Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Lone parents

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

Original poster

Landlords and Housing Benefit

18 replies

dragonstitcher · 12/04/2008 09:34

I am trying to flee an abusive marriage. I have been approved by my councils Housing Needs Officer for a Tenancy Start-up scheme. Now I just need to find a house to rent.

I have been ringing around all the leasing agents in my area and hardly any landlords will take tenants on housing benefit! Aaargghh!

Did anyone else here have this problem?

OP posts:
Broodybabywannabe · 12/04/2008 15:14

BUMP for you, no personal experience butg i know of the problem IYSWIM i think its cos councils sometimes are late with payments, good luck with your hunt x

chocolatespiders · 12/04/2008 15:15

some wont...

you may get away with not telling them as you can get HB paid directly to you instead of the landlord...

you could ask the council if they know of letting agents that deal with this situation..

good luck

CrackerOfNuts · 12/04/2008 15:20

Not telling the landord doesn't always work though as they council will contact the landlord to check rent amount etc.

Letting agents hardley ever take on people on HB, so looking for a private landlord is usually better.

Look in your local papers classifieds section as they may advertise in there.

Good luck

CrackerOfNuts · 12/04/2008 15:20

Gumtree sometimes have ads from private landlords too.

ScoobyDoo · 12/04/2008 15:33

If you contact your council sometimes they have landlords who come to them who want tenants & they accept housing benefit, someone my mum worked with did this.

expatinscotland · 12/04/2008 15:37

Edinburgh Council has such agreements with private landlords, Scooby. They also have agreements with private landlords to provide temporary housing, as it is no longer legal in Scotland to house families in B&Bs.

Great idea!

Try speaking with them, dragon.

Original poster
dragonstitcher · 12/04/2008 17:05

The council gave me a list of agents that they know have landlords that will take HB. Only one on the list is in my area and they have nothing at the moment.

OP posts:
ScoobyDoo · 12/04/2008 17:08

Thats right Expat we were offered a flat through temporary accomodation but had to turn it down due to where it was.

The flat we got after we had lived with my mum for 9 months was through a letting agent who worked with the council.

Have you phoned the council Dragon & said you are having trouble finding somewhere that will take you with housing benefit? they may be able to help you further.

davidtennantsmistress · 13/04/2008 17:57

if you write on your forms you do not give permission for the land lord to be contacted tehy shouldn't contact him - your tennancy agreement will suffice for proof of rent. SIL helped me fill in all of my forms as she is a HB officer, and she said due to the data protection act unless you give your permission they can't contact landlord. afaik HB is changing soon anyhow so HB pays you directly and not the landlord anymore.

Original poster
dragonstitcher · 13/04/2008 21:57

But is the TSU money for deposit and months rent paid straight to me or the landlord? I can't stop them from knowing about HB if they know about that.

OP posts:
CarGirl · 13/04/2008 22:01

have you got any savings to offer to pay a couple of months rent up front? (anyone you can borrow from)

staryeyed · 13/04/2008 22:11

Most landlords will ask you if you are working and ask you to provide references to prove you are. SO its v difficult to lie about it. Look in shop windows and libraries and local paper.

davidtennantsmistress · 14/04/2008 07:51

imho opinion (as happened with us)

they did credit checks and asked for references. we were asked for a guarantor, they were also subjected to the same checks we were.

We were asked to prove who we'd pay for the rent - ie 3 X the wages coming in. both us/guarantor had to do this.

HB will not pay your deposit for you as you get the money back, they will not pay the first months rent in advance, and you have to prove to them via a receipt/bank statement that you have indeed paid the first months rent.

to get around this bit, i've had to ask my parents for a loan short term, but without it i'd have been stuck in a B&B or the mother & baby unit for anywhere up to 2 years waiting for a council house, so as a family both I, my parents and XH decided it was the best solution to look at pte renting and do things this way around. hth.

NotDoingTheHousework · 14/04/2008 09:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

1964 · 20/04/2008 10:57

Has anyone gone through social services to ge housed. I went to the council who told me I mad myself homeless (Long story) So they could not help but suggested I go to Social Sevices

Freckle · 20/04/2008 11:24

The rules relating to hb is changing soon so that the benefit is paid to the tenant rather than the landlord. So, provided you are eligible and the rent has been agreed with the local authority, there is no need for the landlord to know that you need hb.

milliec · 21/04/2008 11:22

Message withdrawn

Original poster
dragonstitcher · 22/04/2008 14:27

Freckle - I know that HB is changing so that it is paid direct to you not the landlord. It's the TSU (tenancy start up) I am unsure about.

milliec - I didn't say that they said I was intentionally homeless. I went to the council, proved to them that I was a DV case, they put me on the housing list (I am band B) and approved me for TSU.

TSU will give a deposit and months rent.
HB will pay my rent.
My problem is finding a landlord who will accept DSS.
Even though HB will be paid direct to me, I can't lie to a landlord than I am a DSS tenant.

Anyway, I am accepting a two bed flat which is too small for us, but will give me somewhere to get out to and give me more time to look for somewhere bigger.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread