Single parents how do you or did you get a place to live for you and your child

[Redruby25]

Just interested to find out how people done it. It might just be myself and son living together, we are currently staying at my parents having been evicted, nothing bad just for overcrowding, yes that's right. Me and sons Dad were in a house share, we had our son whilst there, and did not manage to secure suitable accommodation before time ran out, I had been to the council for assistance and they had originally said they couldn't help until we were evicted, but in the interim they made me a final offer, it is 3 hrs away from where I have always lived and for one reason another a few others, I had to turn it down, as I only got 3 and a half days to decide. My sons father also did not want to move there, and as he is on a visa here and exempt from other things, I think he had every right to tell the council to get lost, the way I saw it was they do not have a right to tell you where to live when you are exempt from other help. Anyway the eviction went ahead, it was private by the way. My parents took us in but not my sons father, not disputing that at all, just mentioning, so he had to go and rent a room near by. For one reason and another we might continue on as we are, i.e me and son, but need to find somewhere to live, not expecting things on a plate, but as you all know it is hard, if I work all week I will spend my salary on childcare, a friend said other women manage it, and have a one bed fat etc for example, but how? Unless you are in a very well paid job, a months salary would be gone on just the rent for a one bed flat in London, and there would be no money after childcare, as it's about £350 a week here. So how do others pay that, then their rent bills food, and other costs, it doesn't Dads up?! Thank you all in advance!

Stilldoesntknowwhatshappening terrible decisions, what are they? Having a baby, shame on you. Had I not been made an offer, I was in the same position as thousands, who have or are facing eviction, who go in to to emergency accommodation. It's no good people saying 'don't bring others in to it' it's very relevant that I take it you are condemning every one of us. That unless say for example your landlord wants their property back to live in etc, that means that anyone taken to court as part of an eviction process, has done something wrong, absolutely not! Our landlord is saying his prayers that Section 8 exists, which is usually given for rent arrears, we were the odd case out. As I say barring that, Section 21 the guy didn't have a leg to stand on, as he is illegally letting the place out. Therefore we had a home to live in, or could have even swapped to the studio he had, but he chose to give that to the family from the shed, because he was due his HMO inspection and knew he was in deep .... not irrelevant either before anyone jumps up, all related to what brought us to present situation.

Shame on me? Who made sure my absolute shit was together before bringing my child into the world? For not being xenophobic?

Yeaaa.....shame on me

@conduitoffortune if OP's partner is on a 'Leave to Remain' visa he probably isn't entitled to apply for benefits anyway

How old are you op and do you have any qualifications? Any plan to work once baby or older?

I think the problem is you are too focussed on what others are doing and not focusing on what you need to do or what people are telling you

We did not break the rules of our tenancy, the landlord decided after many years to be nasty and do what he did, he is illegally in the country this has been reported and nothing done, and does not have a licence for the property, there were no rules there. He let the shed out for many years at £650 a month to a couple who decided to have a baby in there, please put the tissues away, they are fraudsters too

What has your landlord being illegally in the country got to do with anything’s?

If the place you were in was illegally let out then count yourself lucky you had notice to move. The council could have come at any point and told you to pack up and leave. You wouldn’t have any rights despite signing a tenancy.

The landlord was in his rights to sell at any time so why mention it.

The couple in the shed with the baby. What have these people got to do with you?

Why are you so invested in everyone around you yet don’t understand your own circumstances.

I suggest going through your posts and deleting everything about other people.

You asked how single parents got a flat or house

It might shorten your posts and get to the bottom of what you want to know

People have answered and you don’t seem to like the replies

The benefits I refer to are housing benefit and council tax benefit, child tax credits and universal credit. OP may not be entitled to these if her partner was living with her and his earnings were taken into account. This is why I'm suggesting OP plans to live separately to her partner. I don't know why some posters are acting as if I've just made up the fact that lots of people claim to be living separately to claim such benefits.

Personally OP, I worked full time and saved up for a deposit. I bought a house which needed a lot of work and renovated it as and when I could afford to. I moved to an area I could afford to live in.

No I don't plan on living separately so I can claim benefits, this is one of the things I mentioned in my earlier posts that sickens me that people do!

I have mentioned my previous home situation, because had that not happened we might of still been there. Why should I count myself lucky that the council didn't come to tell me to pack up and go? It would have been 12 people being asked to leave if they do that, because of a house being let out illegally, and in today's housing crisis it would be very unlikely that the council would do that, as they'd rather see people with a roof over their heads. He didn't sell anything so another irrelevant point.

Oh good on you for having everything together before having your child. We just needed bigger accommodation that does not mean other things were not in place.

Lots of people need bigger accommodation, better conditions. Why didn’t you look elsewhere whilst pregnant. I accept people have unplanned pregnancies but they are 9 months long so time to move to somewhere more suitable. You knew your landlord was dodgy but remained so whose fault is it he shafted you?..wanting to remain in a share house with a baby is ridiculous I don’t get your reasoning?

Fyi I had an unplanned baby but managed to move somewhere suitable as lived with friends at uni so then had a house - not council. Went to uni also whilst he was little. My mum moved abroad when he was 11 days old so my partner and I were alone (22) but managed fine. That baby is now 18. I then had 3 more kids and became a single parent had a nice rented house then the owner returned and we had to go into temp accommodation still here 2 years later and fed up. But I’m not ranting and raving about my rights. You need to contact shelter and figure out if you’ve been treated fairly and what you should be entitled to/what the councils responsibility is towards you. I remember sitting in the office the day we handed our keys back and feeling like I had nothing. Not a nice feeling. So where I am now on the list for the areas I have chosen Is where I stay until the next available property comes up. No one can jump in front of me, for any reason. So people can’t just walk in ask for a bigger house and get it (before me) no matter where they are from.

You can rant and rave all you want really but knowing your rights, bring calm and level headed and dealing with your situation is what you need to do now. You have a roof for now and family which is more than I had that day. Just don’t act so entitled - it’s not a nice trait to have

No I don't plan on living separately so I can claim benefits

So why start a thread asking how single parents manage their housing situations? You're not one, you're part of a couple and planning to live together so why ask about single parents?

'understand what you're asking. In the title of your post you ask how single parents get a place to live....but I think although difficult to follow the vicky Pollard style ramblings'

Vicky Pollard style ramblings?

You know if you can't at least try to be supportive it's an idea not to comment at all.

The question was how do single parents get a house. Many single parents have answered. Some posters have asked for info to understand the situation better, and then in response got lots and lots of other info about other people who have nothing at all to do with the situation at hand.

'The question was how do single parents get a house. Many single parents have answered.'

Yes with lots of 'wow' 'utter stupidity' 'use paragraphs' comments thrown in. There is no need to sneer.

Thank you I have asked for my comment to be deleted

To be fair to the OP, she has not given her age, so no idea why one poster claimed OP was 'nearly 40'.

'To be fair to the OP, she has not given her age, so no idea why one poster claimed OP was 'nearly 40'.'

Some over invested posters do an advance search, stalk all previous comments and pride themselves on being mn Sherlocks.

You could use your parents for free childcare to work and save for a deposit on a flat. Your partner could work full time/over time to help you both save for the deposit.

Move on the outskirts of London or 1 hour away. London is still accessible that way.

Don't rely on social housing as theres a long waiting list and the place may be in a dodgy area. If you rent you have a choice at least.

Also, I don't think you can claim benefits as a singe person if you're in a relationship. Even if you don't live together. That's fraud surely

Sons father is on a Leave to remain visa, not his first one, it is one of those for unmarried couples, with a partner who is British and settled in the UK, which is me of course.

If this is the case, then I believe that you will need to live with your partner, otherwise he may be in breach of his visa conditions. Certainly, he is likely to encounter problems when it comes round to extending his visa if you are no longer living together.

I think your options are to move in with your partner and support yourselves, continue to stay with your parents, or move to a much cheaper part of the country.

So why did you have to wait to be evicted if you intended to find somewhere yourself? That process takes a long time.

How did he manage to evict you on a section 8 usually for arrears, but in your case for something different? What was different? Why if the ll was illegal, could he not evict you on a section 21 but he can for a section 8?

If your partner was earning you wouldn't go to the top of the council list. Is this why you had to wait to be evicted and are claiming as a single person?

Why, if you intend to be a couple at some point, are you waiting now? Why aren't you trying to get somewhere together? Or will that scupper your chance of forcing the council to house you? By staying at your parents you aren't at the top of the list anyway.

There is so many whys? Which makes your decisions to date, very difficult to comprehend.

Katewhinesalot Exactly, if I was waiting or hoping things would increase my chances of council help or benefits, my circumstances certainly don't enable that, as that is not what any of this is for.
Do you know how many do not leave before eviction date, some find a place if they can or actually want to, you are within your rights to stay, indeed it is a long process, would you leave your home if you received notice? Why? You do not have to leave, and I bet if I'd left then gone to the council and they'd said you left so made yourself homeless, and I had posted that on here, then it would be a bashing for that too, that the council told you not to leave. And as we did not have somewhere else to go then why would be, that would be plain stupid.
He has a false identity lol just like lots of people from where he is from, who claimed Kosovo's nationality when they came here, when the war was going on there, some were believed others not, they take a chance, he will not be illegal on the radar.
He could not give a Section 21 because to do that he would need to have a licence on the property he lets out as a HMO. Some will now say what relevance does all this have, plenty as it's being picked up on, so it needs to be addressed. He put it through as rent arrears initially, which we never owed him a penny and we received a statement from him the Friday before court on the Monday declaring that, which we knew and didn't need his reassurance about it.

When I went on the waiting list I did not even have a partner thanks, so him coming along years later is nothing to do with that, so what? Did I then go and get a partner now as well, cause I was hoping it would get me somewhere lol, please.

Who is waiting? Have you not read similar posts saying use the time to get something sorted out, work/save etc. That is the intention. I asked the original question because I wasn't sure and still aren't what might happen going forward with certain things, and am thinking/planning ahead, isn't that a better thing to do? As I've already been told I did not do enough of that previously.

If we didn't find somewhere we would have to wait until the eviction in terms of how the council works when it comes to evictions, that's just how it is. We didn't hold on we were actively doing our own thing too. What would be the point in bothering being registered for all those years, having a case open for however long and then not bother seeking assistance when the time came, we was not expecting notice, so many things went on in our old house and the landlord done it to be spiteful, he had already done a notice letter and the council told him it was invalid, so he tried something else. I also would of liked to of had a recording of him saying I will do this to help you get a council place, but telling me that I am English and they never give anything to the English. Also that he did not like English people because we want everything done by the book.