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Lone parents

Use our Single Parent forum to speak to other parents raising a child alone.

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Original poster

need to private rent but worried i wont get anything due to circumstances...

22 replies

lostandlonely · 31/01/2008 21:42

really want to move to a nice area....

but worried due to past wont get anything due to credit checks etc.....i have since turned life around and work etc....

and i would never risk losing roof over head... if someone would give me a chance...

could i offer a bigger depoist?

thankyou

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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jellyjelly · 31/01/2008 21:46

Have you got a deposit now?

Original poster

lostandlonely · 31/01/2008 21:49

i have saved one up

OP posts:

jellyjelly · 31/01/2008 21:57

When did you have problems, do you have a good history now? is your dep more than 10%?

Have you approached any or seen a broker?

GreedyGecko · 31/01/2008 22:00

They'll probably want a guarantor. Some may say 6mths rent up front. I'm having to do this as I only work p/t.

Original poster

lostandlonely · 31/01/2008 22:03

dep would be one month down- plus a months rent in advance....

problems were 10 years ago, not had credit cards, finance etc since then....

have been thinking of getting my mum to do it , she owns her own house and doesnt have an income - she lives off savings. so not sure they would let her rent ? plus if she rents it would i then be able to claim HB? which i would need to top up the % i would pay form my wages

oh this is awful i am SO DESPERATE to move and now i feel sick as i may not be able to....

OP posts:

Original poster

lostandlonely · 31/01/2008 22:05

GG are you getting HB aswell..

what is a garantur

i think my mums would lend me some cash to pay rent upfront..... (hoping emotion)

OP posts:

mogs0 · 31/01/2008 22:42

My last landlady was a bit reluctant about having me in her flat because I was claiming HB. But I only told her after I'd looked round the flat and spent about 30 mins with her and I guess she trusted me. She did want a guarantor, someone on stand-by to pay the rent if you don't. My sister was my guarantor.

I don't know if HB would pay if the flat was rented to your Mum because they want to see something with your name on it (tenancy agreement/rent book).

I applied to loads of ads for flats in the paper and on the internet and as soon as I mentioned HB they hung up. I then decided to go and view the places first and try to convince them that I'd be a reliable tenant before mentioning the HB.

I've recently moved out of that flat and my landlady was really upset we were going and made it quite clear that if we ever moved back to the area we'd be more than welcome to move back in!!!

Good luck!!

GreedyGecko · 31/01/2008 22:49

a guarantor is just someone who agrees to pay the rent if you can't. So maybe your mum could do this?

If your mum rents it for you I don't think you could get HB as they see it as family should help you out IYKWIM.

Yes I will be able to get HB top up. I've just sold my house as 1. don't really want to be paying xp's mortgage for him for next 16 yrs and also can't get HB for that.

discoverlife · 31/01/2008 22:50

I have actually never told a private landlord that I am a HB claiment. I just claim afterwards as they don't have to contact the landlord. It is different with agency's as they have to take up employment references etc. and will then know that you can't afford to pay the rentwithout HB.

mogs0 · 31/01/2008 22:51

I have lived in three different council areas and 2 out of the 3 have asked for a form to be filled in by the landlord.

GreedyGecko · 31/01/2008 22:52

Agree with mogs. Don't mention HB 1st, as most agents won't take you. I'm not even going to mention it at all.

mogs0 · 31/01/2008 23:00

I have a feeling that there must be some Act that says you can't discriminate against someone wanting to rent a property because they're on HB. Each time I met with Letting Agents I'd mention the HB and they'd still look enthusiastic then I'd call later to say I'd like to rent the flat and it had amazingly been rented to someone else with in the space of an hour! Not one agent said they couldn't take HB. Whereas 3 years ago when I was looking that was the response I'd get everytime.

Maybe contact your council and find out if you'd need a landlord to fill anything out and if no then don't tell them.

empen · 31/01/2008 23:05

Where are you hoping to move to?? What area?

shelleylou · 31/01/2008 23:09

It confuses me, if u get HB the rents garenteed to be paid yet people wont take it . I know the coucil where ilive do have part of the form 4 the landlord to fill in but i think that is for the HB to pay the landlord direct im not positive as mines councilso didnt need to worry about that.

mogs0 · 31/01/2008 23:14

I think the stigma is attached to the type of person that is claiming it! I found it so frustrating when landlords wouldn't even consider HB. When applying to ads online I'd type a great long page about how I was working part time and my rent would be topped up by hb and I had great refs from previous landlord and I'd never hear a word in reply, maybe I wrote too much and they were just bored with my email!!!

discoverlife · 31/01/2008 23:22

The problem for some landlords is that they think because you are on a low wage or benefits that you can't afford to keep up the decor or maintenance. Or that you are a drug taking yob. It is a stigma that is hard to get over.
The bit for landlords to fill in should just be for paying the landlord direct it should have on the form a tick box or something that says you don't want the landlord contacting. I wouldn't recommend getting the payment made direct to landlord as the HB pay 4 weekly not calender monthly and you will always seem to be in arrears until the very last month each year.

Original poster

lostandlonely · 01/02/2008 09:36

thanks for all the advice....

i am going to look at a house today.. wont mention the housing benefit.....

our form does have a bit for the landlord to fill in..... but that might be just to get rent paid to them...

will agency want to see wage slips, bank statements etc?

i really hope this wont hold me back from moving somewhere i want to live... i am a hard working person...

the other thing i have done is appllied for keyworker rental which is cheaper then private rent.... but not sure how often houses come up... so the plan would be to private rent while i am waiting for keyworker renting to come up.....

OP posts:

dippydeedoo · 01/02/2008 09:48

we did rent out a house and accepted housing benefit the problem being that a/ the council take ages to start paying
b/a lot of tenants ask for the rent to be paid to them to then forward to landlord (by the time it comes through theyve lived in the house 3 months and when they get a cheque for 3 months rent they do a flit lol)
I think that by being v open about your situation (not apologetic many peope claim hb)and maybe offer to pay a large amount of the rent until the hb comes thru then the landlord owes u-offering a good bond and good references,tbh i think a single mum whose working and looking after her children deserves any help i could offer her ...

Tippychick · 01/02/2008 10:30

I've rented in cities and towns in the South East and was expected to pay for an estate agent's credit check and letting admin fee - usually about £150 - before they'd rent to us. that's on top of a month up front and usually about 1 1/2 months deposit.

Here in Devon we just filled out a form saying we worked, they called two references - who could have been anyone - and paid a £80 admin fee but there was no credit check (luckily!). My current landlady is not with an agency and so more laid back - she liked me but I still didn't tell her about planning to claim HB, I wasn't sure I'd be with XP or not at that stage. Like diddydeedpp says, it wss the 3 months rent unpaid she was worried about.

I have two dogs, a cat, a baby and claim as well as work, I am the most unwanted tenant ever. I don't have enough points yet for social housing so I took the first house that would accept me pretty much! Good luck lostandlonely and I would be sparing in how much you tell landlords/agents. Another tip is to go along and see places even if they say no HB or no pets or whateverand then offer them an extra £200 deposit once you've charmed them!

discoverlife · 01/02/2008 10:54

We must be lucky with our Council then, they have never delayed more than 3 weeks before paying the HB. Although I have know it take much longer as a friends did, then when you dig into it, its because the tenant didn't bother sending in wage slips or getting the benefits details to the council on time. Or just not bothering to return the forms, or not signed etc.

Tinkerbel6 · 01/02/2008 13:08

lostandlonely if you work then it shouldnt be a problem as the HB you will get will only be a top-up so not the main payment of your rent, if you go through an agency you will need a guarantor who will have a credit check done on them, seeing as your mum doesnt have an income she might not be accepted, housing benefit wont be paid to you if the tenancy agreement is in your mums name so it needs to be in yours.

midorimum · 02/02/2008 18:50

if your problems were 10 years ago they will no longer be on your credit file, think its wiped after 6 or 7 years, you should contact Experian or Equifax for a copy of your credit report which will show exactly whats on there.

www.experian.co.uk/

www.equifax.co.uk/

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