council houses and waiting times

[MrsBandEgglet]

Gosh! so with four children we wouldn't be classed as overcrowded in a two bed? Arf's health visitor advised me to apply for housing benefit, so hubby did and the form was horrendous!! we get about £36 every four weeks I think, which obviously helps but if our rent was to increase to £600-£650 a month in a bigger house, it wouldn't really be very helpful. Would it likely go up?

 

[emyandpotato]

Gosh! so with four children we wouldn't be classed as overcrowded in a two bed? Arf's health visitor advised me to apply for housing benefit, so hubby did and the form was horrendous!! we get about £36 every four weeks I think, which obviously helps but if our rent was to increase to £600-£650 a month in a bigger house, it wouldn't really be very helpful. Would it likely go up?

I think it depends on the size of the bedrooms but your older three would be expected to share and your new LO would be expected to be in with you. You might be eligible for a three bed but definitely not a four without paying the ridiculous bedroom tax. May be worth going to CAB and asking cos they'll know for certain what you're entitled to

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

You would get HB for a 3 bed when baby is born but all areas have a different allowance x if you moved to a 4bed you would still only get LHA for a 3 x

 

[smileyfaces]

You would probs be classed as needing a three bed but not until baby is actually born! Until then a two bed would be seen as adequate. I would get my name on the list now so once the baby comes its just a case of changing circumstances!

Housing benefit is paid depending on how many bedrooms you need and how many bedrooms you have. So you will always get that amount whilst in a two bed. If you moved now to a three bed then you would still be paid the same amount as you dont "need" a three bed. But once baby comes then you would be paid more if you are in a three bed. Hope that makes sense? X

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I was entitled to a 3 bed with only 2 children but all areas different x

 

[smileyfaces]

Im able to apply for a three bed but will be expected to pay bedroom tax on the third room as the kids should really share but I will be appealing that due to our circumstances...my two defo can not share.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Yeah appeal it we did and won xx

 

[special_kala]

We get HB for 3 bedrooms so it depends on the area.


Your HB will go up when baby gets here.

 

[special_kala]

Gosh! so with four children we wouldn't be classed as overcrowded in a two bed? Arf's health visitor advised me to apply for housing benefit, so hubby did and the form was horrendous!! we get about £36 every four weeks I think, which obviously helps but if our rent was to increase to £600-£650 a month in a bigger house, it wouldn't really be very helpful. Would it likely go up?

Yes it would go up.

 

[emyandpotato]

Im able to apply for a three bed but will be expected to pay bedroom tax on the third room as the kids should really share but I will be appealing that due to our circumstances...my two defo can not share.

Technically you should be eligible for three bedrooms due to circumstances but councils are awful at fighting this. My dad was working on the case of someone recently who has three bedrooms because one of her kids is badly disabled but she had been given an incorrect eviction notice cos she wasn't paying bedroom tax. SO if you do get a three bed you'd be wise to get all your legal rights to it in writing from various places incase something like that happens, cos apparently it's quite common!

 

[smileyfaces]

Im able to apply for a three bed but will be expected to pay bedroom tax on the third room as the kids should really share but I will be appealing that due to our circumstances...my two defo can not share.

Technically you should be eligible for three bedrooms due to circumstances but councils are awful at fighting this. My dad was working on the case of someone recently who has three bedrooms because one of her kids is badly disabled but she had been given an incorrect eviction notice cos she wasn't paying bedroom tax. SO if you do get a three bed you'd be wise to get all your legal rights to it in writing from various places incase something like that happens, cos apparently it's quite common!

I will do, thanks! X

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I got a 3bed before my son was even having assessment or diagnosis! Just depends.

 

[Kate&Lucas]

It was different when I was on the list (I moved in about 2.5 years ago), there wasn't bands or points. I was on the list just over a year, but this area is hard to let because of a bad reputation. They've recently joined with HAs in a neighbouring borough to try and shift houses.

 

[Tasha]

MrsB, you would be able to get a 3 bed here, already as three children arent allowed to share, only two. It means when your new baby is here though that it is still a 3 bed you are allowed. You would get more housing benefit too.

As for the OP, we are band B and have been since October 2003, so coming up to ten and a half years I live in London x

 

[Dragonfly]

I been on list 5 years and over 30 points due to over crowding, you need hundreds here, I only have 2 bedrooms but I am in private rent so I will never get any where which is fine with me. They have never offered. I know someone that took 10 years and they had to fight for that. You dont get anything here there is no houses left, if you are homeless its a b&b if lucky emergency housing which is really bad in terms of no heat as one of my friends found out. We have LHA here which is like bed room tax, you get paid for the rooms you are entitled too.

 

[mumandco]

we've never been on the council list but I think we're gonna have to go on it now because we need a four bed and I don't think we can afford to private rent anything bigger than a 3 bed here. I don't even know where to start, it's really daunting We live in Sheffield and there are some really bad areas here, scary areas! I'm worried about what and where we'd get offered, if anything.

I know in our area you wouldn't even be classed as overcrowded as your children can technically share also the fact you already private rent wouldn't work in your favour because as far as they're concerned you can afford it etc. it sucks and hopefully they aren't as strict in your area

Blimey really?!! we are currently in a two bed and pay £500 a month. A three bed we're looking at at least £550-£600 and I just don't know how we'd manage

You never know you might be classed as overcrowded,we were living in a tiny 2 bed property,we put our name on the housing list and a few weeks later a housing officer came out to see us.we only had the 2 boys and was heavily pregnant at the time and the housing officer asked us a few questions etc and awarded us 91 points-the maximum to be awarded and they were awarded to being overcrowded.

We were them phoned 2 weeks later telling us that there was a house available and if we wanted it,it was ours. So all in all I think we were on the list for a maximum of. 2months

 

[stephx]

It's strange how it varies so much from district to district, in Bristol if we had another 2/3 kids we would be waiting yeeeears to be rehoused.

When we were overcrowded we had 5 adults and 1 child in a 3 bedroom house. That was band 4... When OH's mum and dad broke up we were classed as needing another room so we were placed in 2.

I know one of my neighbors had 6 kids in a 3 bedroom house and they would not move her as she was 'adequately housed'

 

[smileyfaces]

So strwnge how it all varies isn't it!

 

[carlandjane]

Ive never had to wait. When my previous relationship ended I moved back in with my mother in Oldham and contacted the council, and within a month Id moved into my own flat and then I got moved into a house when me and my husband had our first.
Then when we wanted to move again out of that house because we wanted to try for a 3rd baby and that house was 3 bedrooms but small I just called a housing association direct to enquire and moved into this 4 bed house within a month of asking about it. Ive been quite lucky I think. I live in West Yorkshire now in Calderdale and love it.

 

[BellaBoo0512]

My friend was living at her mums house and the council wouldn't rehouse her even though they were most certainly overcrowded. There were three bedrooms, 6 adults and 4 kids. In the end she gave up and had to go private rented.