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?

Similar thing happened to my late brother a few years ago. He was quite a shy reserved person too. He ended up having to get an en-suite room in a house share - he lived in London. He actually quite liked his room in the end. Depends who else is sharing the house though I suppose.

I'd put his things into storage temporarily and wait to be evicted. When he is technically homeless he needs to go to the council and tell them that. They normally put people into a cheap hotel room temporarily, until they find somewhere.

I don't think he would be classed as intentionally homeless if he's received a valid notice to terminate the tenancy

In this moment he has to accept reality.

As a country we don’t have to accept it. We have been fed the lie of trickle down economics for so long, to justify policy after policy that just makes it harder and harder for normal working people to improve their quality of life. ‘Let’s minimise state intervention and let the markets decide’ is what has got us into this mess and reversing that and getting more balance is what will get us out. I’m not a socialist but we need change. BIG change. ‘The markets’ don’t care about this man or anyone.

Hi landlord here & we are not all bad even if people say we are, some of us run a professional business.
The full eviction process takes 6-9 months.
Don't take the advise to change the locks.
Has he received the most recent copy of the how to rent guide? The eviction notice is invalid if not. Please also check if all the other eviction criteria have been fulfilled. (You can check this yourself or shelter or council housing)
He will need to not leave on the eviction date & then the landlord will need to apply to the court. At this point the landlord has 2 options he either ask it to go to court (physical )or can pass it over to the judge who can assess & grant a maximum of 6 weeks (possession order).
Then the landlord will have to apply for the bailiff's. The bailiff date is the date he will have to move out - if he moves before he could be deemed to have made himself voluntarily homeless, which is what he must avoid.
Contact the council as soon as possible & any housing associations, his best bet is over 55 properties. I have a friend who was evicted last year & he did end up sleeping at his son's for a few months. Myself & another friend offered him a private rental but as he isn't able to work much he wanted to get into council housing (similar age) for his retirement.
He is now in a wonderful little over 55's 1 bed flat, where all the single elderly women drop him off something warm for tea 😆

Spareroom generally operates on house sharers choosing who they want to share with them. So when you go to look at the room, the present sharers are basically interviewing you. This man will simply not be chosen.

Where accommodation is scarce, there will be many people applying for each place. My friend has been through this several times, as applicant and as occupant. It's extremely stressful on both sides. And mismatched sharers are also a recipe for disaster.

I hope he finds something he can afford that fits the bill.

I can't believe how rude you were about house sharing/lodging to the poster who suggested it. It would be a completely standard solution where I live for people of all ages who can't afford a house. You seem to be imagining some communal living situation of extroverts having student parties every night. It's a lockable room with a shared kitchen, possibly a shared bathroom. People aren't forced to hang out every night, they just go back to their rooms. It's obviously a lot cheaper than renting a whole house. Basically a bedsit. Don't shoot the messenger!

In my area, which is not Bristol, he wouldn't need to wait until actually evicted by a court, he could approach the council and the various local housing associations and get on their lists now - the impending eviction would get him points to move up the list. He wouldn't need to be "registered disabled" but a letter from his GP confirming his conditions would get him more points. He would be unlikely to spend any time sleeping in a doorway, there might be a temporary B&B stay but he would end up with his own place within a few months.

However, every council works differently so speaking to Bristol Council AND the local CAB (not the national hotline) is the best place to start. I'm suggesting 2 sources of information because occasionally the person you speak to on the phone is new/misinformed and forgets about an option or a form to fill out. He could also try a local councillor who can help navigate the bureaucracy, and in fact if this has come about as a result of the council (rightly) cracking down on slumlords it would be useful for the councillors to be aware this is happening.

He must not move out - we have a housing needs dept in my borough and he needs to approach them - he needs to wait till they take him to court - good luck

Yes, agreed. House share is good enough for lots of people. Having been involved with someone who insisted they JAD to have their own place at their age (late 40s) i now see it as red flag. This person took a one bedroom above their means and got into further trouble.

Like others have said, he may be eligible for older people’s housing via a Registered Social Landlord. That would offer security of tenure, very important as we get older. His first step should be to go to the council and get onto the housing register and get some advice.

https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/housing/finding-a-home/homeless-or-at-risk-of-being-homeless/when-you-tell-us-youre-homeless

I've read all your posts OP, and I just wanted to say good luck. It absolutely breaks my heart to see people like your friend left behind by housing costs.

I used to despair in the years where people would boast about how much their property had gone up in price as if it's all bunce. There are so many people suffering now.

I really hope the helpful suggestions will help you help him find a place. Your comments about him not being able to share broke my heart - of course he needs his own space. And he's working - he should not have to see himself as a charity case.

This country has gone so low now - the heartlessness towards disadvantaged people is cold. My neighbour is similar but worse. He is too odd to work though and rarely goes out. He is at times quite hard work (popping round at all hours, phoning, doorstepping us, no social boundaries) but it's not his fault, we don't mind. People should be treated with dignity and respect as a minimum.❤️

Maybe this thread should be quoted every time a thread like that comes up. Not everybody bought a house for peanuts in the 70s or 80s and made a killing. It's people like this who end up in tents and can no longer continue to work at all.

Sorry, OP I have no useful answer other than what has been said.

@Mxflamingnoravera.
in Bristol there is plenty of over 55 accommodation

he will have very little problem in getting an over 55 accommodation
a friend of my brother has just got a place in the summer and it took him about 2 months from when he was given the section 21 and I know of a few over 55 who have been rehoused recently in Bristol
They are mainly 1bed flats which are accessible for the disabled
tent is normally around 90 a week but some of them include heating electric and water so no bills and are more expensive

if he takes his section 21 to the council they will be able to advise him but I wouldn’t worry to much
it may not be in his preferred area but they do try to Keep the over 55 in their local area

This flat looks okay

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/140935235#/?channel=RES_LET

If people are trash, you go and help him then. Since you are better than those people.

Even this chap’s friend is unable to take him in. Pointless having a doctor tell you ‘it’s so sad you got a heart attack, everything is going to alright’ I want a doctor to tell me ‘get a move on with lifestyle changes, eat better, exercise, don’t be lazy with cooking, less salt, less sugar, and quit smoking’

The only thing he might come up against is if it’s a bills included place and he might find it to expensive

the place that my brothers friend lives in is around 200 a week
but it’s totally private ( 1 bed flat ) and he has no bills apart from council tax
so in the winter he can have his heating on as high as he wants and it costs him nothing more

That is so wrong OP, what a distressing situation, so unfair that your friend has been exploited like this.

Regarding sharing. I quite agree that the idea of sharing at 62 in the style of student sharing where everyone congregates in the living room and kitchen and shared bathroom etc is not going to work but do check out the HMO places as I do know that some have been configured with their own private en-suites and people put a microwave, mini fridge and kettle in their room and have a more mature tenants. I always thought house shares were for students or university leavers but one near me (unfortunately not in Bristol) I don’t think I have seen anyone younger than 40 years old coming and going. They all have their own aerial connection in the rooms and there are some couples there as well.

I know it is a bizarre idea but could he check out the local Travel Lodge as I have seen people in the news live there as it is cheaper than renting and paying bills. Not as secure as renting but if he really can’t find anywhere it might be a last resort stop gap.

He might also be entitled to an element of UC now and also claiming PIP needs the forms filling in, in a certain way. I know there is someone on TikTok who explains the questions in a different way and explains how to fill in the form if you have adhd. Something that I suggest he might like to check out as well as autism to see if he identifies with the symptoms. He might just be really shy or it is a symptom of something else. There can be years to wait for an assessment but seeing his gp and being referred might give him some extra points

Not sure it works with housing benefit but I do know that in some scenarios just identifying as ND and awaiting assessment can give some protection

I have recently helped my mother in law move into an over 55s property in Bristol. She was also in private rental and it became unsuitable. She is over retirement age so was eligible for housing benefit but the process started with an assessment from adult social care. He has a disability so I would start there. Somebody came out to talk to her about her issues with stairs etc and she was able to get a flat in a nearby development very quickly and is incredibly happy there.

He may be eligible to apply for sheltered housing projects (minimum age is usually 55+). They are housing association and council run projects where residents have their own bedroom, bathroom and kitchen behind front doors along an internal corridor with a downstairs shared TV and social room. Super affordable, friendly/accepting to different characteristics- there are weekly welfare checks by a manager but there is no pressure to let the manager into your flat if you are healthy and well.
This optionwould also give your friend more of a support network / safety net as he gets older in the future.

My friend's parents had a lodger who they hardly ever saw - he was an older working man and had his own room and kitchenette, so it was very private. Maybe something like that would suit, although obviously a council flat would be preferable. I hope he finds something soon.

I know there are waiting lists for this, but am wondering if he would consider an autism assessment. If diagnosed, it would help him be classed as vulnerable and hopefully qualify for more help.
I am autistic but was diagnosed later in life. In my twenties, I lived in a room in a shared house. I couldn't use the kitchen to cook or wash up because there were other people there, so ate food that didn't need cooking, using paper as plates. So I do get that some people can't share a house. There was a shower in my room which was good as I couldn't use the shared bathroom.
My heart goes out to him. I hope Age Concern can help.him. I would imagine they could. Also Shelter do advice. And where I live there are many housing charities who support people in danger of becoming homeless.

www.bristolcharities.org.uk/housing/
caringinbristol.co.uk/project/housing-support-handbook/

I said before but all the advice to just stay put until the court orders him out is very risky. He really needs to have a conversation with the council. In some areas such as Bristol it’s possible he could be in temporary housing for years moving from place to place. It also means staying for months in a home not fit for purpose which isn’t good either.

The only people who know what the situation locally is the actual council. There is a lot that the council housing will do also to help with the private sector so I wouldn’t just rule that out. He’s been able to stay for years in his current home so most landlords would rather a long term tenant and they could be very secure. It’s just finding the right one and that could include his current place.

This.

Stay put, LL has to get a court order, it’ll take months. He can offer to allow building work to go on around him if that’s possible from a safety point of view.
And Shelter is his best place for advice.