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?

Ignore singlemum11, I think sometimes people get so focussed on their/their child's needs they forget other people might also have needs that need support

Probably been said but rather than asking here I'd suggest contacting shelter or find the council's housing department. Also see if there is a local branch of Age UK. These will all be able to offer proper advice and hopefully focused locally.

‘Options for self improvement?’

Really? I think that is a very simplistic view of things and that is a trope that gets rolled out time and time again to keep working people in their place and maintain the devastating inequality we currently have. We are not in a meritocracy. It’s insulting to masses of people to say, in essence, well if you’d just worked harder, you could have it all. It isn’t the case.

He needs to claim Universal Credit OP. On that income with £900 rent he should be entitled to £330 a month or so housing costs (by my rough calculation). Citizens Advice has a helpline set up to advise on this. Get him to give them a call.

Agreed.
I think some people have no idea of how many obstacles can be in other people's way.

(And I say that as someone how has survived trauma and is battling disability to hang onto my career by a thread - you can have all the willing on the world and still not be able to overcome obstacles)

Plus a slice of people get rich due to crime /exploitation of the vulnerable. Others rise through the career ladder through backstabbing or nepotism.

What distinguishes us financially isn't a simple case of virtuous working harder and getting richer.

The UC is a new option, he has never considered that he might be eligible so huge thanks for this suggestion. It means that £900 might be affordable for him (he's currently paying £675).

People are mentioning a pension OP, is he receiving a pension on top of his earnings (to save me trawling back!) as if so, how much as that would need factoring into the calculation?

I echo those who say that he ought to aim for "less" than solo living, because sharing accommodation is preferable to sleeping under a bridge and at the moment sharing looks like the most affordable option.
Even if he has a lifetime of possessions, shared accommodation would allow him a springboard to finding his own place if feasible in the near future. Youd still have your own room, you could still have all your portable and sentimental possessions. You can still take all your art work if you are sharing a home.
If he is concerned to keep everything he owns, he could at least renounce his white goods, since kitchen appliances are actually easy enough to come by second hand or through charitable schemes or online freemarkets, whatever, if he needed to reinstate in the future.
I cannot legislate for someone who very specifically "cannot" live with others, but I do know that virtually all viable options for a new place will simply shut down if that is his first request.
He is lucky to have someone as nice as OP advocate for him by coming on here with the issue, but obviously the better advocate would be someone who can say "here, kip on my sofa and I'll help you look online for somewhere to live from my clean comfortable home".
I know you didn't come here asking for such offers, but for me if I knew someone to be in such a fix, I'd do everything I could to offer them a tiny corner in my already cramped home. Better than on the street, and they wouldn't stay long after all, they hate sharing!

This is a situation that requires multi-agency support as he sounds very vulnerable and in addition to CAB and his council (as PP have said, he should have his wages/tax looked at) he also needs to see his GP as it sounds like he has disabilities (vision, mobility) which would entitle him to more financial help as well as increasing his vulnerability score for housing as per PP.

This in turn both improves his quality of life and gives him more flexibility in a new rental (quality of accommodation, location). For example, he could qualify for PIP, which is not means-tested. His GP or any hospital he is under for his vision could also fill out a Medical Evidence form to claim a concessionary bus pass. Can’t be used before 9 etc as he works but the return journey would be free, and that improves his ability to get about and where to relocate, and helps to future-proof him before retirement.

Is he able to be proactive and advocate for himself, or is that difficult because he is so shy and he has stoically put up with substandard accommodation for so long? Would he be happy to engage with agencies with your help perhaps?

Over 55s schemes are a great idea, as are almshouse schemes. For the former, I think it might be worth looking at somewhere like the Extra Care scheme for over 55s on the outskirts of Bristol, they have welfare officers looking at rental schemes and can advise on benefits, as they try to make it affordable. It’s on several city flagship bus routes, too.

https://extracare.org.uk/our-villages/property-charges/

Have a look here for local almshouses https://www.bristolcharities.org.uk/housing/latest-vacancies/

As he sounds quite vulnerable, it’s also important to think ahead as to possible outcomes of council involvement and get lots of applications in. He may not have control over where he is resettled and he doesn’t want to become more vulnerable in a rough area or where council or housing association properties are also themselves substandard!

You’ve had some great advice, and the more you can do now to lay the groundwork and help in various ways to improve his situation, the better.

Hope that he finds something soon OP. Get him to check whether there is an Abbeyfield nearby. They offer shared housing for older people at reasonable rates.

No he is not receiving any pensions or any money other than his salary.

https://www.stoll.org.uk/housing/vns/

@5128gap no pensions, nothing other than his salary

Christ, it's not a race to the bottom! You should be pushing for improved housing options for young people, not advocating diminished ones for the elderly.

Would he be eligible for Personal Independence Payment?

https://www.gov.uk/pip

If he takes home that amount, net, then he can afford £900 a month already?

Great. Then I think it will be £330 per month UC. Get him to call the citizens advice line (the universal support one) and get it confirmed. He can then start looking for a new flat. Once he has a tenancy agreement he can make his application. All the best to him.

Lots of good advice here. Over 55s sheltered accom a good idea. Alms housing ?

Has he any medical diagnoses? ASD. ?

One thing to mention. Even if he was only in the forces briefly he will be entitled to help from RBL and Ssafa etc

Court orders related to eviction can be easily accessed by any future landlord. That could possibly affect his ability to rent in the future?
I would find out a bit more before he decides to stay and refuse to leave in order to get help from council. Also temporary accommodation can turn out to be worse then house share.

I would look in to apartments for over 55 and also see if he can get any help with his rent through universal credit.

The government doesn't agree. That's why he's eligible for a UC top up. Even our less than generous welfare benefits system factors in that people are unlikely to want (or be able to) work full time jobs, with the additional costs of working, travel etc, for less or only slightly more than they'd get on benefits.

I wonder whether speaking to Adult Social Services in Bristol would help.

https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/social-care-and-health/adults-and-older-people/care-and-support-for-adults-in-bristol

Your knowledge of house shares is a bit limited OP. And there was no need at all to be rude to that poster.

Lots of house shares aren't 'group of friends rents the whole thing together', plenty are 'individual person rents individual room'. Every house share I've ever lived in was that way. You don't have to be 'chosen' by existing tenants, you just apply and it's processed by the landlord. You're only responsible for your room and rent, regardless of other tenants. I've lived in some brill shares with a big room, en-suite, shared kitchen etc. certainly would be happy to go back to that at any age.

You're imagining a group of twenty-somethings all partying day and night in a cramped house and they're not all like that. Check out spareroom.

I am not going to engage any further with anyone who thinks sharing is suitable for this man. It simply is not. I'm not giving out any more personal details about him, you're going to have to believe me when I say IT IS SIMPLY NOT AN OPTION.

you are just so rude.

Step one is to apply to the council and any HA.

Contact Shelter and the CAB for advice not just on housing but on benefits. As someone already mentioned he might be entitled to UC.

Don't dismiss anything until he has looked at it. I shared houses when younger and whilst the idea now (late 50s) is a big fat 'no', there are shared houses that are not the same.

Some 'shares' are ensuite rooms of 'granny flats' or seperate studios in the garden.

I wish you and him luck.

It can happen, 20 years ago I was in the civic centre and saw a poster about a HA new build of 6 bungalows, here I am 20 years later still in that bungalow.

It might be worth getting an appointment with a social worker at the council, they cannot work miracles but they can make recommendations.