To want a council/housing association house

[Tiredboymum22]

I’m aware I might come across as very entitled but hear me out.

DH employment hours were cut last Monday and a few days later we were given an eviction notice via text off my landlord. Because we have a mountain of debt, we contacted the council straight away. I told my LL that it wouldn’t be a straight forward process to move out (we’ve been here before but luckily found somewhere to rent) and that we need a formal written notice and his landlord registration number. We then found out that he’s not a licensed landlord and the house isn’t being rented to us legally.

He admitted this and said he would go through an agency and we’d have to sign a new tenancy agreement and then be given notice at the end of our 6 month contract. This should give us a chance to sort ourselves out financially and find somewhere else.

I haven’t reported him to the council and I won’t because I think it was a genuine oversight and he is distant family, but I’m incredibly frustrated! This is the fourth time we’ll have to move in 6 years! A chunk of our debt is due to moving! Three of those times were because our (then) Landlords were selling. We were told this would be a long-term let and we’ve been here 18 months. Furthermore, I have an autistic son and we need stability.

I didn’t want to be given notice but I was and then it was retracted. My husband will look for another job and then I’ll work when both kids are in full-time school so we might end up renting privately again (which is extortionate around here) and thus the cycle continues.

Everyone is telling me to be more positive but I’m sick of the instability!

What do you mean?

what housing support do immigrants get?

It absolutely is the jackpot, although I agree it's not easy to get Social Housing now.

You can pay to replace your own kitchen and bathrooms so the 30 year replacement argument is a weird one. If you have a lifetime tenancy then it's a great investment. People with limited budgets can't afford to buy or privately rent in nice areas either so are often stuck with the same sink schools etc. It's not like it's a choice between owning/privately renting in a fantastic area or social housing.

Absolutely loads!

From AI:

In the UK, housing support for immigrants (including asylum seekers, refugees, and other migrants) depends heavily on your immigration status. Most economic migrants, students, and workers on visas have "No Recourse to Public Funds" (NRPF) and get little or no state housing help. Asylum Seekers (while claim is pending)
Home Office provides accommodation if you are destitute (no adequate housing or means to get it) under Section 95 support. This includes dispersal housing (flats, houses, hostels, or sometimes hotels/B&Bs) across the UK.
You cannot choose the location — most are sent outside London and the south-east due to housing shortages.
Financial support: Around £49.18 per person per week for food, clothing, and essentials (as of recent figures).
Support continues during appeals in many cases, but refused asylum seekers get more limited Section 4 support only in specific circumstances.
Note: Reforms in 2025–2026 have made some support more discretionary, with efforts to reduce hotel use and tighten eligibility. Recognised Refugees (after grant of status)
Asylum accommodation ends (typically within 28–56 days). You must find your own housing.
Eligible for Universal Credit (including housing element) and social housing applications, treated similarly to UK nationals (subject to habitual residence test and priority need for homelessness help).
Not automatically prioritised for social housing — you join waiting lists and face the same shortages as others. Many rely on private rentals, local authority help if homeless, or charities.
Local authorities must assess homeless applications based on priority need (e.g., children, vulnerability).
Other Immigrants
Group
Housing/Benefits Access
Work, student, family visas
Usually NRPF — ineligible for most public funds, social housing, or housing benefit/Universal Credit housing element. Must self-fund or use private rentals.
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) / Settled status
Generally eligible for full benefits and social housing after passing tests.
Humanitarian routes (e.g., Ukraine, Afghanistan schemes)
Often have specific support packages, including initial housing help.
Undocumented / NRPF migrants
Very limited — local authorities may provide emergency support (e.g., under Children Act for families) or via charities like NACCOM. No routine access.
Additional Support
Charities and local services: Refugee Council, Migrant Help, NACCOM, Room for Refugees (private hosting), and local councils offer advice, homelessness prevention, or short-term help.
Social housing: Allocations are needs-based, not immigration status-based, but new migrants often have lower priority.
Support levels and rules can change with policy (e.g., recent shifts toward more temporary refugee status and discretionary asylum support). For personalised advice, contact official sources like gov.uk/asylum-support, Migrant Help, or a local council housing options team.

YANBU ❤️

Get advice from Shelter about how to deal with this. Do not sign anything until you've had independent advice.

Phone their helpline ASAP.

Id use the fact he has been acting illegally to my advantage if I were you.

Get the new tenancy agreement. Tell him the price of your silence is at an least 12 month contract before he even starts giving notice, plus a reduced rent and dont even think about trying to keep any of the deposit at the end of it.

Er, did you read what you posted? That’s not loads.

I'm sorry you have to cope with the insecurity. It must be tough.

This is why I put buying a flat first, before I would even consider marriage or a child. I sacrificed holidays, car, socialising, everything to get that first step.

Housing association dwellings aren't all good news. I know someone who has been asking for a shower for 21 years. The council says she doesn't need one, and a bath will do. 🙄

Nothing is stopping you from going on the list? You'll obviously just likely be a lower priority.

I feel fortunate that I have SH in the sense that I'm happy it exists and is an option but not so much in the circumstances that caused me to need SH in the first place. I'd much rather that not had happened even if it meant staying in my private rental.

That’s what I was thinking! You need to jump through hoops to get a sniff and it’s not guaranteed. If you’re NRPF, which many are, you get feck all!

Why aren’t you working?

On what grounds?

Not necessarily! I’m in an area that still uses allocations rather than bidding and got allocated a brand new housing association new build semi with driveway and huge garden and two bathrooms. Due to the law now requiring that 20% of all medium to large developments be affordable housing, a LOT of people are getting new builds.
*I’d only been on the list 3 weeks as well!

What business is it of yours why OP isn’t working?! Besides, she’s already stated that that her kids are not yet in school so clearly she’s a SAHM!

Great copy-and-pasting!

‘Price of your silence’ 😂😂 it’s not a gangster movie 🙈

I really don’t think you get to be annoyed a family member who has allowed you to rent their property out at below market rent to help you out hasn’t officially registered as a landlord.

yeah he may well want to move back in

but he needs to serve you a section 8

he can't serve you a section 8 as he doesn't have a deposit in a bond?, electrical test?, gas certificate?

He can't evict you until he has all those things and he now can't get all those things as he can't back track on them

you can stay there as long as it takes him to sort all that stuff out - which he can't actually do

if he nw tried to get you a tenancy agreement then it wont be a 6 months agreement and he can't get you out after 6 months, he would have to wait 12 months and then he needs to serve you 4 months notice - then you wont move so he goes through eviction process which could take another 6-9 months

this is not legal advice and you are best of talking to shelter

but in all honesty he is up shit creak without a paddle, even if you play ball over a tenancy agreement now. The LL will still need to wait 16 months to get you out

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/deposits/taking-your-landlord-to-court-if-they-havent-followed-the-deposit-rules/

A lot of social housing isn’t in estates- did you know that?
I live in a beautiful little cottage by the sea. Only 3 neighbours. The grounds we live in belonged to the council many years ago who housed gardeners and grounds people here. Over the years they became ‘council’ properties. There are many similar properties where I live.
Other social housing is on new build estates with a mixture of housing so no ‘council estate’ living there either
OP you are not being unreasonable- if you have a low income you can always apply

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/gas_safety_in_rented_homes

Ok. Him wanting to move back in is a legitimate reason to issue an eviction.

I assume you're somewhere in England where they have the licensing rules? Also for an eviction notice to stand up in court, your landlord will have to have met all other legal obligations e.g. gas certificate, deposit protection etc...

Might be worth meeting with the LL to come up with a plan. You want social housing. He wants his house back. Work together.

Ps - in some areas, after bailif eviction, you might end up in temporary housing for months until something else is available. Either of these might not be local.

I mean if a family member gives you a cheap place to live to do you a favour and you do this to them you are quite literally an arsehole of the highest order.

It’s fairly routine here to ask questions!! 😆

OP says they have huge amounts of debt and are at threat of being homeless. Her DP is only working part time after having his hours cut. Her working isn’t exactly a bizarre suggestion surely?

and if you rent a house without following the safety rules, & doing so illegally without your knowledge until now, that are there for a reason you are an arse hole of the highest order. Gas safely certificates are extremely important, the house round the corner from me had a faulty boiler and the couple died along with their child.