UK housing dificulties - any advice?

[maybebaby87]

Hi ladies,

I'm not sure this is the right place, but i could see anywhere else to fit this.

I am 26, DF 24 and we are expecting baby number 1. I am 23 weeks along.
In April, we were going to rent privately a bigger house, but at the very last minute it fell through and left us homeless. I then found out i was pregnant and was sort of glad as we can not afford rent that high now!

Since then we have stayed with friends and most recently moved in with my grandparents as the have a spare (small) room. The live in a 4 bed with thier son who uses 2 rooms.

We have all had a discussion on the future and although my nan loves me dearly, there is alot of tension as i dont get on with my uncle and his girlfriend and my granparents will be moving soon into a 2 bed as at 71&72 they are too old for a big 4 bed town house. So they are asking us to leave.

We registered for a council place a few weeks ago, but have been warned its a lengthy process and we might not get anywhere. Alos as we live in a 4 bed, it is not overcrowded. The problem is, we cant stay!

I'm not sure what to do. Ive sought advice from a helpline and they said my nan would need to write a letter and state why we cannot stay. I am so worried that baby will be born and we will be in a B&B.

I may ring shelter, but im not sure they will have any other advice!

 

[special_kala]

can you private rent?

 

[maybebaby87]

The prices are so high (£900+ for 2 bed flat in London), it would really be a struggle. We are saving for the babies bits so dont have much to save for a deposit and to be honest are put off privately renting due to the fact that we have spent so much in the ast and had bad experiences everytime. Not to mention the last time that left us homeless through no fault of our own. Also, they wont allow our dog. I earn the most money and now that i will be on leave, DF will have to pay all the rent and CT and i will pay for the baby, food, bills etc with the £500 or so i get SMP a month.

 

[sequeena]

From what I know when baby arrives they will place you in emergency temporary housing. Not sure about your oh.

Can family help with a deposit? Babies don't need a lot buy second hand they grow too fast anyway. Get in touch with shelter they could possibly help. What about a room in a shared flat? Not ideal but it's a roof over your head.

Just noticed you have adog ask friends family to look after it or find a new home if not possible. It's hard but there are very little homes in the council now there's always someone more needy than you as you're not a priority right now despite being pregnant.

 

[highhopes19]

I was in a simular position we lived with my parents and shared one room, we were bidding on the council for 15 months, my relationship with my parents unfortunately broke down (things at home turned nasty and violent towards myself when my partner was at work whilst I was on mat leave) I was made homeless and was rehoused in 6 weeks.... But we was very lucky with this place as it was in a lovely village in quiet part of town and we had to have local connection which my oh had... If not we was told we would have to wait a year... I which we would be put in a b&q untill temporary accomodation came up... Luckily it didnt come to that x

 

[Boomerslady]

All I can suggest is either you stay where you are and just bid as much as you can but you might have a wait. Once baby is here you'll be entitled to working tax credits, child tax credit and if your OH is on a low wage then some housing benefit too. Go onto the benefits calculator and do it as if LO was just born so you can see what your entitled too.

When I was preg OH had just lost his job and we lived at his mums, I couldn't even imagine having her fussing over us!! So I worked until I was 8 months gone and saved everything for a deposit, and first months rent and then bought all baby stuff second hand. We then moved into our own place when I was 8.5 months gone and once Ben arrived we got housing benefit.

HTH a bit

 

[maybebaby87]

Thanks for your comments. We cant stay where we are as my Grandparents are moving. They will let us stay until November. I cant and wont live with my mum as her partner is an alcoholic and i am scared of him. I wont give my dog away, i love her too much!

I have tried the benefit calculator but it always says im not entitled to anything even though i act as if LO is here. I think its because my wages for the tax year are too high. Unfortunately, my family are not well off at all and cannot help us. Most of ou baby stuff is from ebay so we are saving a bit there.

Last resort will be having to rent privately i guess, but we have had such bad experiences i dont really want to and it would mean having to hid our dog and i wouldnt want to lie.

 

[stephx]

If you want a council property you have to be persistent. Get your nan to write a letter saying you have to be out by (the date) and then keep on at them! lol

 

[babyhopesxx]

If your nan is selling her house she will have to write a letter to the council and tell them this, the council might then give you extra points because your accommodation is not secure in terms the house has been sold. If they don't rehouse you before your nans house is sold then your family may be put in a hostel until they find you another property.

 

[babyjan]

Yeah I would get whoever's house your staying at to write to the council mentioning that you can no longer stay there, the council may then put you into emergency temporary accommodation which could b&b, hostel or self contained flat.

Once your council accepts you as homeless you will be able to bid and may be given priority, this depends on where you are at as every council works differently.

I think giving shelter a ring can be helpful x

Ok I noticed your in London, what borough if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Princess Lou]

Once you reach a certain week of pregnancy (29 I think) they will take into account the pregnancy and place you in a higher band, also, if you get your grandparents to write a letter stating you need to leave and have them give a date, you will be looked at as potentially homeless and need re-homing quickly. You will likely need to go for a meeting with a housing officer but it should help.

I have a friend who was in a similar situation but after just three weeks of bidding (one week where all the details were on the system) she 'won' a house. She don't get the keys for another couple of weeks because of repair work though. This was North East England though but the regulations shouldn't change that much in theory.

Best of luck.

 

[randomrach]

I am also in the London area, we were living at my parents and 8 of is lived there. If your grandparents do not want you to live there they are perfectly entitled to ask you to move out. They need to give you 28 days notice in writing, which you then take to the council asap. The council will take copies of your notice and set you up a meeting with a team of people that deal with homeless/ soon to be homeless people. One of your grandparents must attend the meeting, confirm that the home is their own and they do not want you to live there. After that the council have 30 days to decide whether they will put you on the homeless register. Once on the homeless register you are higher priority on the housing bids, you MUST bid on all houses that you are entitled to, so you don't really have any choice where you live. If you have not been offered a place within 4 weeks you will then be given a place straight away which can be either temporary or permanent. Good luck xx

 

[randomrach]

Princess Lou - that is correct, however the band that she will be placed into the waiting list is still 3-4 years. Most of the people in it are women with children or young families.

ETA sequeena mentioned that you may be placed into emergency accommodation once baby is here but I'm afraid that isn't the case (it may be different in other London boroughs) I lived with my parents with my partner and lo for a year, we just moved into a housing association flat after my parents made us homeless. There were still hundreds of people ahead of us. The average waiting time was 3 years and 4 months.

 

[Princess Lou]

Princess Lou - that is correct, however the band that she will be placed into the waiting list is still 3-4 years. Most of the people in it are women with children or young families.

Seriously? Wow. I knew things would be longer with it being London but I would never have dreamed it would be that long.

Is it because there aren't that many homes, too many people needing the homes or a combination of the two?

That really is a long time to wait when needing a home to raise a child.

Hope something happens soon OP. X

 

[Princess Lou]

Princess Lou - that is correct, however the band that she will be placed into the waiting list is still 3-4 years. Most of the people in it are women with children or young families.

Seriously? Wow. I knew things would be longer with it being London but I would never have dreamed it would be that long.

Is it because there aren't that many homes, too many people needing the homes or a combination of the two?

That really is a long time to wait when needing a home to raise a child.

Hope something happens soon OP. X

 

[randomrach]

Both not enough homes and too many people. The national minimum wage also goes further elsewhere. A 2 bed flat or house here costs around 750-900 pound a month and too many people can't afford it or as the OP said the deposit.

 

[sequeena]

Princess Lou - that is correct, however the band that she will be placed into the waiting list is still 3-4 years. Most of the people in it are women with children or young families.

ETA sequeena mentioned that you may be placed into emergency accommodation once baby is here but I'm afraid that isn't the case (it may be different in other London boroughs) I lived with my parents with my partner and lo for a year, we just moved into a housing association flat after my parents made us homeless. There were still hundreds of people ahead of us. The average waiting time was 3 years and 4 months.

I imagine in London it's so long because there's just so many people crammed into a tiny area. Where I am there's a lot less people in a bigger area, I think the waiting list is under a year depending on how 'needy' you are x

 

[ellismum]

Do you really need a 2 bed? We stayed in a 1 bed till Ellis was 13 months so time to save for a bigger deposit. I can believe that its 3-4 years, did you see "how to get a council house" there were people who'd been in band 1 for years. Where we are its a yr for band 1 and there is no way in hell I'd go into a B&B or hostel.

Me, I wouldnt bother trying to get the council to house us if i were in your shoes. You must earn a good wage if your not entitled to benefits once babies here so look at moving to cheaper boroughs, use Gumtree and local ads to place wanted ads. Also, baby takes priority over the dog. I grew up with pets and understand they become part of the family but priories change and right now, a secure roof over your head is that. Is that no one that can take the dog for the interim?

 

[special_kala]

Do you really need a 2 bed? We stayed in a 1 bed till Ellis was 13 months so time to save for a bigger deposit. I can believe that its 3-4 years, did you see "how to get a council house" there were people who'd been in band 1 for years. Where we are its a yr for band 1 and there is no way in hell I'd go into a B&B or hostel.

Me, I wouldnt bother trying to get the council to house us if i were in your shoes. You must earn a good wage if your not entitled to benefits once babies here so look at moving to cheaper boroughs, use Gumtree and local ads to place wanted ads. Also, baby takes priority over the dog. I grew up with pets and understand they become part of the family but priories change and right now, a secure roof over your head is that. Is that no one that can take the dog for the interim?

I agree with all of this.

The waiting list in my town for me would be 6 - 10 years!!

I know someone who went into a hostel at a few months pregnant and she didnt get a place until well after her LOs 1st birthday and she was the highest priority.

 

[Tasha]

I am also in London and am have been waiting eleven years for a home, we are band B (second highest band) and are still waiting.

I hope you have better luck than us