Housing pregnancy advice

[jxoxo]

Hi,

I am 8 months pregnant & have a 6 year old son. I am now a single parent as at the start of my pregnancy I found out my childrens father was cheating with another woman who he has now left us to be with and shown no interest in us since.

The property I'm in at the moment is a very small 1st floor council flat they will not move me as it is 2 bedrooms and I am not classed as high priority. I have been on house swap for last 8 months and had no interest as it is very small with no garden. I need to move as there is no way it is suitable for two children the cot will not fit in my bedroom or my son's room as it is a box room.

I am thinking to go Private for more space for the 3 of us but was just wondering what would happen if the landlord decides after year tenancy or a few years that they want the house back and I can't find another suitable property in my price range can I then go back to the council?

Would I be classed as homeless with my 2 children?
Could I get emergency housing or be housed back in a council property?

I've heard from a few people that once you leave the council it is very hard to get housed with them again (but not from anyone who has done it themselves)

Please help!

Anyway. Good luck OP. I hope you find the info you're looking for. I have to go to bed. I do not miss the world of expensive, insecure rents and insufficient housing. It's one of the most stressful things I've ever been through. I wish you the best for the future

@ajaslipstick Thanks have you had to go from private house to private??

The place I live now is £590 a month I've found a private 3 bedroom for £700 with same council tax band as I am now. Going through all the checks at the minute. I am working right up to the end of my pregnancy. I will get full maternity pay but have made arrangements to also be working from home so finances isn't an issue to pay 110 more a month is doable for me or I wouldn't consider it. I will use savings for deposit and first months rent.

@Bertiebotts thank you for your advice hopefully all will work out for me and mine. All the best to you also

So going on your scenario, you give up your secure council tenancy which everyone has said not to btw, and rent privately. You then rent a private property and in 12 months the landlord wants it back. You have to wait to be evicted (so that you are not making yourself intentionally homeless) then the council let you back onto their list. They put you into emergency accommodation for many moths so all of you have to live in one room with not cooking or washing facilities until the council come along and offer you another property. Guess what they offer you! A small 2 bedroom council flat on an upper floor! You have no choice but to accept. All that for being stubborn and refusing to see that what you have whilst not ideal is much better than it could be.

At least wait till you've had the baby. Unless you are 100% sure your ex would cover it, if your plans to work till the end and whilst on maternity go wrong you'll be stuffed.

Doesn't need to be anything serious, just some minor complications in late pregnancy, a c-section, unwell baby at first etc, and your work plans are scuppered. Unless the local housing allowance is £700 for a 2 bed (unlikely) then if you temporarily have to claim housing benefit whilst on maternity they won't pay the full rent.

My friend was (and still is) in private rented had to move twice before her first DC was two. The first time her private landlords decided to sell up when she was pregnant with DC1, then moved in with parents (living in one room) as couldn’t get anything from the council or HA. Moved into private rental 2 was assured it was theirs for a few years. A year later the landlord needs the property back whilst she is pregnant with DC2. Found another private rental and are thankfully still there. In the meantime they are still on the waiting list for the council 5 years later!

I have not gone from council to private rented, but have been renting privately for some time.

You might get lucky and find somewhere you can stay for a few years but having to move often is very common. Last summer we had to move because the landlord unexpectedly decided to sell. The summer before exactly the same thing happened. Each move cost us a good amount in removal costs, professional cleaning costs, furniture not being suited to next place, agents fees, and more. Bear in mind it usually isn't enough to work out that you should be able to afford it....all the agents we dealt with had a minimum amount you must have as income in order to be eligible for certain rents, and this income had to be confirmed with employers and bank references.

I completely understand why you feel you need to move, but before making any hasty decisions talk to some agents and get an idea of how you would fare. You do need to factor in also that the risk of having to move again is high, I have linked an article below...and you would need to pay deposit and first month's rent on your new place before receiving your old deposit back as that can take ages. I really hope you can find something suitable and I do feel for you, it is a twisted situation in the housing market.

blog.shelter.org.uk/2016/02/renting-families-move-so-often-they-are-nearly-nomadic-new-research/

Do be careful once you're in though. I know families of six which have been forced out of private rentals due to unsuitable living conditions or a sudden rise in rates etc. but then been told they've made themselves voluntarily homeless so the council wouldn't touch them. They ended up sofa surfing. Once you're in, be careful.

For what it's worth, I rented privately twice before I bought. One they wanted the house back six months later, the other we only left in order to move into a house we'd bought. My sister had a dreadful experience with hers though-the toilet leaked through the ceiling and the floor was giving way but she couldn't get them to do anything about it and in the end had to move. Ask around the area, some agent managed properties, e.g. Frank Innes in our area, are very poorly managed. Find out which landlords come recommended. My best one was just a lady who managed her own properties. Good luck to you, hope it all goes well.

I personally think you're mad wanting to give up the tenancy. When your baby is born add her to the housing application.. You never know your luck may come in.

If u went private then 6m later the landlord for instance sold. The council will try to help you however this is likely to be a 1 bed or a studio flat for you andv two kids as temporary accommodation. Which could last months. So you'll be no better off.

I used to rent private and it was stressful (I'm. Not saying it is for everyone) but two landlords sold and the other wanted family to move in. We had to go back to my dad's for a bit and I was pregnant with my DS at the time

My place now is smaller (I chose to move because of where I lived) I'm with HA now. With another now on the way.. ( when I moved I had no intention of meeting someone new and wanting a family.. Wow that changed lol)
And yes space is a big issue however I know that it's one of those things. I've known people to have three or four kids in small properties.. Unfortunately that's not ever going to improve

We now will go back on the bidding system however I'm expecting and being open minded that it won't be within prob 5-7 years

Do what you feel. Is best for you and your children, however be prepared for all outcomes, plus with things like univesal credits (if you get them) you will lose out as the band is lower

You are very right to be concerned about a lack of security in private rental, as you have said a landlord can theoretically decide they want their property back at any time as long as they give you the correct notice period and it would be up to you to find another property within your price bracket.
I think if you were literally homeless the council will help you but as others have said this is likely to be emergency accommodation which would most likely be all of you in one room with shared facilities and you could be there for a long time depending on availability of houses.
I know it must be really hard in your current situation too and I can completely understand you trying to find another suitable solution for your family.
I think it would be worth waiting until the baby is born and then asking the council to visit your current property to assess suitability; often the baby has to actually be here for councils to increase your priority/points and push u up the list.
Just be careful with renting privately that there is a lot of illegal sub letting going on and in these circumstances you have absolutely no rights and can be homeless in a day. If a property seems too good to be true in terms of price etc. It probably is and often safer to go through an agency.
Good luck x

Thank you all for your real advice! In comparison to last night lol.. It is so stressful deciding whats best for us all by myself I will definitely take your points into account.

The thought of us being here just makes me so sad it is so small just got stuff everywhere so feels very claustrophobic just feel bad not giving my children something better! But it will hopefully all work out in the end

Actually although a landlord can decide they want the property back any time after giving you required notice, I thought (not totally sure) that they can only give notice once the initial contract is up. So you could try and negotiate a longer contract to begin with, eg. 2 or 3 years. The only downside of that is that if problems arise you are also contracted in.

Hi, I work for a housing association. If you moved to private rented and then were given notice the council would owe you a homelessness duty. In my area (Cumbria) this would mean you would be likely to quickly find alternative permanent accommodation. However it does depend on housing demand, you could end up in emergency housing.