council accomodation

[LisaSs]

Hi Girls! :)

First of all - I am due in December 2023, pregnant with my rainbow baby after 5 miscarriages.

The baby was 100% planned and after a few years of trying I am finally pregnant (hopefully it will stick this time 🙏)

on to the question... sadly me and my baby's daddy broke up recently. Trying and losses got us apart instead of bringing us together - he cheated on me and I had to move back to my parents. I am 28 years old, and in full-time employment but I am gonna struggle to rent something on my own and provide for a baby.

I know I am not eligible for any benefits, but I can't stay at my parent's house because there is simply no space for us.

I would love to have a council accommodation but I have no idea if I will be even eligible. Has anybody been in this situation? Any advice on how to get housing from the council?

Thank you for any advice x

@Seasonofthewitch83 I will try what I can afford and maybe relocate. Hope it gets better for me as this situation really makes me depressed. :(

@LisaSs I’m so sorry for what you’re going through and after losses myself I totally get why you wouldn’t want to give up your baby. My ex husband left me (after he had been cheating) when our daughter was 1. I couldn’t get council accommodation and I’m not in London. I had to privately rent with help from universal credits. It doesn’t cover all of my rent but makes it so I can afford it. You may need to look into moving to a cheaper area and not council but privately rent (so cheaper rent than in London). I did need a guarantor though as my wage alone wasn’t enough for the landlord to trust I could pay. A lot of landlords don’t take benefits into consideration.

@allgoodthings84 I'm so sorry this happened to you!
Yes, I will try to relocate and rent something hopefully much cheaper
hope it will get better

@LisaSs it was hard at the time I’m not going to lie but things were so much better long term. This was nearly 7 years ago and I’m now so happy without him and have another baby on the way. It will get better 😊

@allgoodthings84 your story gives me so much hope. I'm so happy it all worked out for you.

It really depends on what you want to do.

Your best bet is to contact the council and fill in a homeless application online. Say that you’re pregnant, there’s no space for you AND a baby so your parents have asked you to leave by a certain date. You’ll get placed into temporary accommodation. When it was me two years ago, I was very lucky to be placed in sheltered accommodation which is basically a studio flat. However they can put you in a hostel and the location can be in a different borough too.

I was in Lambeth borough and my temporary accommodation was all the way in Croydon. I was there during my pregnancy up until my baby was 3 months old. You have a choice once you’re in temporary accommodation. You can either stay there for years and years until you get a council flat. The rent is obviously much cheaper and if you’ll be on mat leave, Housing Benefit will pay for it. Only downside is that you’ll be in Band C whilst bidding so you’ll probably be there for a while.

Or, you can agree to private rent. The council have a list of Landlords that they work with who accept tenants on benefits. Your deposit is paid by the council and they will usually negotiate your rent to be below market rates so that it’s within the LHA. If you accept this option, you’ll be placed in Band B whilst bidding.

With either choices, you can only bid for a two bedroom once your child turns one as the baby is expected to share a room with you. I’m in SW London and my tenancy ends in the summer. If you need any advice just PM me and I’ll be happy to help.

There’s support out there, it’s all just about who you speak with and what you say. My housing officer was so helpful and ensured that I wasn’t in a hostel at any point

You’ll get a lot of comments from people who have never been in this situation telling you to just private rent. Even though it’s now illegal to state ‘no DSS’ on properties, most Landlords and estate agents will not accept someone on benefits.

If you have a look at the link below, it shows flats in different locations where benefits are accepted. It also tells you if the full rent amount falls within the LHA and will be covered by UC or if you’ll have to make up a shortfall.

https://dsslocal.com/

I also forgot to add that my friend went through the same process but decided to move to Leeds. She was originally from SE London but had an uncle there who she said was her local connection. She was in a hotel (temporary accommodation) with her son for two months until she got moved to a self contained flat. Three months later and she now has a three bedroom HOUSE as her council flat.

She has a driveway and a small front garden, big garden at the back and a lovely house. All for £420 a month. It’s really in everyone’s best interest to leave London because you’d never get that here. You’re also looking at a 5 year + wait to get somewhere. It took her 5 months in Leeds!

*self contained accommodation sorry, not sheltered

Have a look at a website called entitled to. It can show you an estimate of what benefits you’ll be eligible for. If you are on a low enough wage not to be able to afford rent then you’ll definitely be entitled to something.

I work in social housing in your region and I can tell you its a no hoper for housing.

You would only qualify for a studio or a one bed flat as baby doesn't count as a person until they are 1yo and London regions still have waiting lists of years.

You could look further out, but the need to have a local connection is decided on a local level so you need to check with those local authorities if it applies.

Some HAs advertise to hard to let properties on Zoopla, so you could have a look on there.

Many HAs have closed their actual housing lists due to lack of supply, but the zoopla ones don't need you to be on the waiting list.

Have you looked at studio apartments to rent locally? Not ideal but better than nothing and might be affordable?

Thank you for all help and advice