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Original poster

Trying to help London family on verge of eviction

60 replies

Rentaway · 20/02/2023 15:16

A lovely woman who helps with our cleaning is desperately trying to find a flat by April for her and her husband and nine year old son. They currently live in north London near Bounds Green but the landlord company has given the entire block Section 21 notice.

She can only work school hours and earns about 800 a month. Her husband is a builder but works for a company so is employed but does not bring in that much. She is the one with the get up and go in that relationship…

Their maximum for a rental is £1100 a month and they are after a one bedroom (which is still too small but that’s all they can afford). She is willing to move anywhere in London that is within catchment of a decent secondary. Her year 5 boy is already crying himself to sleep that he will probably have to leave his primary school.

What on earth are people in this position meant to do? Her English is insufficient to be pushier with the council and they have offered zero help so far. I have urged her to call Shelter but I think she is on the point of collapse from the stress.

I have been looking online too and cannot find anything in that price where children are accepted, let alone near a good or outstanding state secondary.

I know she can try and make it difficult and stall the Section 21 but I also know she really is intending to move as she does not want to cause trouble and has to move within a few months for schools in any case.

Does anyone know of any acceptable
properties or landlords within an OK school catchment in London or is she asking for the moon on a stick?

OP posts:
BMW6 · 20/02/2023 17:27

They'd be better off out of London surely? They could rent a house in the North and have a much better QOL.

He earns less than £800pm is not right surely? Who expects to support a family on that? Why is he earning so little as a builder?

GGMTJ · 20/02/2023 17:32

I’d strongly suggest she speaks to Shelter or you call for her. They are really helpful.

Sunshineandrainbow · 20/02/2023 17:35

Has she spoken to the council and got a homeless prevention officer to help her?

cestlavielife · 20/02/2023 17:36

She can ask the council for a list of landlords who take people claiming housing benefit?
Is she claiming housing benefit now
Why cant she work out of school hours? At 9 child can go to after school club?

cestlavielife · 20/02/2023 17:39

Can she speak to community who speaks her lamguage? Find an advisor.

TellMeAboutItAnotherTime · 20/02/2023 17:40

@BMW6 the op doesn't give the builders earnings, only the mum who earns £800 pm

Fluffyhoglets · 20/02/2023 17:49

She will need to go to the council. They could move her out of london if nothing affordable in her price range. She's better off out of London and the southeast as a renter anyway.

Fluffyhoglets · 20/02/2023 17:50

Apply as homeless/threatened either homelessness. She might get a London b and b if she's lucky through the council

Babyroobs · 20/02/2023 17:55

If paying that kind of rent - are they claiming Universal credit ? And why is she limited to working school hours, she could also claim help with childcare costs for after school club and summer holidays clubs. There is a crisis of lack of affordable rental housing at the moment so she needs to maximise income to have the best chance really.

Radi06music · 20/02/2023 17:59

Make a homelessness application at the council

Original poster
Rentaway · 20/02/2023 19:12

I don’t think they’re claiming anything which is crazy. He is on about £500 a week before tax. The DC is very attached to her and seems to want to spend every moment with her. There may not be NT. Then again he may just be anxious as he knows his parents are on the poverty line. They don’t get free school meals so how would they get help with after school club fees?

OP posts:
Holyguacamollie · 20/02/2023 19:15

I agree with a move out of London. That type of rent would get a lovely place up north

motheroreily · 20/02/2023 19:18

Rentaway · 20/02/2023 19:12

I don’t think they’re claiming anything which is crazy. He is on about £500 a week before tax. The DC is very attached to her and seems to want to spend every moment with her. There may not be NT. Then again he may just be anxious as he knows his parents are on the poverty line. They don’t get free school meals so how would they get help with after school club fees?

Childcare costs are part of universal credit (if you're entitled) or you can apply for tax free childcare.

OneFrenchEgg · 20/02/2023 19:20

Holyguacamollie · 20/02/2023 19:15

I agree with a move out of London. That type of rent would get a lovely place up north

But they may not have the income that allows them to pay that if they both leave their jobs to move, and wages may not be equal.

Lambchop1 · 20/02/2023 19:21

Which nationality are they? They may have no recourse to public funds.

trampoline123 · 20/02/2023 19:27

If their monthly income is 1300 a month rent of 1100 is far too much.

He needs to get off his arse and sort a proper job.

Single homeless project can help too.

I think they'd be better off far out of London.

motheroreily · 20/02/2023 19:31

Forgot to say they may be entitled to universal credit even if they're not entitled to free school meals. And I'd say definitely entitled to tax free childcare

Notanevillandllord · 20/02/2023 19:41

Unfortunately £1100 is not enough for rent in London.

Can they move out Essex/Kent and commute in?

Alternatively they can wait until they are homeless and present themselves to the council. A tenant of mine did this, not in London though, they asked us to evict them. I hated doing it but it's what they wanted. The council weren't much help initially and wouldn't house them and they ended up in a hotel for a week however within a week they had a council tenancy. It seemed they had to go through the rubbish part to achieve their goal.

Just a suggestion.

As an aside a builder should be raking it in in London with all the renovations and loft conversions taking place. Builders are like gold dust. He needs to maximise his earnings and go it alone.

FrostyGirl66 · 20/02/2023 20:08

trampoline123 · 20/02/2023 19:27

If their monthly income is 1300 a month rent of 1100 is far too much.

He needs to get off his arse and sort a proper job.

Single homeless project can help too.

I think they'd be better off far out of London.

£500 a week is £2000 a month. Plus her £800.

Original poster
Rentaway · 20/02/2023 20:14

Thank you all for all the advice. He is on around 500 per week rather than month.
I suspect he is more at labourer level than skilled carpenter/builder. I was going to see if we could get him to do work on our place till his wife admitted he was just too unreliable and never seemed to improve at any skill. Yes I know she has a DH problem! They are EU citizens with settled status. She is not keen at all to move far from London. She doesn’t drive, they don’t have a car, all their friends are here, all their work is here. Moving without jobs to go to or a new roster of clients may be tricky as would Kent commuting costs which would
swallow a lot of their income.
I totally agree though that London is a crap place to be a low waged worker. Then again people have cultural reasons to stay here and it may not be as easy to uproot yourself if you’re not British and feel like you may have a chance of fitting in elsewhere.

I think she would consider somewhere like Zone 6 etc but I don’t know any of those areas at all so anyone with insight or properties to rent there do let me
know!
I was thinking the top of the Metropolitan line but may be too rural and expensive.

OP posts:
IsItBedtimeYetNope · 20/02/2023 20:14

C'mon builders and cleaners can earn anywhere in the UK. They need to move to somewhere they can afford. Also is that gross or net because it makes a huge difference. OP with the best will in the world, this is ringing alarm bells for me, you've only got her side of things and it really sounds like she's laying it on thick re: the child "crying himself to sleep" at age 9/10 about moving schools. Why on earth does her child even know about his parents' adulting stuff that they need to grow up and deal with?

trampoline123 · 20/02/2023 20:22

Oh! That's not exactly hard up, they just need to move further out.

TheFlis12345 · 20/02/2023 20:29

You mention top of the Met line OP, they could get a one bed place in Watford for well under their budget, or a good size 2 bed for their top budget.

Lostmummy5 · 20/02/2023 21:05

Where are they originally from? I'm from Eastern Europe and honestly they sound like they are from there too.
First, I don't understand why they did such a drama. Their son is not a baby, she CAN work out of school hours. Especially if her husband earns only £500/week as a builder - he is definitely not doing full time or at least has weekends off.
They can simply find a flat at East London - Ilford, Barking, East Ham - not the best areas but good transport connections and for £1100- they'll definitely find something. Even areas like Dagenham or Romford - quite good schools there.

Indáirire · 21/02/2023 07:26

If they can't afford the area, they need to move. Be careful, sounds like she's trying to put the screws on you for money.