Completion date next week and nowhere to live after divorce sale

[AH1903]

My family home has been sold due to divorce, and the buyer’s solicitor has suggested a completion date for next Friday. Everything has happened very quickly, and I have not been able to find anywhere to live, either to buy or rent, as the market has been rubbish in my area.

I have a child in primary school. I registered with the council in 2023 and have been bidding on properties, but I have not been offered any viewings. I contacted the council in December to say we might become homeless, and I contacted them again last month as the sale moved forward. The housing officer told me to get back in touch when I had a completion date, which I have now done. However, I have been told he is on holiday, and when I called the department, they asked me to wait until he returns tomorrow.

I work, but my income is not on a fixed salary, which makes things more difficult with estate agents. I don't receive any benefits other than Child Benefit. I have packed all our belongings, but we now have nowhere to go. We do not have any family or friends we can stay with, so we may have to put everything into storage for an unknown amount of time.

I feel very stressed and anxious, and I am worried about my child. Lost for what to do...

What's your long termplan - is this a stop gap until you buy somewhere new? Can you find a long term air b&b, or if your coastal a caravan or chalet?

You wait to speak to your housing officer tomorrow.

How much of the sale of the peroperty will you be receiving?

@Ilikewinter I would like to buy as soon as I find a suitable property, but I have been quite unlucky in my search so far. The market has been very limited and I haven’t been able to secure anything. I haven’t considered a caravan or chalet, and I also haven’t looked into a long-term Airbnb at this stage.

I'm due to receive around £15k from the sale of the property. I'm hoping the council may be able to help me with short-term housing support, as I do not have anywhere to go once the sale completes.

What's the area you are looking in? This is your only post using this user name so perhaps MN can help without it being too outing?

The reality is that housing are likely to offer you emergency B&B accommodation if you are homeless on Friday and you will need to arrange to put stuff in storage.

Depending on the circumstances of the child's other parent it may be suggested they go and live with them if they have already got secure accommodation.

You need to find somewhere to rent while you buy. You might need a stop gap while that gets sorted. As others have said Airbnb or a caravan / lodge type place might work. The council are i likely to be able to help so that cannot be your plan.

Get looking for somewhere to rent.

Child should live with other parent until you are sorted if at all possible. You could look at living as a tenant with a landlord whilst you look for something to buy or rent, that's cheap and flexible.

The council will arrange emergency B&B if child needs to stay with you. It won't be nice but you shouldn't need to stay there too long.

It sounds like you need to get cracking. You have no choice in waiting for a better market, you need to find somewhere now.

Thank you. DC cannot stay with their other parent as he's moved abroad. I have been actively looking for both rental and purchase options, however a lot of properties within my price range are auction properties. On two occasions, properties I was interested in received offers before I was able to put mine through.
There is also a significant shortage of rental properties being advertised locally, and the couple that are available this week require a minimum 24-month tenancy. In previous months, I would not have been able to afford both the mortgage and bills for my current home alongside rental costs and bills which has limited my options.

Well fingers crossed come Friday you will have a pot of money in the bank and only one set of bills to pay.

I'd focus on chasing the available rentals next week and be willing to offer e.g. 6 months rent in advance out of your deposit to secure them.

It's highly unlikely the housing officer is going to be able to offer anything other than B&B so I would be arranging storage and getting as much stuff moved into there over the next few days.

If you need to leave on Friday you can either take the B&B offered by the council (if you are lucky it might be a travelodge or similar- thats the usual option in my LA) or you could plan now for somewhere of your choice cheap and convenient while you get sorted.

Put the completion date for 4 weeks between exchange and completion

Thank you. I'll put this forward to our solicitor and see what they come back with.

we put 4 weeks between exchange and completion- you don’t have to agree a tight timescale. Of course other parties in the chain need to agree but people also need to book removals etc

Book in to a hotel, hostel air bnb and book storage you have some money coming

I’m also selling my family home due to divorce and have said I need 4 weeks between exchange and completion to enable me to arrange a rental. You agree a completion date when you exchange so don’t let anyone pressurise you. A friend of mine had three months between exchange and completion, this was unusual and due to timing of school for children I think so can be done

I Iived in a fishing lake park caravan for three months with my cat as selling and buying in different counties didnt match up and I had to start my new job. Dont tell them you've sold your house. You are supposed to only rent there if you have a home you pay council tax on. They never ask for proof. Just tell them you are selling and buying and had to move for a new job.