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Eviction - Council Rehousing

108 replies

buspool · 18/05/2024 09:15

Been served a section 21 notice

Nice landlord - paying low rent for years but I've 2 kids so not leaving til council rehoused me.

Council told me to wait until court order in place and bailiffs coming and then they'll rehouse me

BUT

does that mean I have to accept the property they offer me at that stage even if it is a flat in an area I don't want to live in??

If I don't accept it then??

Just wondering whether it is better for me to keep bidding on properties now and to ask council to give me higher priority so more likely to get a house with garden

Any tips on how I should play this please?

Can't afford private rents round here so not an option

OP posts:
buspool · 18/05/2024 09:58

@sleepyscientist Gateshead

OP posts:
buspool · 18/05/2024 10:00

Thanks @thefamous5 it is

OP posts:
Abitorangelooking · 18/05/2024 10:06

buspool · 18/05/2024 09:52

@Abitorangelooking thanks - did they just get them quick because there were lots of them or did they do anything special?

Didn’t do anything special. The family I know best were in a council flat so low priority as already securely housed.

GKD · 18/05/2024 10:06

rockingbird · 18/05/2024 09:40

As I said, once in temporary accommodation you can ask to be re-assessed. Be nice, be thankful, it goes a long way! There is a very limited amount of council properties available, those who take the help and treat to the housing officers with respect are the ones who end up being helped first.

Is this correct?

That housing officers can allocate housing based on whether recipient is perceived as ‘respectful’?

I thought it was just based on need?

DoreenonTill8 · 18/05/2024 10:20

buspool · 18/05/2024 09:58

@sleepyscientist Gateshead

How many bedrooms do you need? There's several on rightmove today, 2 bed for £575?

Abitorangelooking · 18/05/2024 10:25

GKD · 18/05/2024 10:06

Is this correct?

That housing officers can allocate housing based on whether recipient is perceived as ‘respectful’?

I thought it was just based on need?

It’s not incorrect. Technically it’s allocated on need but all else being equal being nice but also very present helps things along. Frequent emails that need answering for example, emails to local councillors/ map/ mp sometimes a polite enquiry from a higher up is very helpful.

Shopper727 · 18/05/2024 10:26

Having health issues or kids with similar etc doesn’t make permanent housing come any faster, depending on your area and size of home you require you could be in temporary accommodation for a long time I was 5 years and was only housed last year I also have a child with complex needs on high rate dla and it made no diff and I was in 2 different temp houses. We didn’t have to wait for eviction though thankfully but it was stressful and awful initially. Am glad to be settled now though hope it doesn’t take too long for you, but be prepared for it to be tough and set aside £ for storage for your belongings.

Shopper727 · 18/05/2024 10:29

I am a nurse, so very respectful and kind to people inc my housing officers who were all really lovely they don’t have any power to house you quicker, I was on first name terms with 2 managers as we’d been homeless so long, in our area there was pressure from higher ups re the length of time as it affects the areas stats apparently. So I had to accept a house that really is a bit small but sometimes you have to make it work and I love it here,

rockingbird · 18/05/2024 11:02

I speak from experience, I was placed in temporary accommodation 30 miles from the kids school-it was tough but I drove to and from daily. Was in constant contact with the homeless team who sympathised with the situation and moved me closer to the school within 8 weeks (still temporary) I was there for another 2 months, it was Ok and we made it home. Two housing officers visited me, lovely ladies who could see I was trying my best to make it all work.. bidding etc. The following day I was offered a house with garden 'off list' that had just been completely renovated at great expense! 2 weeks later we were in our new forever home. I truly believe my situation was made easier because I was grateful for the help and compassion I was shown. Yes they have targets and need to follow procedures-they do however offer properties off list to those in genuine need who don't harp on about being entitled to everything yesterday! Costs nothing to be kind, goes a long way.

allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld · 18/05/2024 11:16

@buspool if you are paying your rent, have you tried offering to pay an increased rent and perhaps get housing assistance if you are entitled? I am sure that landlord would rather not have to go to the bother of finding more reliable tenants. Or is he selling up?

buspool · 18/05/2024 11:39

@DoreenonTill8 thanks needing 3 bed - really want a house with garden from council if can

OP posts:
buspool · 18/05/2024 11:40

@rockingbird what is off list please?

OP posts:
dumdedumdedumpompom · 18/05/2024 11:42

buspool · 18/05/2024 11:39

@DoreenonTill8 thanks needing 3 bed - really want a house with garden from council if can

OP you need to research just what the chance is of you getting what you want. In most areas housing stock is extremely limited and I imagine everyone wants what you want.
I suspect the chance of you getting the keys to a 3 bed house with a garden on the day you're evicted is vanishingly small.

gamerchick · 18/05/2024 11:46

You're not going to get to choose if you're evicted OP. There probably isn't many 3 bed houses with gardens standing empty. 2 beds maybe. Even in the NE. If you hold out for what you want then they'll let you house yourself.

They can help you find private rents, they're not extortionate in the NE in a lot of areas or you can accept what they offer and keep bidding/look for a swap.

Fluffyhoglets · 18/05/2024 12:06

You need to look at your councils allocation policy to see if your children's health issues would give you a higher priority. Also ask them why you don't already have the highest priority as homeless as s.21 means you can't stay.
Unfortunately demand for social housing is very high so you.may not get something quickly.
Once you are evicted you are likely to be moved to temporary accommodation then be able to keep bidding for long term accommodation BUT if offered something look carefully at what the letter says about challenging it if you don't like it and what the outcome would be I'd you refuse it. It's best to move in and challenge it's suitability with a roof over your head. But not liking it isn't a reason on its own.

Fluffyhoglets · 18/05/2024 12:10

"Off list" or "direct let" is sometimes offered to people with homeless priority. But each authority can have its own policy so you need to look at your councils specific policy.

ThreeFeetTall · 18/05/2024 12:13

I would suggest you

  • look for any private renting options that might be suitable (you've probably already done this)
  • be polite to your current landlord but say the council have said you need to wait until eviction day and that is the system. The landlord will know this. The council will probably want to speak to landlord anyway as part of your homeless assessment.
  • you don't need to wait until bailiffs turn up, just leave that morning. Make sure the council are aware of this date in advance.
  • you will probably be in temp accommodation then, I would make the council aware of any health needs for you/your kids now so they don't try to allocate you unsuitable temp accommodation. Worth saying if you need to stay near a certain area for school or support but don't think this legally has to be taken into account
buspool · 18/05/2024 12:13

Thanks everyone I'll check so it seems best thing for me to do is keep in contact with council about alternative accommodation including private keys before it reaches court and bailiffs

I'll see if landlord can give me a bit longer than the 3 months they've given me which may help me

Thanks everyone

OP posts:
trickotreat · 18/05/2024 12:33

KurtCobainLover · 18/05/2024 09:16

In my area you are places in temporary accommodation and then have one chance to accept somewhere you are offered or you are kicked off the housing list and they will discharge their duty to house you.

Out of interest what happens then to people? Are they left living in the street?

MachineGunnerKellis · 18/05/2024 12:34

really want a house with garden from council if can

entitled much??

WhatIsThatThumpingInTheGarden · 18/05/2024 12:37

When they told you to wait until court eviction they didn't mean literally take no action. They meant don't voluntarily move out. This is because you'd be voluntarily homeless and that means they don't have to help you. You can still bid on property and should do this, you never know you might get lucky and be allocated somewhere without having to use the homeless route. It can take months for court eviction to be put in place. You should continue paying rent.

You'll be initially moved into temporary housing, whatever form that takes. However shitty it is or however bad the area, you have to accept it or else you're making yourself voluntarily homeless again. It isn't necessarily going to be somewhere horrible though.

At some point your priority status will rise to homeless (so top priority banding), keep the council updated on your circumstances every step of the way using the bidding portal and this should happen automatically. While you're waiting to be re-banded you can still bid and should do so.

If you don't have any friends who can help you with storage (bear in mind anything fabric, like mattress or sofa, will go mouldy in a garage or shed) and if you're short of cash and won't be able to pay for a storage unit for furniture and personal possessions, then you should consider selling everything possible so as to get some money for it while you can, instead of having to pay the council £10 per item to take it away (unless you can drive it to the tip yourself) when you move out into temporary accommodation. You can book these collections if necessary by contacting the council, they'll put you through to the right department and take payment and organise a day to come collect the unwanted items. To give you an idea of what to keep/dispose of, temporary accommodation is likely to be a one bedroom flat at best and a hotel/hostel room at worst. The flats will be empty so you'll need eg bed and washing machine etc and will be able to sacrifice space to move about for choosing to store some possessions if you want to, the hotel rooms have beds already and not much room for storing anything else. There's no knowing which you'll get.

If you're skint and end up having to get rid of majority of your stuff, check out charities in your area helping to furnish new places for homeless people, you can apply for help whether you're in temporary or permanent housing, but usually can only apply once. They may also be interested in taking your items (if they're in good condition) to donate to others, which if you've not managed to sell them could save you the council's fee for taking them away to the tip.

Depending on the area you live and the availability versus demand for social housing, you could be in temporary accommodation anywhere from a few weeks to over a decade. You could also be rehoused out of area when you are allocated somewhere permanent. With the permanent offers you can usually decline 2 of them before you're in a situation of needing to accept the third one or be considered voluntarily homeless. This applies whether they've offered you one that you've bid on or a direct let (those are the ones they don't let people bid on, they just choose who to offer them to, usually people who have been homeless a long time or some other special circumstances). So before you decline anything, check the implications of doing so.

If you're placed somewhere legally unsuitable (for permanent housing) eg overcrowded or containing stairs when you can't walk etc and not just unsuitable in your opinion because eg it happens to be out of your current area, you have a short fixed timescale for officially complaining about that and if your complaint is upheld your homeless/priority need to move status will be reinstated. You won't be moved to temporary accommodation again, instead you'll stay in the property you're in but will be able to bid on other properties that are more suitable for you, having the additional priority status that comes from not being suitably housed. I think they're also obligated to look for a more suitable direct let to offer you, but I'm not totally sure about that part.

rockingbird · 18/05/2024 12:41

@buspool not every flat/house is put into the bidding system. Some are held back for various reasons - in this particular instance the renovation had only just been completed and was about to be signed off. So when I questioned if hadn't seen this one on the bidding system it was explained in some circumstances they use their discretion to allocate off list. I was very lucky obviously and grateful my situation panned out Ok. I wish you well, it's a very stressful situation to be in. It will all work itself out somehow x

NewGreenDuck · 18/05/2024 12:44

I was a homeless officer for many years. You need to ask your caseworker about lots of these issues. We didn't do direct offers outside the choice based lettings scheme for example. If accepted as homeless the policy was 1 reasonable offer, not a maximum of 3, and then no more. If the reasonable offer was refused then we discharged our duty and the applicant would have had to find a private rent. What will happen to you will vary in some matters according to the policy in your local authority. However I would urge you to understand that social housing really is in short supply in many areas. You may well have to compromise on what you want. The homeless legislation is there so that vulnerable people are not sleeping on the streets, its intention isn't to find you the ideal home, but to provide a roof over your head.

Countrylife2002 · 18/05/2024 12:52

trickotreat · 18/05/2024 12:33

Out of interest what happens then to people? Are they left living in the street?

If they have kids then social services house, but their accommodation is shitter than shit and it’s not permanent so you can keep getting moved until your kids reach 18, then you’re on the street.
adults - straight to the street.

Countrylife2002 · 18/05/2024 12:53

OP you take whatever you are offered. There will be no choice in it. You won’t be priority until within 28 days of becoming homeless. Depends on council but because of this the landlord giving you longer probably won’t help re the council.

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