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Original poster

Council forcing to private rent when homeless!!!

76 replies

mollybbb · 10/05/2024 00:37

Hi just looking for some advice and wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation. I went to my local council around to months ago with my 1 month old baby as I was living with my partner and his mum and we had a falling out and he asked me to leave, I went to the housing to say I was homeless and needed to be housed, they are offering me to private rent through the council instead of putting me in temporary accommodation and waiting for a council house. I have expressed that I would rather wait for a council house as I don't want to be in the same boat in a years time with my baby if the landlord decided to evict me and they expressed that I don't have a choice in the offer that they give me?
Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else or if anyone could give me some advice thank you.

OP posts:
AllTheChaos · 10/05/2024 00:39

I don’t know what it’s like in your area, but in London a lot of the temporary accommodation is expensive, and awful, as well as limited. Not sure what the current council guidance is though I’m afraid. Does your council have anything online detailing what they will do in such a situation, or what their legal obligations are?

Whentheboatcomein · 10/05/2024 00:40

I’d contact shelter, they can advise you what your rights are and what’s best to do.

User2460177 · 10/05/2024 00:41

They can house you in private rented accommodation. Many councils simply have very little housing stock

IdaPolly · 10/05/2024 00:44

They probably don't have anything else available. How can you wait for a council house if you're homeless though?

Original poster
mollybbb · 10/05/2024 00:45

IdaPolly · 10/05/2024 00:44

They probably don't have anything else available. How can you wait for a council house if you're homeless though?

Edited

I am currently sofa surfing waiting to be put in temporary accommodation

OP posts:
MoodyMargaret11 · 10/05/2024 00:46

They have given you a place to live, which solves your problem. If you were able to afford your own private rental, you might be "in the same boat anyway" if the owner chose to section 21 you.

Council's duty is to ensure you are not homeless and they have done that already. Astounded at your entitlement!

IncompleteSenten · 10/05/2024 00:46

Take whatever they are offering because if you don't they may decide you are what they call "intentionally homeless". What that usually means is they won't help you after that.

Original poster
mollybbb · 10/05/2024 00:50

MoodyMargaret11 · 10/05/2024 00:46

They have given you a place to live, which solves your problem. If you were able to afford your own private rental, you might be "in the same boat anyway" if the owner chose to section 21 you.

Council's duty is to ensure you are not homeless and they have done that already. Astounded at your entitlement!

I'm not being entitled Margret of course I will accept whatever I am offered I am simply asking if someone has gone through a similar situation.

OP posts:
Cocopogo · 10/05/2024 00:51

You don’t seem to understand the housing crisis. There are literally no council houses. You will be waiting many years by which time you’re unlikely to get one. It doesn’t sound like you have a choice and to be fair it sounds like a great offer.

GordonBlue · 10/05/2024 00:51

They have a duty to house you and your baby when you are either homeless or "threatened homeless" ie about to become homeless. They can discharge that duty by arranging a tenancy with a private landlord.

That's the broad brush.

The details about how they make their decisions depends on if you're homeless or threatened homeless and also on their allocations policy. That will be on their website, it's required. Download it and read it. Write out a timeline of your interactions with them. See if they have followed their own policy. Talk to your local citizens advice bureau. Discuss if there are grounds you can challenge them on. If there are, do it. You can also get your MP office involved. It's possible to get allocated housing but you often have to put the work in, fight them with their own policy and hold your nerve. Good luck.

GordonBlue · 10/05/2024 00:56

If there's any way at all you can temporarily reconcile and kip with ex's family that might help because then you're "threatened homeless" which usually means a longer timescale than "homeless " for both them and you to work with, which means a property you're eligible for might come vacant. Obviously only do this if there's no risk to you and your child and if it looks like it might work, reading the allocations policy.

caringcarer · 10/05/2024 00:59

Have you seen the accommodation they are offering you yet? I'd ask to see it before you complain. It will likely be better than a single room in a B&B for you and baby. Sometimes when there simply are no houses people get stuck in temporary accommodation for well over a year. There was a Mum and 2 DC living in temporary accommodation at a school I used to work in. They had nowhere to do their laundry. They couldn't cook in their room either.

AllTheChaos · 10/05/2024 04:38

Just to add, waits for council house can be many years these days

Beatrixslobber · 10/05/2024 06:20

To most people in a similar situation this would be the better option rather than temporary accommodation.

Well done to your local council for helping you.

BringMeSunshineAllDayLong · 10/05/2024 06:26

Sadly there is no social housing hardly at all. 20 years ago I worked on homelessness for the council and people would be permanently rehoused in about 2 months up to 6. Now the council offer 2 years temporary then thats their duty done so aim to get people into private accommodation. It's tough.

ZipZapZoom · 10/05/2024 06:28

You do seem quite entitled to be honest.

You're homeless with a tiny baby and they're providing you with suitable accommodation that presumably you can afford but you would rather sofa surf than accept it?

Council property waiting lists in many places are years long. Are you honestly saying you'd rather spend the next few years living on a mates sofa because you might end up with a landlord who decides to evict you?

PineappleTime · 10/05/2024 06:29

This is what happens when you're homeless in 2024. If they can put you in private rent that's what they will do. The days of sitting waiting for a council house are largely over. I'm not saying this is right, but it's how it is.

Keepingittogetherstepbystep · 10/05/2024 06:36

I spent 5 years in temporary accommodation 20 years ago. I got one offer of social housing and told I'd get booted if I didn't accept it and had a medical priority.

Unfortunately I'd expect its even worse now. The council will have contracts with the primary landlords do they will be a bit more secure than a private rental on the open market.

conniecon · 10/05/2024 06:48

This is classic - get made homeless due to alleged relationship split, get council house, reconcile with partner. Trying to jump the queue.

It has not worked like that for years due to lack of stock,

Take what you are offered and be grateful.

YeahComeOnThen · 10/05/2024 06:50

From the outside (I don't know anything much about 'the system') your decision to turn it down seems ridiculous. It's a home for you & your baby! Youre waiting for temporary accommodation ?? From years on here & the news etc, I gather that it can be vile lots of B&B with the less savory elements of society.

Theres no reason a LL would want you to move out in a year & if they did, the council would help you.

given the lack of council housing, I think holding out for a house for life (especially with a small baby) is madness.

is this 'falling out with baby's Dad a plan to get you into a house so he can move in too?

if it's a genuine falling out & he's happy to see you & your young baby sofa surfing then make the split permanent

what am I missing?

saraclara · 10/05/2024 06:58

This is absolutely standard now. My voluntary work is with people in similar situations. There is virtually no social housing stock, so councils simply enter into arrangements with private landlords in order to get a roof over people's heads.

It's far from ideal, but I'm afraid you're being incredibly naive to think that you will get a social housing property.

OpusGiemuJavlo · 10/05/2024 07:08

The kind of temporary accommodation they could put you in would be significantly more expensive and worse value for money and the waiting lists are such that you could be there for many years. Going into a private rental is a better solution. Your OP appears to translate as "I have been offered an option to be adequately and safely housed and not homeless any more, but I would prefer to stay homeless and inadequately housed for years in the hopes of getting a better/cheaper home in a few years time". It's not rational and casts doubt on your functionality as a parent that you would want your baby to grow up homeless when there's an option not to be. Obviously private rental isn't as secure as a council tenancy but there's plenty of private housing stock owned by large scale landlords who are unlikely to sell up or evict you. The insecurity is from hobby landlords with only 1 or 2 properties who thought they could make some easy money and sell up when they find they actually have to put in time, effort and more money to meet their obligations.

KeinLiebeslied54321 · 10/05/2024 07:18

Unfortunately councils are forced to look to private accommodation providers simply due to a severe lack of social housing in most areas. Refusing the offer of private accommodation won't mean you are offered a council property any faster, in fact refusal may actually be seen as making yourself intentionally homeless! Waiting lists for council properties are years long in many places, do you want to sofa surf for years?

LIZS · 10/05/2024 07:23

Is it a private rental or rented ti the council by a private ll on a long lease? If the latter it is similar ti a HA property. Tbh declining may put you further down the list.

MissMelanieH · 10/05/2024 07:49

They just don't have the council properties available that's why they do this.
At one point late in 2023 our school had four families living in local travel lodges because they had nowehere else to go.
They often had to move from place to place depending on vacancies at any given time.
These were full families and a couple with children with SEND too.
The system is broken. For your baby's sake, don't wait for the council to find you somewhere, you're imagining a nice flat or a house but the reality could well be a grotty single room in a hostel 🤷🏽
I'd take the private rental and do whatever you can to be self-sufficient in the future so you aren't reliant on a broken system...welcome to Tory Britain!!

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