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?

Some posters are just not getting the message at all! He can't effing share! Sounds like there's been some great suggestions here, hopefully something will be a goer for him OP.

Would he be open to a studio flat? There are a few options on Rightmove although possibly not the right area.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E219&maxPrice=900&propertyTypes=&mustHave=&dontShow=houseShare%2Cstudent&furnishTypes=&keywords=

I was private renting for 12 years and the landlord had to sell quickly due to personal reasons. I was put in the Holiday Inn for 9 weeks, now I'm in temporary accommodation and will bid for social housing. It can take up to two years but hopefully his temporary accommodation will be a studio flat or 1 bedroom flat so he can live alone while he bids and gets a secure tenancy through social housing

That's an unpleasant and snarky reply to my post. I was trying to be helpful. Not sure why you put "pull the ex forces card" in quotes as though I had written it in my post. 🙄

Also check out Housing21. They have retirement living properties in and around Bristol. Eg

www.housing21.org.uk/our-properties/search-our-properties/jennings-court/

OP I can't help because I'm not in the UK but I wanted to say I do understand how this man wouldn't be able to share, that would almost certainly end up with him becoming homeless because he simply couldn't cope.
I don't know if the UK is similar to here in Australia but lots of private homes have a granny flat separate in the back yard to rent to older people. They are usually fully furnished and he'd have his own space. If these exist in the UK it might do for a while until he gets council housing.
Would any of the charities be able to give him advice? They usually have a welfare section here.
Sorry I'm not more help but I completely understand his need for quiet personal space of his own.

Sorry but this is a pretty ignorant reply. There are many over 60s, particularly men, who live in shared housing up and down the country. I saw a documentary on it a couple of years ago. You can want whatever accommodation you like, but if you can't afford it, then sometimes you don't have a choice.

He can apply for social housing, and I hope he gets it, but I don't think that you can just blanket rule out shared housing

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/24/living-in-a-houseshare-council-flat

Plenty of shared properties aren't flat/house shares. They're HMOs. In those, the other residents don't have to approve you and you're not financially linked with them, you have your own individual contract with the LL and won't be affected if one of the others doesn't pay their rent.

I appreciate he doesn't want this (and possibly won't cope with it) but if it comes down to a choice between that or the street (and in some places it would) then he hasn't much choice.

If his MH failed as a result of his living circumstances then the broken MH system would have to pick up the pieces as best they can. If he stays where he is in an uninhabitable property his physical health will eventually fail due to it and the broken NHS would have to pick up the pieces as best they can, so I don't see how it's much different really.

He may dislike shared accommodation but if that's the case then I presume he'd like an old people's home even less? That's where he'll end up when he goes into hospital one day and they have to refuse to discharge him, once the social worker the hospital get involved sees the condition of where he's living.

Bloody hell this is so sad.

Can’t even begin on the pricks who think someone who has worked all their life including in service of their country and needs a walking aid due to pain wanting a small, private safe place to live that he’s willing to pay for is equivalent to ‘wanting Brad Pitt’.

People are absolute trash.

Then perhaps the best thing you can do to help is help him to persue a diagnosis if you believe there's an underlying medical condition. Without a diagnosis and a documented medical need for his own space, he may be expected to share. Both in temporary homeless accommodation and in permanent social housing, depending on what's available in his area. You saying "but he can't!" isn't going to get him very far with the authorities. We'd all like to be left alone to live out our lives in peace, but the reality is not all will achieve that and some will end up making do with sharing.

Having a stable life also requires years of planning, educating yourself and developing skills. There are lots of educational videos on YouTube, free courses online and inspiring stories told by hundreds of people

Jesus wept!

How does one go about becoming officially disabled? He can cycle, but cannot walk any distance without a stick.

There is no "can you cycle" question on the form, so you don't mention that for a start! I should think it paints the wrong picture. "Cycling" to me says "fit and active".

They don't care what aids you need to walk, if any. They care how far you can walk without pain or discomfort. How often you fall. Things like that.

You need medical backup. So a diagnosis, notes on your medical records. A GP or consultant who understands how the condition affects you and won't write "N/A" on the form DWP send them, because they don't know you.

Registered disabled = claiming DLA/PIP/Attendance Allowance. Which one it is depends on age, he'd claim PIP.

I was evicted for the same reason. He must wait until he has to move - check with Shelter and/or CAB when this is.

I was then homeless (staying with reluctant parent) until I reached 60. At that point, I magically became eligible for a retirement flat with a housing association local to my parent.

I had put myself on waiting lists several years before, but when I was evicted I acquired a social worker of some description, who supported my application. I can't actually remember how this happened - think the council may have referred me. Other posters might know how you get yourself into 'the system'.

As your friend's already over 60, he's out of the don't-care zone and will qualify for better treatment.

I also strongly agree with those saying he should apply for PIP. Doctors are usually very supportive with this, assuming you actually have a disability, as he has. It's important to think about all the ways it affects your daily living; it's not an out-of-work benefit, neither is it about medical diagnoses. He can walk however many metres they want nowadays with his stick, but does the disability affect his ability to get dressed, make food for himself, use public transport? Has it affected his state of mind and social activities? (Also, appeal when they turn you down 😬)

I'm quite pleased to be responding in a case where I'm pretty sure he will be helped! I spent so long being brusquely told I was deemed "able to survive on the street". The safety net is more holes than threads these days, but at least it works a bit better when you're old!

His age will make him eligible for a lot of rent capped properties for older people. It's not just council but housing association, alms houses and private as well and noar are for 55 years old and over with some means testing but you do not have to be retired or unemployed

I was going to suggest cohabitas which is aimed at older sharers. It sounds like you should explore documenting his additional needs

There's no need to be rude. If it was a choice between homelessness and sharing, I'd share, like everyone else would. It's not ideal, but the wolf is at the door in this case.

I'm sorry your friend is going through this wretched experience. The UK housing market is in a terrible state and people like your friend are suffering through no fault of their own. It's crap that he may have to consider options like sharing, but he might need to.

It's also worth looking at charities that support people from specific work fields. You mentioned he went into art so there may be charities that offer help for with housing or sometimes supplying things like ovens/moving expenses etc.

It took my dad two years on a wait list for over 55s. With higher band due to medical need. Up north too.

Defo worth him getting on the list asap though. All areas will be different

Absolutely. In their sheltered narrow little world they probably don't know anybody like your friend. All they think about is their own friends whose parents are richer than theirs so they will inherit and then the green eyed envy comes out. Pathetic.

First of all, 62 isn’t old. Second, you don’t need to be so rude! When the alternative could be one of Suella Braverman’s tents on the street, a room in a shared house HMO might be a better option!

I was just coming on here to ask if he'd ever served in the military (provided he has completed basic training, he is covered)

I volunteer for the Bristol and South Glos Branch of SSAFA the Armed forces charity. We work closely with Haig Housing who provide affordable accommodation for veterans. If he contacts SSAFA and says he's being served with the Section 21 intention to evict order we may be able to help him.

ETA just noticed the comment that he didn't complete basic training. - depending on which unit/platoon/command your friend was in, he may still be eligibile. He should at least contact SSAFA as I got a case through where the veteran only did some of his training and then got signed off but we and his command still supported him)

Sorry if you've already said OP but is his work in Bristol too? If he works in South Glos or BANES could he go on their lists?

Really OP? It was a sensible suggestion. You give your head a wobble, the poor poster was only trying to help and you just go straight to attacking. If you thought it was so outlandish just scroll on or say I don’t think shared housing would be appropriate.

100% this. It will take time for LL to get court orders, tell him not to leave!

Could he give citizens advice a call. They may be able to give him some options.