Advice gratefully appreciated. Potential homelessness

silvercar

The writing is on the wall, at some point in the next few months you will need to move. Clutton's post is excellent and if you can take the pressure, then you could stay for a few months. The longer the process goes on the more uncomfortable you may feel. Think how you would feel phoning the landlord to get an urgent maintenance issue resolved when the landlord is in the process of getting you evicted. As I understand it you would also be liable for any court costs/ baliff fees in securing your eviction.

My advice would be to start looking for a new place and plan your move on your terms, rather than wait for the baliffs to arrive.

clutton_2

Court fees are £150 and Bailiffs fees £95 ... i utterly agree with silvercar - the longer you are there the more uncomfortable you will fee.. but if you have a professional letting agency dealing with the management repairs should still be undertaken.....

If the local authority put you on their housing list.. they may force you to stay until a Possession order is granted by the court if they are to offer you any rehousing.... some authorities even claim that if you move out before the Court orders possession that you will then have made yourself "voluntarily homeless" and they will not house you at all - it is a truly heartless and immoral system.. but it is the system we have to live with.

OP needs to find out if her authority do this.. as it would be foolish to burn any bridges... even the offer of a hostel is better than the children being taken into care...

But, we are a long way from all that....

OP - find out if your council runs a Bond Board.. many do.. and also ask for their Local Landlords Accrediation list.. this is a list of local private sector landlords whose prpoerties have been inspected by the council and many of them will work with the Bond Board....

BitterAndTwisted

When considering not allowing viewings I would also take into account what impact this might have on your OH's continued employment. Naturally, employers should not victimise their employees in such a way but they sometimes do.

twirlypinky

this is difficult because i assume you don't want to make life difficult for your husband at work, and therefore don't want to !!!! off his employer too much.

I know more debt isn't a great idea, but could you not borrow the deposit from family/his company?

Ask as a gesture of goodwill since they're making you homeless!

Brb

I don't really have any more to add of use than what has been said already but I wanted to post to offer my deepest sympathies I too have been in your situation more times than I care to remember but with only 1 child.

Have a read of this page too http://www.landlordlawblog.co.uk/2010/08/23/tenants-legal-help-cannot-afford-deposit/

I wish you the very best xxx

tbs624

I agree with the factual contents of Clutton's post above but given another fact, ie that ownership this property is linked with your husband's employers, plus your recent difficulties, my view is that you would be better off spending your time actively seeking somewhere new to live, rather than relying on playing the usual "spin-out" game. The fact is that you *are* going to have to find somewhere new and lets be honest, Christmas itself is irrelevant to small babies - it's about who they have around them, not *where* they are.

In answer to one of your specific queries, no, you do not have to allow viewings, but you may want to consider offering specific day/time slots which would be convenient to you. You do not have to go out whilst they show people round, unless you choose to do so - it's still your home.

Start putting your own "accommodation wanted" ads up ....

millym

Sorry to hear of your situation.

Have you applied to your local council for housing on a non-homeless basis? You should be able to do this straight away. In my experience, you are likely to be given a 3 bed council house, going by the ages and sex of your children. This is good, as there are far more 3 bed properties than 4. From a personal point of view, I would not like to be applying for a council place on the basis of homelessness, as People tend to get put in the really bad areas when homeless.

Do you have any medical grounds to support your application? Might be worth looking into.

I agree that while you have the right to stay until the LL gets repossession, your situation is complicated by them also being your husband's employer. Might make life difficult for him.

I would definitely seek quiet enjoyment, but if it were me, I would be looking to leave at the end of the AST.
Hope you get it sorted soon!

Perhaps another avenue would be to offer to leave the property early in exchange for a lump sum, enough for a deposit on a new place?

Kaleidoscope1972

millym wrote: »

Sorry to hear of your situation.

Have you applied to your local council for housing on a non-homeless basis? You should be able to do this straight away. In my experience, you are likely to be given a 3 bed council house, going by the ages and sex of your children. This is good, as there are far more 3 bed properties than 4. From a personal point of view, I would not like to be applying for a council place on the basis of homelessness, as People tend to get put in the really bad areas when homeless.

Do you have any medical grounds to support your application? Might be worth looking into.

I agree that while you have the right to stay until the LL gets repossession, your situation is complicated by them also being your husband's employer. Might make life difficult for him.

I would definitely seek quiet enjoyment, but if it were me, I would be looking to leave at the end of the AST.
Hope you get it sorted soon!

Perhaps another avenue would be to offer to leave the property early in exchange for a lump sum, enough for a deposit on a new place?

I have today bee intouch with our local housing dept..in my county the housing stock is still owned by the council as opposed to a housing assc.
The conversation I had today resulted in them telling me that we did qualify as a family in need as on my husbands income we should be able to rent privately with no problems. She said they would have to house us in a 4 bed house once our youngest was a year old and unfortunately they dont really have a ny 4 beds in their housing stock..she told me honestly that all we could do is present to county hall once our tenancy expires and we have no where to live ONLy after we have attempted all the mesaures to stay in the property that Clutton mentioned..then..we would be placed in a homeless hostel..
she said, she needed to warn me that this would be a bedsit hostel which they were allowed to keep us in for up to 2 years:(

she said in all honesty ..we stood very little chance of being housed by the council.

I have also spoken to someone today about the bond scheme where they can help you with a deposit..we dont qualify

Phoned Shelter and they have more or less said the same as the housing officer from the council..

I will make some more calls tomorrow..

I feel stressed and miserable as the last year just seems to have been stress after stress with our housing situation and I cant see any end to it..

Kaleidoscope1972

I apologise for the poor grammar..was one handed typing with baby on my lap

tbs624

Kaliedoscope - I don't think anyone will pull you up on grammar on here when you have so much on your mind atm

Have you been over on to the other boards where the posters help one another out with their household budgeting, to see if there is anywhere you could make significant savings over the next two or three months? There is also an "Up your Income " board. Could your 16year old help out by getting a part time job?

Do you have anything that is surplus to requirements that you could sell?

Is there a local credit union?