What does a 62 year old man on just above minimum wage do when served with section 21 eviction notice and cannot afford anything on the current rental market?

[Mxflamingnoravera]

I have a friend aged 62 who has been living in a pretty awful but liveable one bed flat for six years. He works full time in a call centre on little more than minimum wage. The flat was recently assessed by the local authority as part of a new local licensing scheme for private rental properties in our city. It needs a lot of work done on it and today he was served with a section 21 order because (he was told) the builders say it's too much work to have him stay there whilst the place is brought up to standard.

He has looked around an there is nothing under £900 a month in our city. He cannot afford this. He has no car and cycles everywhere. So he needs to live fairly close to his workplace.

He is devastated, he cannot live in a shared house at his age. He is a very private, shy man, has few friends and no family.

I'm at a loss to know how to help him. He cannot live with me, i have no space and do not want a lodger.

There is literally nothing affordable in our city. He is looking at homelessness in January. What happens to people like him?

He stays there and refuses to leave otherwise he has made himself homeless. When he is eventually forced out then he can go to the council and they will ‘house him’.

’House him’ means but him in a b and b and on a waiting list, hopefully he will be high up the list and will be housed quickly….I think quickly is about 6 months.

It’s shit and it sucks.

I'm sorry to hear that about your friend OP 🌸 I don't know and it's shit, I hope someone can help very soon with an answer!

The c*nts who start threads accusing older people of living their best lives at the expense of younger generations need their heads wobbling.

🌸

He should contact 'Shelter' they can advise on his next steps. Assuming he hasn't got thousands in savings, he should be able to bid for a council home. Although how far 'up the list' he is will depend on his needs.

In my area there is quite a large stock of over 55's social housing.. but I'm in the north and it could be entirely different in the south.

He needs to get himself on the list for council housing - he’d probably qualify for age-restricted housing (would in my area), so it might be easier for him to get than the standard housing.

I was thinking of accommodation for over 55s as well. Have a look and see what's available in your area.

Forgot to add, his landlord will need to go through the courts to get him evicted. That could take a while but the council won't do anything in terms of re-homing until on or after the eviction date.

Not sure what the local council is where you live . Definitely get in touch with them and they can assign a homelessness prevention worker .
Depending where you are in the country it may well be worth him joining the council housing list . There are a section of properties that are rented out to 50/55 plus and even a lower banded person could bid on these successfully as there are significantly lower numbers of people suitable for these properties ( think one bed flat , some house types and more high rise in the council I live within ) .
Definitely stay put for now ...
Meanwhile also do an entitled to check regarding help with housing costs . Would very likely be entitled to some support with the cost of rent .
Hope that helps ... x

He can contact Citizens Advice so they can give him accurate advice and discuss options.

i don't know where you live but there are some very nice properties available through the almshouse association. https://www.almshouses.org/resident-vacancies/ I hope he finds something suitable soon - it must be very stressful.

Have a look on Girlings- they are over 55s but often have things under that level- depending where you live. Also there are some different options if you are over 60 that may become available- but he needs to make the council aware he's been served, be registered with them etc - if he gives shelter a call- it could help him know the process. I do know though that although some of the options aren't amazing, there are a few more post 60 options within social sector

He has no savings at all. He is in Bristol, there is a massive lack of social housing here. It's just heartbreaking.

Bristol housing schemes for older people
https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/social-care-and-health/adults-and-older-people/housing-options-for-older-and-vulnerable-people/council-housing-50-housing

I was a quiet, very shy, introverted 20 something on a teacher's wage and my only option was to live in a shared house - not something I wanted to do at all, but my only option. Some great advice above for him to look into, but there are lots of people who have to live in shared accommodation at any age, why would being 60 mean that this isn't an option for him? Better he chooses a nice shared house or a room with a quiet older live-in landlord, than be place in temporary accommodation by the council.

What's really grating is that the whole pint of the licensing scheme was to improve rented housing quality but the state of his place (think mould, no insulation, damp and vermin) was so bad that the place has been effectively declared uninhabitable, it has been since he moved in and the landlord has got away with taking thousands of pounds from him. But now it been assessed he gets the boot and the ll will have it back on the market in a few months at a much higher price (to cover the costs of the work) and my friend - who put up with this is homeless.

There’s an organisation called Caring in Bristol which has a handbook re homelessness in Bristol. It’s worth a look.

@Lovelydaytomorrow give your head a wobble. Shared housing at 62, really? What shared house is going to choose the old "weirdo with thick glasses and a stoop" Ffs, It was fine when you were twenty something, it's not going to work for an aging man who values privacy above anything- I cannot believe you think this is even an option.

Where do you live now? Would you go back into shared accommodation?

If he is on just over minimum wage, would his income be low enough for him to qualify for the housing element of universal credit? That might bump it up enough for him to be able to afford something? Citizens Advice would be able to help him work out what he is entitled to, and might have some suggestions about his housing options.

I am in Bristol too, and as you say, rents here are unaffordable for many. The over-55s housing sounds worth a try, but he may end up having to take just a room as a lodger.

Thank you to all who have give constructive advice, it's much appreciated. I'll pass it all on to him and help to read it all, his eyesight is rubbish (hence the think bottle bottom specs that make him look weird).

I'll get him to look at entitled to, it might mean he he can get help with rent. I think he would just wither away as a lodger.

Do get him to go to the council for advice, he needs to ask them about applying for over 55s accommodation asap! I’m in Brighton (similar to Bristol for costs & homelessness) and even here over 55s is often available relatively quickly. Just to be clear though they won’t house him come January - he won’t meet the criteria - you have to be homeless & priority need - and at 65 but capable of working he won’t be considered vulnerable. I am sorry.

I don't think you and he should automatically rule out a house share. There are lots of older people in shared housing. I'm not sure why you would think there isn't. Look on Cohabitas for example. 🤷🏻‍♀️. Sharing wouldn't be my first choice but if my only other choice was to be homeless then it would.

Over 55 housing is probably the best bet, followed by advice from Shelter & CAB before approaching the Council.

If he wants to try the council housing via emergency temporary b&b route, he must NOT leave on the section 21 notice date.

Council will almost certainly want him to go through the court process up to and maybe including eviction date & bailiff before they consider him not to have made himself ‘voluntarily homeless’. It’s a shit demeaning process, & I wouldn’t wish that sort of stress on anyone.

In comparison to that, looking at places as a lodger seems more appealing.

Other similar but possibly even cheaper option not mentioned yet is a Homeshare https://www.sharemyhome.co.uk/#:~:text=What%20is%20Homeshare%3F,a%20place%20to%20call%20home. - lodging in return for light live in companion carer duties.

Make sure he knows not to leave. Ensure he has changed the locks so that the LL cannot carry out an illegal eviction.
A section 21 notice is not an eviction order. It is the landlord giving notice that they intend to apply to the court for an eviction order. Getting that process concluded will take years. He will not be homeless in January. If he keeps paying the rent he has the right to quiet enjoyment of his home unmolested by the landlord and he does not have to allow the landlord in or consent to building improvements. The landlord cannot throw him out. Only the baliffs can do that after a court orders it. There is an enormous backlog and the court process will take a while.

Once that court order is obtained he will be a priority for housing. There will be something appropriate available which he cannot currently access because he is currently adequately and legally housed.