can i find a place to rent?

[refmum]

I need to get out,i have put my details into entitledto and says i eligable for full housing benefit but everywhere i look says no DSS? Do any landlords/ladies rent to people on HB?

Some do. Have a good look on rightmove for your area and you may find some that say HB accepted, so you know which agencies are more likely to accept it. Or just phone around (but develop a thick skin, many agencies are sniffy about it). Alternatively you can make an appointment with your local housing dept to discuss whether they can help you - my housing dept will support people in housing need to find private rentals that accept HB and also will help with guaranteeing your deposit. You need to be in need though, so you may have to wait til you have moved out (tricky). Make an appointment to discuss it before you act.

Alot do in fact some preffer tennants on HB as they belive that they are more likley to get their rent?

In my experience, houses through Estate Agents normally require working tennents, however you can check the local papers, also I know that I hae seen ad's in local papershops etc.

Good Luck

Thanks,how can i get the number for my local Housing Department? does it have a particular name? sorry if this a daft question,head is a bit muddled.

I am in forces accomodation,from what i know i have to stay here,my h has to move out and me and kids will have 93 days then we will get eviction notice,i give this to council and they obliged to try to re-house us. Wanted to see if i could rent private but the ads all say no,smokers (don't smoke) no pets (have 2 small dogs and one cat) and no DSS.[SAD]

If i entitled to full HB then surely this is a guaranteed rent payment that will come straight to them?

I'm scared,don't mind admitting it.

In some areas it is really hard to find landlords that take DSS. Where I used to live (Hackney in London) very few of the landlords took DSS. This was dun at least in part, I believe, to the lengthy time it took to process claims, and frequent mistakes which meant that landlords had to wait months to get a rent, which even then was by no means guaranteed. I have both claimed HB in the past, and am now a landlord who would not accept HB from a stranger because I don't trust Hackney to process it in a timely fashion, and I can't afford not to have my mortgage payments met! (I have accepted HB from a friend as a tennant, but he lost his job after moving in, and he's a mate so it's different!)

I suspect that in other areas if they process claims in a more efficient manner, you might find that landlords are more ready to accept HB.

Having said that, even in difficult areas, there will most likely be some landlords which accept HB, it's just a matter of finding them. I remember a friend of mine got a list of landlords which accepted HB in our area, but I don't know where he got it from.

I would start with asking the DSS and definitely also Shelter (the homeless charity) if they can provide such a list, they might be able to.

Try googling "landlords which accept Hpusing benefit" in your area, or something similar.

I expect most estate agents probably won't touch HB.

Also worth trying www.gumtree.com we rented a flat from a lovely private landlord we found through gumtree.

Thanks,think i'm best to wait for council to house us then but will keep looking incase i find someone willing to help.

I don't know anything about their obligation to you coming from the forces, but the Council could be the best option long term - if you get a council house the rent will most likely be much less than private renting and therefore much more likely that you will be able to actually afford to work when you are ready and able to. Much more likely to get caught in the poverty trap with private landlords IMO i.e. not actually being able afford to work.
In my limited experience shelter are very good at giving advice on this sort of thing. Although your not actually homeless, you could be seen at being at risk of being made homeless. They will be happy to advise you. AFIK.

Thanks,great advice.