Council list

[Newmammaof1]

....

I live in a private rented flat on the 4th floor, no lifts with a two year old, I'm not allowed to leave my buggy downstairs so have to pull up more than 84 stairs everyday with child in my arms. I'm single live alone.

My tenancy ends next month and I'm not going to renew it. There is damp all over my flat and outside my front door the whole building is damp and mouldy.

It's affecting my asthma, Plus the stairs. If I leave and go to the council will they put me on a house list, also my rent is to high, barely have enough at the end of the month.

I don't mind going into a B&B or hostel, temporary accommodation if it means in the end I will get a house. Will I be able to go on there all they say that I made myself intentionally homeless, I rent with hosing benefit so it's quite hard to find somewhere else, and I want stability for my daughter hence why I want a council house. I'm by myself and the way I see it is I can't work complete full time until she's in school secondary school, as I always have to start after 9 to drop her to school and finish at 2 to pick her up from school, so I'm considering going there my mum has no space for me so I will be homeless, what is far is making me really depressed and sick and on extra inhalers and tablets for my asthma.

Will it work? How does it work? I'm in Lambeth Borough but want to go to bromley Borough closer to family.

Thanks for any advice x

Could you not use after school/breakfast club?

I'm in the same position but work full time and still can't find a decent private let, mine is damp too.
I use after school club and breakfast club for work.
I'm not sure about London but I've heard the council are struggling so much they are housing people in cities outside London as there is such a shortage.
The length of time you could be in a hostel or unsuitable temp accommodation could be years.

I know you want to stay near your family but would you consider moving up north to a cheaper location?

I'm at dead end too as my council put you in temp accommodation for years also

I do sympathise as I use to live in a 3rd floor flat with no lift and have two kids in a double buggy, it was 48 steps up to my flat and I also wasn’t allowed to leave the pram downstairs so it meant I had to bump it up and down from the 3rd floor every day. Couldn’t leave it down stairs council wouldn’t allow it. I think you will probably find that you will have to bid within your own area then do a mutual exchange to where you want to move to, my council (London Borough) you have to live in the area for 5 years to be able to join the list so worth checking that out, most areas of London have very long waiting lists years and years even on priority so you will likely be waiting a very long time even if they do accept you on the list.

a word of warning about temporary accommodation is they can quite literally put you anywhere. And if you refuse that particular pre wait because it’s going to be a three hour trip to school or work or it also has a billion flights of steps with no lift, they’ll usually decree you’ve made yourself intentionally homeless and refuse to help further

You might be better asking your LL to evict you otherwise council will say you made yourself intensionally homeless. Could you relocate to a cheaper area of country. Last year my son moved to Hull and bought a 2 bed terraced house that is lovely for £75k. I know it is hard to believe but it is true. It is not damp or horrible or anything. He does not have a garden but has a medium sized back yard but would be good for a toddler to ride a little bike around or play with a ball. Do you have anything stopping you moving up North? You can get 2 bed rentals for £500 pcm. It is easier to move before child starts school.

No I can't move out of london my mum is here and she's my only support system I need it unfortunately.

So if he evicts me, Will then then allow me on the housing list? Do you get priority for having a child? Or am I just better private renting? I'm scared I will private rent then say my landlord wants to sell. I'm just never going to be fully secure, that's so scary for me

Could you change to a Sling or carrier for dc? How are they on the stairs walking?

No she's two, she's to heavy, and doesn't like walking unfortunately. It's not just the stairs, the whole building and flat is making me sick.

The whole outside of my flat is really bad and comes into my flat.

Has anyone had any experience going down this route if homeless? Or is it just not do able?

Can you speak to Shelter? Sounds like a tough situation OP.

Try contacting shelter for advice, your current home is obviously unsuitable but depending on your LA/HAs the wait could be years and if you had to spend that time in an even worse place could you cope? Eg it could be one room with communal bathroom and kitchen facilities.

I've seen 10+ years wait times for council and HA homes, even if you were given a high priority there aren't enough houses and flats for every one needing them. It's a truly shit situation.

I don't understand why you don't think you'll be able to work until she's in secondary school.. you realise many parents work right?
I don't think making yourself homeless will help although you should give consideration to the suggestion of moving up north where money goes a bit further.

In London you’ll be waiting for up to a decade or more. Having a child won’t give you any special priority above the tens of thousands of other people with children who would also like a social rent home. And you can’t simply decide that you’d like a council home in Bromley if you’ve been living in a different borough: there will be a residency criteria which means you’ll need to have been living in the borough for 2 - 5 years in order to become eligible to join the housing register.

What support does your mum provide? If she’s the reason you’re determined to stay in London then could she provide wraparound childcare to enable you to increase your working hours?

You could look into childcare so you can work, or start training to do so. You may find you can claim FEET funding now. Could your dm help with pickup and drop offs?

Have you tried the private rental office at the council for advice on the state of the flat and your ill health? You can go on the waiting list even without being homeless, although you may have a long wait to be rehoused and little choice of property or location.

You'll get accepted on this list and provided emergency accommodation only if you haven't made yourself intentionally homeless.

I would call the housing options team at the council and see if they can help.

You get priority for having a child but as others have said thousands have children so you won’t be housed any quicker than the thousands of others with children, or other priority needs like medical etc priority In my area is still years. You can’t just select what council you want either it doesn’t work like that. You can’t just join another councils list most will only allow you to join the list I’ve you’ve lived in the area for a certain amount of time.

Specifically what support does your mum provide?

If your reason for wanting to stay close is purely so you are close rather than because your mum provides care for you or your child then you may need to let that go.

Staying in London is expensive, just had a quick look at right move and a 2 bed in Bromley borough is min £1200 a month.

A 2 bed city centre flat in Leicester fully furnished (where I am so just checked my locality) is half that.

If you leave you won’t be counted as homeless and even if you were Bromley would refer you to Lambeth for housing.

if you fail to renew your lease it’s likely it will just continue month to month anyway until either you or landlord give notice. If you give notice you will be intentionally homeless and not entitled to any help

your best bet is to speak with environmental health and get them to do an assessment

Does your mum work? Could she relocate with you if you need her support? You could find somewhere much cheaper

If your Mum supports you by providing childcare so you can work then great. Otherwise your best bet is to move somewhere cheaper. You are in the most expensive place in the whole UK.

Having your Mum so close is a luxury that you can’t afford. Sad as that is.

No one is going to come on here and say yes you’ll be top of the housing list in Bromley as you’ve got a child and that it’s ok for you to not work until she’s in secondary school. Because it isn’t. Sorry.

Just a few thoughts and not offended if they are not relevant.

Can you bid for other accomodation with the same Housing Association? If so, register right away. You will be in a low banding - at first. Then ask your G.P or health worker to provide a letter of support re asthma etc which should mean you go up a band. Also possibly other supporting letters to say it is affecting your physical and mental health (which it is). Homestart support worker? I don't know what you have there.

I've known people who have contacted their M.P also with photos.

Re: moving somewhere else - not strictly true that you have to have been resident somewhere to go on a housing list - you can have a job or family connection. Check the regulations for the area you want to move to.

Otherwise and I know it is a temporary thing - can you lock the pushchair outside with a bike lock and raincover?

Otherwise (or as well) you can take your Housing Association to the Ombudsman for not providing fit accomodation (because of the damp) - they are obliged to reply and in my experience sit up and take notice.

Not sure about home swap. Some people may want this accomodation because of the area.

The suggestions I am making are not quick fixes at all - but compared to giving your tenancy up voluntarily or making yourself homeless are better. But you have to make some noise and it is a battle to do that I know.

Can you hang on until your kid is walking? That would at least solve the stairs thing.

You might even be able to bid for somewhere where you can live with your mum? From the housing association point of view that would be viewed as a solution maybe?

Discretionary housing payments? towards your rent? Does your housing association have a scheme for people whe are struggling to pay their rent? There are sometimes bursaries. Also

Turn2us - you can enter your details and see if you are eligible for any charitable grants. not a solution in the long term but would tide you over.

Dehumidifiers?

Do not leave your tenancy as you won’t get a house and they will state you have made yourself intentionally homeless and have no duty to help you. Also it’s difficult to find any private houses if you leave that one, which means when you have left yourself intentionally homeless your council will ring childrens services to do an assessment of your situation. I left a rat infested housing association home and was left homeless at a relatives house for a year. It was hell going back and forwards between two relatives houses with children but my council stated I should have just stayed there even though the house had been rented out to me knowing about the rat infestation and it was in the kitchen. The house has been empty for nearly a year now so my council know there is something wrong with it.