]

Hi

basically I just need some advice as I am so stressed at the moment. So I am currently private rental but my IDVA and the council have given me priority to move as I am currently under a DV priority so have band A I’m extremely grateful as iv never even been on council housing before and I know this is a lot more secure than private renting, however in the mean time my landlord has decided to sell next month! So I am really struggling as I’m bidding every week and getting nowhere, however I need to be out by the end of next month! I have a dog so temporary housing isn’t a option as I would be most likely be given a hostel and have to give up my dog who is my entire world, however if I try and find a temporary house myself I would be removed from the council list back stuck renting private and unsecure incase the new landlord decided to sell again. I just don’t really know what to do at the moment?? Any advice will be welcome?

YABU would you wait it out and see if I’m offered something by next month and risk the temporary housing

YANBU find another private rental in the mean time and lose my place on the list?

It's not up to you to decide what council houses are for. That's absolutely not what they're for at all.

OP listen to the posts. There are options for the dog and you can't leave when this thing comes inm has the landlord even sold it yet? Update the housing team and get their advice.

Never mind that’s not what theyr for when the majority of people living in them have never contributed a penny to the system

Ok, that's my sympathy disappearing out the window.

It took me 9 months even with top priority to get a council house

Exactly this. I have just left my partner and will be losing my home of 11 years. Yes I can probably afford another private rental at a push but why make myself broke and move into another unstable tenancy if I don’t have to when I am not exactly asking for a free home I will be paying for it myself. If the council and my IDVA have prioritised me then I think I’m gonna go with that over the opinion of a stranger on the internet telling me to private rent because other people need it more😂

Thankyou. I’m just panicking over the section 21 really as iv never had anything like this before happen to me and no idea the process or time scale it can take

It depends on the council and the situation. Even in top priority somone whi joint that list afer you could still get housed before you depending on the situation. Both me and my dd both got a property on our first bid

I stand by it. Getting told I don’t deserve one because I have mentioned a private rental so I don’t end up in a hostel? Everyone’s situation is completely different and just because I work it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be entitled to a secure home? That’s crazy. There is a reason my IDVA has deemed me top priority so i think I shall stick with that opinion if it’s all the same to you. My eligibility is not the question.

It’s just a section 21 I was given with 8 weeks notice on. But I literally don’t have a clue about this stuff or what happens and whether they could come and put me on the street if I don’t leave? That’s my main fear.

That’s the stupid thing they won’t help until it’s 53 days before so I’m having to wait a bit longer and then I’m really edging near my leaving date. It’s so stressful. At this point I will take anything it’s just actually getting somewhere iv never been in this situation in my life and need to leave my home asap regardless anyway due to the DV stuff as it’s getting no easier

Op 100% deserve a stable home especially after what she has been through. She clearly makes the criteria. Which is set by the council

That must be why I waited so long, I was under the impression I was 1st in priority

And everyone has told you nothing will happen at the end of May. No bailiffs, nothing. Keep paying your rent. Your landlord will have to apply to court for you to be evicted - that will take months and months and months. She cannot do anything until it has gone to court.

You won't end up homeless. The landlord has only served a section 21. This is just a notice that he intends to end the tenancy. It doesn't mean you have to move out at the end. They still have to go to court to get an eviction notice and they can't do that until the notice expires and has been served correctly. Contact Shelter or citizens advice without any delay. Also join the forum on the money saving expert website, there are professional landlords in the housing/renting section who will advise you.

forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/house-buying-renting-selling

It can take months for a landlord to get you out. Firstly check that the dates are correct. Is your deposit protected? Do you have annual gas safety certificates issued?

Thankyou! Honestly some people are so opinionated haha. Iv worked and paid taxes all my life, never asked for a single hand out and don’t even intend to be claiming housing benefit. Unfortunately through no fault of my own I have been through a horrific time and my IDVA is helping me to move, in that time of helping me move my landlord has decided to sell so I am basically in sh*t street with no time to waste now. I swear people would rather see you fall than ask for help😂. Who’s to say my private rental wouldn’t be an over crowded cheap flat as that’s all I can afford on my own?! Or I’d be forced into paying over the odds on my own just to keep a roof over my head and still have the threat of this happening again when I suffer with severe anxiety as it is which is ANOTHER criteria I meet due to the last 2years iv just been through? I swear people don’t actually know anything.

Please use the link above. You will get the advice you need there.

Hi. I'm a housing officer for my local LA. Absolutely do not leave your home on the date of your Sec 21 notice. The landlord will need to apply to the court to obtain a possession order which will buy you time.

In the interim speak to your LA about the notice as there is further assistance they can provide. They can also liaise with your landlord to see if they can allow you to stay until you can secure a house through bidding

What are council properties for? Interested to know as someone who lived on a council estate for a long time.

Social housing is a mix of people who work and don't work . Everyone deserves a secure home . You have private rented for years. It just so happens that what you have been through has put you in the criteria to be eligible so 100%take it .

People are right about the landlord selling though. It takes much longer than you think. Do not leave at the end of the section 21. Stay there and keep bidding

Have a look on the shelter website and it will explain the eviction process.

Just to add incase your worried about court you don't have to physically go to court its all done through paper work .

Isn’t it… a lot of council properties especially the new builds prioritise applications work working people! some want a mix of kids and no kid families etc. it’s a secure home that isn’t likely to increase ridiculously and as I say and fully stand by a LOT of the council homes that get given to those who have never contributed and some have only just moved over here I absolutely will be accepting one should I be offered something in time as why the hell not?! Everyone has a different story and for me to be deemed high priority I clearly am classed as eligible without giving too much of my private life away.

Thankyou I will try this! My tenancy ended up just a rolling one as I have been here this long so no actual date on there as to when my tenancy would have been up.. would this make a difference to my rights?

OP needs to contact Shelter or Citizen's Advice for proper advice on what to do. I'm not sure the advice to wait to be evicted is valid though it is true that some councils will not accept you as homeless if they deem you to have made yourself intentionally homeless (a ridiculous concept in itself). This link has some good info -
england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/news_and_updates/when_a_tenant_is_legally_homeless_after_a_section_21_notice

Totally agree. We had loads of people who were working on my estate, like you said we pay into the system for a reason and it sounds like you’ve had a shit time of it lately and deserve a bit of help and luck. Don’t listen to the negativity on here, there’s lots of good advice you can follow instead of the few people that love to put people down.

"I would never allow for my dog to be separated from me"

Your options could well be you in temporary housing and your dog in a foster scheme for people escaping DV - or you with your dog living on the streets.
If you love the dog, the former is probably a better option.

Also your landlord won’t be able to exchange contracts to sell the house you’re in until
you have vacated unless they are selling it as a tenanted property.

just been through this process selling my mum’s house which was rented out whilst she was in residential care

This is ridiculous. Your housing situation needs to be your priority - not your animal.