Go fund me for a house deposit

[Glinda25]

Hi, would it be highly inappropriate to set up a go fund me to get the funds for a house deposit? Im currently private renting but the house is full of damp from top to bottom, its starting to affect our health, im asthmatic and my partner is diabetic, my chest is so bad at home and my partners sugar levels are always high no matter what he does to bring them down. The landlord has been made aware of the damp and has just said oh well see it will cost alot of money!! I've paid my rent and if ive ever gotten behind ive always paid up yet nothing in nearly 8 years has been done in this house, the place Is falling apart but hes not interested. I was thinking of going down the environmental health route only problem is that its all been verbal I don't have anything in writing. Hes now pushing for a property inspection but I feel like he's only doing it so he can turn it round on us and evict us!! Im at my wits end council are no help and only want to give us a 1 bed flat but ive got pets so its not ideal and even then I could be bidding for years!!! I just don't know what to do!! We both work full time and still don't have enough money to get a deposit together! Sometimes we have to choose between eating or staying warm!! So fed up!!!!

Im at my wits end council are no help

have you spoken to private renting department to get the home you are in sorted and get the council to lease between you and the landlord concerning the issues like damp?

lots of mean people around today. If you don’t have anything nice to say (or helpful) say nothing!
op you could try but it’s unlikely to raise much. How have you tried to get rid of the mould/damp? Can you afford to move rentals? Can either/both of you take on more work to save for a deposit? You can get some 5% deposits these days. Why don’t you go on the council house list and bid anyway, you never know.

Seriously? You've been offered a council flat and you don't want it?

I don't think you should do one. Maybe persuade a friend or family member to do one on your behalf . Even then it's a bit too cringe.

Not to say it's not awful that your home is inadequate. Keep on shaming the landlord about the damp and even maybe speak to local press. And get advice from Shelter.

Some people literally have no home at all so doing crowdfunders when you do actually have a roof over your head may put people's noses out of joint.

Also it may get awkward if people don't want to donate and damage friendships.

I don't think damp makes blood sugar increase does it? I do hope you get a better home or yours repaired soon though. X

Of course it’s completely inappropriate and pull look like a beggy CF.

If you don't earn much you can't borrow much either so your choices if buying are limited. If you are buying a cheap doer upper you will need thousands to do it up too (double what you think it will cost in fact), if you are struggling to save anything after rent how will you pay a mortgage and afford to do anything with your house, that's before the unexpected expenses that come with owning.

You might be better getting rehoused because your house is a health hazard. Raising a deposit is a very small part of buying and owning a house, our house has cost us thousands and thousands, lots of it isn't through planned renovations, we had a boiler break when i was 9 months pregnant, a big leak in the bathroom that took the kitchen ceiling down and ruined carpets, and meant the bathroom had to be ripped up to fix, a leak in the roof, broken cooker etc etc there's always something unexpected that you have to pay for if you own. If you can get council housing stick to that. I highly doubt people will donate anyway when so many people are in the exact same position trying to get on the housing ladder.

First you need to rule out if the damp is fixable by you, I.e it’s caused by lack of heating or poor ventilation. If that’s the case then can you make any cuts to your outgoings to boost money available for heating? What temperature is your house? Has the damp always been there? Are you drying clothes on radiators? Make that your priority.

if it’s actually coming from somewhere else then yeah you either need to agree to your landlord doing a survey, because he’s not going to be able to fix it without one, or accept the council house and rehome your pets. That’s not a great option but realistically you’re not going to raise anywhere near enough for a house deposit with a go fund me, sorry.

Councils don't provide an individual bedroom per child, they are definitely not going to consider an extra bedroom because you have pets!

You can get 100% mortgages these days…yes Interest rate will be a lot higher but if you’ve both got good credit it should be doable……

Yes, as someone who has scrimped and saved for several years for a deposit and is still a way off due to being single and in a high COL area, I’d never dream of asking other people to just give me money for it.

I can see why people do open them for a sick family member or child who’s been given some hope of recovery if they travel abroad for treatment costing £100k or funeral costs after an unexpected death because those are absolutely situations that can’t be anticipated, but general life things that everyone else has to save up for don’t fall into that bracket.

There’s also a near zero chance of getting a mortgage offer based off of a deposit formed of go fund me donations. Only earlier this week I saw someone asking for advice because their mortgage had been rejected because their boyfriend had given them 5k towards it.

"Not ideal" is better than mould and damp surely? Being offered a flat is more than a lot of people get at the moment.

Completely inappropriate and would look ridiculous even putting it up.
I never donate to those for anything. I find them tacky and 90% of ones I see are for entitled things like this, not genuine need just I want to buy a house so can someone do it for me type things.
Plenty of people rent, plenty of peoole rent not so nice places, cost of living means we all struggle a bit and many are struggling to afford their own lives without handing you a house deposit so you don't have to find ways to get one together yourself.

The fact this was even a question and a thought is almost as bad tbh.

How do you think you'll afford a mortgage? You need a budget. You can't afford to heat and eat, but have multiple pets. You both work full time, but can't save enough for a deposit.
How much have you saved yourself? What are you doing to increase your earnings? Have you done a mortgage in principle to see how much you can borrow and how much monthly payments would be?

If you're worried about being evicted, wait with contacting Environmental Health until 1 May. Under the the new Renters' Rights Act from 1 May, Section 21 no fault evictions will no longer exist. You could give them a call and ask for advice.

I think you have your answer.

I'm not sure if you have been offered the 1 bed flat now or if you mean that you are on a waiting list. I'm a GP and have been asked to provide letters to support priority housing for people where their conditions affected by current living arrangements. It is usually to be moved to a different council house, but could try, may be worth discussion with your GP.

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/homelessness/priority_need/vulnerable_for_other_reasons

It depends on prices in the area. Where I live private rentals are more expensive than a mortgage.

^This!!

Even at minimum wage, both working full time should be enough money to avoid having to choose between heating and eating.

it's a bit cheeky fucker-ish.
And it's begging

Take the flat. You're not in a position to be picky. See it as a stop gap.

But don't do a gofund me for a deposit. You'll get crucified.

Yes it’s inappropriate anyone can write a sob story on go fund me

I’m sorry you’re struggling OP but this is a ridiculous idea, why would other people pay for a house deposit for you?

You can try, but realistically you’re not going to get the tens of thousands you’ll need. My son did a sponsored race for a well known children’s charity and several people who said they’d sponsor him didn’t. It’s unlikely then that random people will sponsor you.

Take the flat and rehome the pets. Start saving for a deposit.

Yep. My mortgage is half what renting an equivalent house would be.

That said: OP, it's not really on, no. Get onto Shelter about advice on your house, keep on at your landlord (in writing - text or email), and get bidding on council properties.

Not sure what you mean by evicting you using a house inspection as the means to do so - do you owe any rent arrears currently or have you broken any terms of your lease? There are various routes for evicting people but it depends on why he would want to evict.

But I'd imagine you'll struggle to argue he's not doing anything about the damp if you won't let him inspect unfortunately. You need to be getting everything in writing - "Hi Steve, as we discussed on XDATE, the damp issue is continuing to get worse" etc. Speak to your GP as well about it if you think the damp is impacting your health, can't hurt to have that in your medical notes.

IMO it’s cheeky
but then I also think it’s cheeky that a friend did a go fund me for her sons gap year

Have you figured out how much you would need to raise for depositals, outlays and fees needed to buy a house? If i were mintef id happily help a stranger who could show 8 years of solid rent payments, working hard and reasonable spending. Those who dont have family support or large income and arent milking the system really do get a raw deal. Other thing i can suggest is both having a second income for say 1 year. Have a hard plan to work and save with only essential spending. Its hard. Ive done it. (solo and as a parent) but worth it in the end. Also, the more you are out of the house at work the less your bills and the less you are in unsafe and unhealthy home environment. Lay it all out on your gofundme - there might just be a willing and able supporter. Good luck.

You can.

But I wouldnt donate personally. I don't agree with GoFund me generally, I like more assurance that the charity i give goes to the cause i intend and im never sure GoFund me can offer that.

And while I emphasise, I think you need to move, go to the council or call environmental health. Raise this issue with you local MP too.