Please does anyone know anything about renting privately or being housed by the council?

[used2bthin]

XP is paying the rent till feb 08 when the lease on this [place runs out. Then I will need to look for somewhere else. I seem to remember from when I tried to find somewhere as a pregnahnt single mum before that landlords would only consider people who worked and earned over a certain amount. I don't work, atm I receive DLA for DD and carers allowance for me but will be reassessed for these in january so don't know what will be awarded then.

I know febuary is a way off but am stressing about what to do as I was told being housed by the council can be tricky. Are there lists of landlords who accept tenants who will be claiming benefits? Anyone know what happens when you go through the council? Thanks

Night night Mwah for DD XXXX

oh wow did not know that!That doesnt seem fair at all. Right am really going now...

I know so many people who have lied to get a place and sometimes you need to but it's the ones that sublet or buy them and let when they're not supposed to. It's pants but it's always been pants.

I got really annoyed because first time buyers are really struggling so him being in property was inflating the market and then by not living in it and staying in the council place, he was denying someone else a place!

people in council houses are not allowed to have private property - the person who told you that was most definatley wrong.

the 'grey' area comes with - how much someone has in the bank - and whether they could afford to buy a property. so you could have sold your property as an older person - applied and got - say - sheletered accomodation adn still have £80k in the bank ( around here) becuase that amount of money would not aford that person another property to buy - thats the 'grey' bit.

housing associations do not kck you out if your circumstances change - neither do the council

you shuld go to you housing officer and inform them that you are going to be made homeles on [date] then ask them if you get nominated to housing associations directly.

ask them about the points system and ask them what will happen if you do not get offered a property within time

ask them how it works - they very well might have a "choice based lettings' system where - when you have the required amounts of points you 'bid' for a chance of being housed in any particular house that will be on a list or on the internet - you must find this out.

Thanks Custardo, I got something in the post about the area doing this choice based thing, didn't know that was what it meant. Am so stressed about it that I feel like going to the housing office today but of course its not open! Soonest I can get there early is wednesday(they said the earlier you get there the more chaznce of being seen)I just hate the thought of getting moved around as we've already moved doctors once when we moved here and will have to change again now . DD's condition is quite rare so it's important doctors and health visitors know her. Don't mean to moan, I know lots of people are in worse situations, I just hate the idea of temporary housing which may be what happens if I go as an emergency through the council I think?

well the council will have your eviction date and i am sure they will work very hard to house you. think of this like a court of law - and you have to prove with bold and underline and big stars in obvious terms that you need the housing.

you need to get doctors letters and health visitors letters and nurses letters - you need to get eviction notice from landlord in writing.

the council may negotiate with you landlord to keep your there temporarily until further councila ccomodation comes up.

but ASK them.

please please please remember - the people at the council are only people. only people doing a job - this is not a vocation for them - they make mistakes, they may tell you the wrong information.

IT Is encumbant upon you - to find out the right information - to make THEM work as hard as they can for you.

make yourself a nuisance.

the old addage - the squeeky wheel gets the oil - is very true

the housing staff will just want rid of you off their books - make them work for you

check check and double check everything.

photocopy the letters you give them - they might lose them.

get names

get things in writing

ask for a copy of their complaints proceedure - and use it - use it for snotty staff - use it for being told wrong information - use it over and over again.

you have to do the work - they arn't the red cross - they go home at night - its just a job.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I was told my tenancy was going to be up, and contacted the council as I couldnt find anywhere to rent privately, I received a letter about two weeks before my eviction date only to be told they couldnt house me and that I was not priority housing. All they did was enclosed a letter with the letting agents phone numbers around my town.
I tried to contact my housing officer many times, always to be told she would call me back, she never did.
Just to make you aware it is worth looking at houses to let privately now incase you get the same result.
We actually went to a couple of agents, with houses we had found, and could afford but were told we had to be earning 25X the rent before we would even be considered, we only managed to get the house we have now as DP's father was happy to be a guarantor.

Loryn..if the council can fob you off, they will (I know, I used to work for one). Genuinely homeless with children IS a priority. It may not be as high a priority as, let me think, disabled with disabled children homeless and bankrupt, but it's still high.

Someone who is being evicted and cannot find private rented (usualy because private rented turn them down), esp on low income, should stay put, get evicted and harrass the crap out of the council on the grounds that they are going to be on the streets with kids. Giving proof of low income and the efforts to find their own accom, with proof of being turned down. The council may put you in temp accom - if someone was REALLY REALLY without other options, they will accept this, if they don't and get private rented instead, then they always had other choices and weren't the high need, iyswim.

Sometimes, until they have a house available so they can give a homeless offer -they put folks in b&b, hostel etc (worked like this when I worked for the council,don't know if they still do this) in the short term .... our local council now also has a few houses that they keep strictly for people waiting for a permanant home - so you could go in there, but when a house came up you have to move, you don't have the same right to stay permanantly If they accept you as homeless (again this was how it was when I worked there) you got one offer (and it was usually the stuff nobody else would accept) and if you turned it down they took you off the list. But it was something and if you are facing actual on-the-streets-tonight homelessness, you're not going to be picky!

When I worked for the council, folks threatening to go over the road to the local paper offices usually got helped fast. Funny that, isn't it.