Help - application form for housing association

top_drawer_2

hello,

I am desperately sick of renting with a private landlord. Its a shared house and the landlady is sloppy to say the least, at the moment we havent seen her for months and she "forgets" the most basic of things. None of us have a tenancy deposit scheme despite asking her nth number of times, she has however assured us that she "wont rip us off" which stands for squat really....... I am fighting a losing battle as my two housemates havent the foggiest about the law and think she is so nice (!!!).

To a point she is but she has no concept of boundries (very recently she wandered into the house using her own key! not even acknowledging us shouting Hello, who is it .... from the lounge in panic at someone coming to the house unannounced). She was supposed to come earlier this week to sort some problems out and didnt turn up (no phone call to explain). I rang her when I got home to find the minor problem still not dealt with and her excuse was that she had had a mini emergency (we/I knew there would be something - last time her dog was ill) which she told me all about at length (everything is at length with her to be blunt).

Anyway, my point is I want to move to a housing association property since I cant afford a marketable rent for a decent flat on my own (estate agents Ive looked in want £1,000 for deposit + fees and a months rent). I am willing to share but really want it to be someone I choose .... which at the moment there's no-one who is available.

The questions I am struggling with on the application form are my last three landlords personal addresses and contact telephone (I cant remember and have no record of them), reasons for leaving these properties - really not sure what to put here and questions about income.......

I would prefer they didnt contact my previous landlords as they havent all been reputable .... and I definitely dont want my current one being alerted to me wanting to move - she might evict me in the hope of getting someone more permanent.

I am also baffled by them wanting to consider me based on streams - none of which I think I can fall into easily, certainly it seems I am going to be waiting FOREVER.

Thanks for any help,

TD

lynzpower

The questions I am struggling with on the application form are my last three landlords personal addresses and contact telephone (I cant remember and have no record of them), reasons for leaving these properties - really not sure what to put here and questions about income.......

hi doll,

Did you let these houses through a letting agent or student lettings office?

Im wondering whether you coud use them instead.

Personally, Id nominate a "freind" to pretend to be the previous landlord if they phone to be honest. Its not entirely above board. But I might be tempted!

If you want to be honest. write the reasons why, be blatant, harrassment, theft from previous housemates or poor maintenance.

You might be waiting forever, does your local authority do a tenancy deposit scheme, they might lend you the deposit till you get your old one back or you can pay it back bit by bit?

Best of luck hun and come back to me if theres more I might be able to help with xx

top_drawer_2

No unfortunately they have all been private (shared) houses.... you aren't far wrong in though. Its amazing how many bad landlords there are around .... particularly with shared housing. I would dearly love my own place or even somewhere where I feel its my space rather than space I have to share with people who I cant say i'm hugely keen on. At the moment my co-habites are a crabby stroppy girl who is lovely when she is in a good mood and a whinge bag the rest of the time, the other is obsessed with watching a particular type of proggramme and hogs the tv.

lynzpower

Ive sent you a PM

I know what you mean. Effectively lodging in someone elses house, sounds like a nightmare to me.

Jowo_2

Supply the information. Usually, the submission of false information can mean an offer of a tenancy can be withdrawn.

Are you applying for social housing as a social housing tenant or on one of their rental properties available on the open market to anyone?

By streams, do you mean that they will put you in particular priority according to housing need?

It's not clear whether you are going on a waiting list for social housing on a secure tenancy (in which case virtually anyone can apply and few get it, apart from the neediest who are high priority, such as the homeless or those with kids) or whether the housing association has some properties available on the open market on standard 6 month ASTs.

lynzpower

Hun, your not getting the messages as you are marked as offline

top_drawer_2

Jowo wrote: »

Supply the information. Usually, the submission of false information can mean an offer of a tenancy can be withdrawn.

Are you applying for social housing as a social housing tenant or on one of their rental properties available on the open market to anyone?

By streams, do you mean that they will put you in particular priority according to housing need?

It's not clear whether you are going on a waiting list for social housing on a secure tenancy (in which case virtually anyone can apply and few get it, apart from the neediest who are high priority, such as the homeless or those with kids) or whether the housing association has some properties available on the open market on standard 6 month ASTs.

I may not get offered a property at all as a result of one LL's reference, Im sure he wont mention the lack of basic health and safety such as no fire alarms, extensions leads powering the kitchen and loft appliances, lack of any safety certifcates or that the house whole was falling down around us. Or that he rented to a nightmare set of (1 DSS) tenants who had all had a huge sense of self entitlement and none of their own household items. He also wont mention that he was in so deep he he couldn't afford to pay back anyone deposit (which should have been in a deposit scheme) and I simply dont have the additional funds to pay another deposit elsewhere - what he will say is that I did a bunk no paying the last months rent and that I caused lots of issues. This was my first private rent and I honestly believed him when he said he would sort all these problems.

Im not sure whether its social housing because you can be working (it asks info about wage slips etc).

Yes, streams seem to mean priority ... general stream gives points in relation to the problems with where you are living now, I don't fall into this one it seems.

Community stream is apparently for those who can help or benefit from living in a particular community

Economic stream is for people who can afford to pay rent without housing benefit. They say they let homes with 75% going to general stream, 15% to community and 10% economic stream.

If I could afford to rent a marketable rented property alone then I would but I just cant see a way I can and I dont seem to have a lot of luck with LL's or maybe being a d!ck is part of the job description. I havent heard anything positive about letting agents (not that I can afford their fees anyhow).

Jen

lynzpower

If I could afford to rent a marketable rented property alone then I would but I just cant see a way I can and I dont seem to have a lot of luck with LL's or maybe being a d!ck is part of the job description.

:rotfl: :rotfl:

Tis true IME ( not to say anything of anyone on here of course who im sure are fantastic LLS )

delain

You can apply to the HA, be honest or they will blacklist you. You probably won't get a property though. How old are you? If you're under 25 they only have to offer you shared places anyway.

top_drawer_2

delain wrote: »

You can apply to the HA, be honest or they will blacklist you. You probably won't get a property though. How old are you? If you're under 25 they only have to offer you shared places anyway.

On what basis are they going to balcklist me? Where do you get your knowledge from? I am over 25 thank you.

I am looking for sensible advice, not generalisations.

Jen

delain

top_drawer wrote: »

On what basis are they going to balcklist me? Where do you get your knowledge from? I am over 25 thank you.

I am looking for sensible advice, not generalisations.

Jen

The housing Association here (where I live anyway) state that if you make an application with false information they will have no obligation to house you now or in the future. So it's best to be honest.

I have three small children, been homeless twice and on the list for 6 years, and I'm still at the bottom. The current waiting time is over 12 years. This isn't true everywhere, so I can't give more than 'generalisations' because I don't know the state of the housing stock where you are. Here, most of it was sold in the 80's and never rebuilt.

The reason I asked your age is some areas (like here!) have hostels for 'homeless' people under 25. I lived in one of these and they can lead to one-bed flats (my friend and former housemate now has one) on a secure HA tenancy. I found a private rental flat because children are not allowed to live in those flats.

I was just trying to let you know not to pin too much hope on a HA.

You could try advertising for other people looking for houseshares and search together?