rant...will we ever be rehoused?! Stressing me out :(

[MissR]

I live in a council home and have done since the age of 17, as my mum passed away and long story short, I basically had nowhere else to go. So luckily I was given a studio flat. But now fast forward 5 years and now me, My OH and LO are all living in this tiny studio flat and the council basically have put us at the bottom of the list, claiming we have no immediate need for housing.

I don't want to sound selfish here, as I know I'm lucky to even have a nice warm home, but we are so cramped for space, it's causing arguments between me and OH and we know we probably won't get moved for a long long time. I wanted Rubie to grow up in a nice house or at least have her own room. When she starts crawling it will be a massive problem as there's so little floor space. We can barely walk around ourselves!

I've been feeling quite down lately and i think it is a lot to do with this. We don't have enough money to rent anywhere so our only option is to stick with waiting. Im on homeswapper but nobody is gojng to want a studio flat. To top it all off there's always been damp in our bathroom, but now in the past months, has got much worse and has spread to the hallway. Which, as its such a small space, isn't far from our living space. I'm worried about rubies health as she's been in hospital (non damp related ill) already and dont want anything else being a health risk to her. I've sent an email to my housing association about it, but I know they won't do anything to help. Maybe fit a vent, that's all. Half the time I would rather be out the house because its so small at mine and I feel so enclosed.

Has anyone else had experience with being rehoused with their local council? Did you get moved easily? I just want my daughter to have a nice home to grow up in, and I wish could make that dream a reality!! Sorry for the rant xx

 

[lady_p]

I don't have experience of what you are going through but it sounds cramped in your house would that not be considered overcrowding?

The only pieces of advice I can give are relevant to my area and hopefully they will have something similar where you live.

1. Rent deposit guarantee scheme. The council in our area guarantee the deposit on private lets meaning it can be paid up over a period of time meaning just the first month rent would have to be paid.

2. In our area our local councillors/MP have times of the week for a drop in clinic to discuss concerns of any of their constituents. Maybe if you took pictures of how you were living and raised it personally with someone like that it might just speed up the process. Raise the point that you are on home swap and that you feel most people would not want to swap a 2 bedroom for a studio home.

 

[MissR]

Thanks for your reply. I have looked into other housing options, such as private renting as you say, but we would not be able to cover the rent each month as well as other expenses. I was thinking of maybe going to citizens advice but I'm not sure there is much advice that they could offer me. I feel like my only option is to wait it out.

It isn't classed as overcrowding because a child under ten I think it is, can supposedly live in the same room as you? It wouldn't be so bad if we had a one bed, because me and OH could stay on a sofa bed or something, then at least Rubie could have her own room! I just can't take how crammed in we are. There isn't room for anything. We struggled to even put a mini christmas tree up!! X

 

[bumpbear]

I used to work in housing at the local council before I emigrated. Rubie won't count as a person for overcrowding purposes until she is a year old so your priority for rehousing won't change at all until her first birthday. At that point, she will count as half a person so you will be given priority on the basis of half a person overcrowded from then. There are lots of people in a similar situation to you so it will be a long wait. It might be an idea to apply as homeless on the basis of unreasonable overcrowding from when Ruby is a year old to bypass the waiting system but you are likely to face a lot of resistance on getting the Council to accept a new homeless application. You'll also go back in to the temporary housing situation that way and won't have much say over where you live.

Unfortunately, damp housing is very common so unless it's so severe that it's deemed hazardous to health, again, it's not going to influence priority for a move. You'll just be advised to open windows etc daily to air the flat out.

If you're not too bothered about the security of council/ housing association tenancies, you could always ask for help accessing affordable rentals in the private sector? However, if your income is low/unsteady, I totally empathize why you'd want to avoid that route.

 

[Lollycake]

You know you can get Local Housing Allowance for privately rented places (basically housing benefit). Do you/your OH work?
There's a calculator here to work out what benefits and how much you might be entitled to https://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx
You can work out how much your weekly LHA is (the max they'll give you per week, obviously how much of that you get depends on income) https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/search.aspx

 

[MissR]

I used to work in housing at the local council before I emigrated. Rubie won't count as a person for overcrowding purposes until she is a year old so your priority for rehousing won't change at all until her first birthday. At that point, she will count as half a person so you will be given priority on the basis of half a person overcrowded from then. There are lots of people in a similar situation to you so it will be a long wait. It might be an idea to apply as homeless on the basis of unreasonable overcrowding from when Ruby is a year old to bypass the waiting system but you are likely to face a lot of resistance on getting the Council to accept a new homeless application. You'll also go back in to the temporary housing situation that way and won't have much say over where you live.

Unfortunately, damp housing is very common so unless it's so severe that it's deemed hazardous to health, again, it's not going to influence priority for a move. You'll just be advised to open windows etc daily to air the flat out.

If you're not too bothered about the security of council/ housing association tenancies, you could always ask for help accessing affordable rentals in the private sector? However, if your income is low/unsteady, I totally empathize why you'd want to avoid that route.

I didn't even know that after a year she would be counted, I thought is was at ten years of age? I don't really want to go down the homeless route as that was how I was out into this flat in the first place and it wasn't very pleasant.

I always always have the bathroom window open and try my best to keep it aired but it doesn't stem to make a difference. We have a steady income but it is low so I doubt any landlord would want to take us on thank you for your reply. At least i know that we may get somewhere after Rubie is a year old! X

You know you can get Local Housing Allowance for privately rented places (basically housing benefit). Do you/your OH work?
There's a calculator here to work out what benefits and how much you might be entitled to https://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx
You can work out how much your weekly LHA is (the max they'll give you per week, obviously how much of that you get depends on income) https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/search.aspx

Thanks for your reply! I was thinking about doing this, but lots of landlords don't accept dss, and I wouldn't know how to find the landlords that do? Do you have any experience with this? If we could get help paying the rent with a private rented place that would be great, I just don't really know where to start! X

 

[smokey]

Our council passed us on to a local housing association and they gave us a one bedroom place back in 2006, once we found out we where pregnant they put us on the waiting list for a bigger place and we got a 2 bedroom place in 2011 when LO was 11 months old.

Housing associations are so much easier to deal with then the council but I think (ours did it this way) the council has to refer you.

Try contacting https://www.aldwyck.co.uk/main.cfm they still work on a points system but the wait is often alot less then the council

 

[Baby France]

You know you can get Local Housing Allowance for privately rented places (basically housing benefit). Do you/your OH work?
There's a calculator here to work out what benefits and how much you might be entitled to https://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx
You can work out how much your weekly LHA is (the max they'll give you per week, obviously how much of that you get depends on income) https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/search.aspx

WSS

I would look into trying to sort something out yourself.

 

[bumpbear]

From one year of age they count as half a person for overcrowding purposes and from 10 years of age they count as 1 person. From 10 years, they also are entitled to a bedroom that they do not have to share with a sibling of the opposite sex.

There are different tests for overcrowding. One is the person standard test which we've already discussed. The other is the space standard which determines how many people can live in a given space depending on measurements. You may want to see if you count as overcrowded using the space standard test as its possible that your studio is so small it's only meant for use by one person.

Try the Shelter advice line. I also used to work with advice services for shelter a few years ago so think they are very good!

 

[special_kala]

When your lo is one you should jump up the list fairly quick.

The damp needs to be sorted through. What has the council said about it?

 

[lemontree12]

i dont want to freak you out, but my friend lives in a studio flat with her partner, her 3year old and and is pregnant with her second one. and is still being told theres no need for her to be housed. so come feb her family of four will be sharing 1 bedroom.
shes band b
im nt sure if your aware but theres a law coming out in april, if anyone who has a council house ad not taking up the room will have to pay for those. my friend is hoping that more home will become available on home swoper. have you looked into home swoper?

 

[Tasha]

This must vary place to place because here they're counted as half a person from birth until one year and then a whole person from then on x

 

[MissR]

Our council passed us on to a local housing association and they gave us a one bedroom place back in 2006, once we found out we where pregnant they put us on the waiting list for a bigger place and we got a 2 bedroom place in 2011 when LO was 11 months old.

Housing associations are so much easier to deal with then the council but I think (ours did it this way) the council has to refer you.

Try contacting https://www.aldwyck.co.uk/main.cfm they still work on a points system but the wait is often alot less then the council

I'm with a housing association at the moment, but I had to go through my local council and am on a points based scheme. So I bascially get a certain amount of points and bid on properties when they become available. I looked at the link above but do I have to be part of Aldwyck already to be able to apply? X

You know you can get Local Housing Allowance for privately rented places (basically housing benefit). Do you/your OH work?
There's a calculator here to work out what benefits and how much you might be entitled to https://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx
You can work out how much your weekly LHA is (the max they'll give you per week, obviously how much of that you get depends on income) https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/search.aspx

WSS

I would look into trying to sort something out yourself.

Am looking into this now! Definitely looks like an option!

From one year of age they count as half a person for overcrowding purposes and from 10 years of age they count as 1 person. From 10 years, they also are entitled to a bedroom that they do not have to share with a sibling of the opposite sex.

There are different tests for overcrowding. One is the person standard test which we've already discussed. The other is the space standard which determines how many people can live in a given space depending on measurements. You may want to see if you count as overcrowded using the space standard test as its possible that your studio is so small it's only meant for use by one person.

Try the Shelter advice line. I also used to work with advice services for shelter a few years ago so think they are very good!

I am going to try all of these ideas! Anything I can tot try and get the process going a little faster. I've kinda come to terms that we'll be here for a while, I just want it to maybe go a little faster! How would a space test work exactly?

When your lo is one you should jump up the list fairly quick.

The damp needs to be sorted through. What has the council said about it?

I really do need the damp to be sorted ASAP. They haven't got back to me yet, as only sent the email today. Hopefully I will get a reply on Monday!

 

[MissR]

Lemon tree12..... That is awful. How could that possibly count as not overcrowded?! I am on homeswapper, but nobody is interested in downsizing to a studio

 

[lemontree12]

keep looking because my friend is now in limbo of mayb moving to a 3bed, she doesnt no if its going ahead, as they are still in the reviewing process. but the law which will change in april could help you. dont give up.

 

[MissR]

I'm going to try all the options. If I could find a landlord that would accept housing benefit, I would definitely consider that. I'm just sick and tired of living In such a tiny cramped place! Thank you everyone for all your help and advice xxx

 

[Baby France]

I know of a girl who lives round my end (and by her FB there are a few of them) that have been put in a situation that a PP mentioned.

They are going to have to pay for that extra room that they don't need? Hopefully people who NEED the spare rooms and are unable to afford to go private etc will get the house or home that they need.

 

[MissR]

I hope that's the case. Even a or bed would make my situation so much easier!xx

 

[bumpbear]

Here's an easy to understand break down of statutory overcrowding laws that govern all councils:

https://m.england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/home_safety/overcrowding

You could measure your space to see if you might have any luck getting a higher priority before Ruby hits a year old by applying the space standard test.