Housing

[wobblymum]

We have to move on 8th October out of our rented house because the owners want to sell. We can pay the monthly rent but we've now found we can't get another rented house because there's a huge shortage and because I'm on maternity leave and DH has been self-employed for a short time, they all want 6 months rent upfront which we have no chance of affording.

So I was thinking of contacting the council to see if they can do something but I don't know who to contact, what they will do and whether they can do anything in such a short time. I know I should have got this sorted earlier but we thought we'd be able to find somewhere else by ourselves. Any advice would be HUGELY appreciated.

6 months rent upfront seems like a lot, usually it's 1 month upfront and 1 month as a deposit. Are you trying to rent through agents or privatly?

Message withdrawn

It's through agents but all of them have said they will need it, because they don't class me as working and DH hasn't got 3 years accounts for being self-employed. I tried ringing the CAB but they're closed for today, and I tried ringing Shelter but I waited a while and they didn't answer, which is when I called CAB.

Have tried local Housing Association - only one I can get through to. Duty Officer is busy but should be calling back soon. This whole situation is making me feel sick.

Wobblymum - contact your local council housing office ASAP. If you have to leave your current house and can mnot afford rent/mortgage on a new property then you will be technically homeless. The council have to help.

Good luck!

Jenie - have you rented a house lately? We had to pay 6 months too. Only way round it is to find a nice landlord and rent privately, although then you don't get een the minimal "guarantees" that you get with an agency.

Wobblymum - what a nightmare. Agree you need to contact the council asap. If nothing else they should have someone who knows whether or not there is an agency in your area which might let you off the 6 months upfront thing.

I don't think much to your existing landlords though. If the worst comes to the worst, did you know that there is very little they can do to evict you if you were to stay beyond the 8th? (not a great solution, I know).

And keep trying Shelter as well. As I'm on maternity leave too there's a limit to what I can do but I can try my contacts there (although they aren't at the front line of housing advice) as well.

I really, really sympathise.

Thing is as well that we seem to move every 6 months because house prices round here keep going up and people want to sell their houses. So short term we just need somewhere to live but long term we don't want to keep moving, and can't really afford to. We don't spend much on moving (no slaves to do it for us!) but it's still a lot and inconvienient twice a year! So we really need somewhere more permanent.

The housing association guy just called back and calmed me down a bit! Thanks to dd, I can leave it all up to the council now and we might have to stay in B&B for a short while if they haven't got anywhere but they have a duty to rehouse us, and hopefully it would be a permanent lease. Have phoned council but they're busy too and have to call me back.

Here's me getting all stressed about it, and I didn't realise the council would have to do it all for us. The only thing now is that where I used to live there were loads of terrible council estates and I'm starting to freak out about scenarios of living next to druggies, having our house broken into loads etc etc.

motherinferior - thanks a lot, but now I know what the council have to do for us, I think I'm probably best keeping on at them. The money is the least of the issue (even though it's tight), so as long as the council are forced to give us a house, we're more or less sorted.

Dont want to stress you out wobblymum but the council don't always do things as fast as you feel they ought to. I'd be interested to know how many points you score on their system - I have a friend who has been forced to live with her parents for 8 years nearly.

Parents refuse to say that they'll evict her as she's their daughter and she has 2 children and never lived on her own with them. She doesn't score enough points to ever reach the top of the list!

Actually I've just remembered - don't most estate agents offer the option of a guarantor instead of lots of rent upfront, i.e. someone with a steady job who signs a thing to say they'll pay the rent if you default?

But a housing association would be so much better - I hate the fact that UK landlords can just sell up whenver they feel like cashing in their "investment". They should change the law.

magnolia - my parents haven't got enough room for us even if they wanted and they know it would be far from ideal so they'd probably tell the council we couldn't stay there, same with sister. DH's parents are moving around Christmas so they wouldn't be an option so through the council is the only choice we have, so they couldn't pass it on to anyone else. Guy from Housing Association said that because of our situation, and because dd puts us into a vunerable group, council have to house us and if they have nowhere they have to put us in a B&B, but even that is only allowed for a short time.

I know councils are slow most of the time, but they won't be able to slow anything down if we've got nowhere to go. Maybe it will take ages to get a big enough place, but we should always have a roof over our heads.

lucy - the only people we know who would be eligible to be guarantors for us is my sister and her husband but they won't because they don't like being legally tied into it, which is fair enough. So we have to find a way round it on our own. And it would be really good to have somewhere where we won't have to move in 6 months.

Wobbly mum, what area to you live in

i work for a housing association and the rules vary from area to area - up north for instance where you have more of a choice becuase housing to buy is cheaper and so consequently there is not always a shortage of social housing

down on the south coast is a different matter - i know that you cannot apply to housing associations directly in sussex you HAVE to go through the council who will then nominate you to a housing association - it is not a seperate process.

as you are very shortly going to be made homeless you are ight the council do have a duty to re house you - frankly i would not like to take my children to live temporarily in a hostel or B&B - becuase them temporarily housed has a whole new meaning - and the council has applied its immediate obligation.

i work opposite housing officers who every day - want to get rid of the moaning gits that give them grief - they despise some of them - but i tell you this - those people get what they want - they get exchanges and transfers to other housing associations - if only to get them off the housing officers backs.

the message is the sqeeky wheel gets the oil

how about contacting the local paper to see if they are interested in doing an article at the ridiculus way the law lets landlords evict families at the drop of a hat?
contact your local councilor and get them to lobby for you - ask them if they will agree to be in the photo in the paper with you.
ring the council everyday - do not let ignorance of the system be a weapon against you - use it to ask questions and to keep yourself and your family high profile.

ask about the point system and the lettings policy - ask to get a copy in writing - make sure you get a copy of your housing application to the council - find out if in your area you have to apply to housing associations seperatly- find out if the council will nominate you to housing associations - find out the demand for social housing in your area - typically will you be given a choice of properties to view or will you have to take the first thing offered and live with it.
if you have to take whats on offer and you think whats on offer is pretty por - remember there is limited movement within the system - eg - exchanges - ask someone about this

get to your CAB get the knowledge

do not let other people do it for you

this is their job but it is your life
this is the difference - they clock off at 5pm to go to their nice houses in their nice saloon cars - when you could be stuck with children in a grotty bedsit or B&B ( same thing) afraid to go out after 9pm becuase of the bloody nutter next door - dont put yourself in that positio
you need to start to fight now

sorry to seem alarmist - its very important

i work for a housing association and the rules vary from area to area. up north for instance you have more of a choice becuase housing to buy is cheaper and so consequently there is not always a shortage of social housing. i remember when i went for my first housing association house up north - i had my pick of about 4 houses - this isnt always the case - but where i came from you do get 3 choices - down south is a different matter

i know that you cannot apply to housing associations directly in sussex you HAVE to go through the council who will then nominate you to a housing association - it is not a seperate process.

as you are very shortly going to be made homeless you are right the council do have a duty to re house you - frankly i would not like to take my children to live temporarily in a hostel or B&B - becuase then temporarily housed has a whole new meaning - and the council has applied its immediate obligation.

i work opposite housing officers who every day - want to get rid of the moaning gits that give them grief - they despise some of them - but i tell you this - those people get what they want - they get exchanges and transfers to other housing associations - if only to get them off the housing officers backs.

other housing associations ask for a reference from the present housing association when applying for a transfer - and the most abusive - drug ridden prostitute loud music playing bad neighbour will get the BEST refrence - the housing officers just want rid of the grief
the message is the sqeeky wheel gets the oil

how about contacting the local paper to see if they are interested in doing an article at the ridiculus way the law lets landlords evict families at the drop of a hat?
contact your local councilor and get them to lobby for you - ask them if they will agree to be in the photo in the paper with you.
ring the council everyday - do not let ignorance of the system be a weapon against you - use it to ask questions and to keep yourself and your family high profile.

ask about the point system and the lettings policy - ask to get a copy in writing - make sure you get a copy of your housing application to the council - find out if in your area you have to apply to housing associations seperatly- find out if the council will nominate you to housing associations - find out the demand for social housing in your area - typically will you be given a choice of properties to view or will you have to take the first thing offered and live with it.
if you have to take whats on offer and you think whats on offer is pretty por - remember there is limited movement within the system - eg - exchanges - ask someone about this

get to your CAB get the knowledge

do not let other people do it for you

this is their job but it is your life
this is the difference - they clock off at 5pm to go to their nice houses in their nice saloon cars - when you could be stuck with children in a grotty bedsit or B&B ( same thing) afraid to go out after 9pm becuase of the bloody nutter next door - dont put yourself in that positio
you need to start to fight now

sorry to seem alarmist - its very important

and most housing estates have two families who cause all the trouble - the rest of the people - the hundreds of other people on the same estate - are lovely hard working people on the whole
i promise

opps as if one long post wasnt enough - i do it twice sorry - i only meant to write the last paragraph of the second post

i apologise

Excellent post, custardo.

wiltshire - I live in Cornwall.

custardo - thanks for all that info, I'm definitely going to pester them for everything you suggest. The council didn't call back yesterday like they were supposed to so that's first on my pestering agenda now! I think down here you have to take what you're offered first and that's the end of it but I totally agree that if you make enough fuss they'll probably help you.

Housing Association said yesterday that we'd only be put in a B&B as a total last resort, if the council honestly couldn't do anything else because they've recently been told off by the government about doing it and so now they're trying to pull their socks up. Well that's what they told me anyway!

Not too keen on contacting the paper - don't want everyone we know knowing our business! But if it comes to it, I'll complain to anyone!

Off to complain at the council now!

Rung council again and am now feeling majorly depressed! Housing Association sounded really positive about the whole thing, council sounded like they'd give us a free cardboard box and leave us to it.

Guy at council said they have no houses at all because things are really scarce and it would definitely be B&B. Worse it wouldn't be where we are now, it would be about 30/40 miles away!!!

P*ed off because it's not as though we can't afford anywhere, just not 6 months rent at once!!! Flaming rent agencies!!

get to the CAB
contact the councilor and MP
phone every day
know your rights - like what happens after you go into a B&B what obligation does the council have then?

open your options - look towards other council areas - get your name on other lists in other areas with other local authorities - you can always turn it down - but if your not even on the list - you dont even have the option