Can we rent a one bed flat for a while to save - or is this overcrowding?

clairet707

t0rt0ise wrote: »

I'm surprised that you take the word of someone you don't know on a forum. There are laws about overcrowding and your landlord can be prosecuted for overcrowding. http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/overcrowding

In your case, a 2 bed property would probably be okay but that is dependent on the size of the rooms. The agent you talked to is obviously going to make sure they stay within the law by only offering 3 beds. That seems to me to be a reasonable approach.

That link is for council housing only - it does not apply for private rentals

nancyo

That would be far to crowded, two bedroom might be do-able and its opnly an additional £50 tops a month in difference.

BitterAndTwisted

I think you might find that the definition of overcrowding isn't that straightforward. I believe that children under the age of one aren't counted at all, children under the age of ten are counted as one half each and a reception room counts as a "room". So, going by those assumptions a couple in a one-bed with two small children and a baby wouldn't be counted as overcrowded. But it very well might be by a landlord.

In my Local Authority 2-bed flat for instance the permitted number of occupants is five.

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

t0rt0ise wrote: »

I'm surprised that you take the word of someone you don't know on a forum. There are laws about overcrowding and your landlord can be prosecuted for overcrowding. http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/overcrowding

In your case, a 2 bed property would probably be okay but that is dependent on the size of the rooms. The agent you talked to is obviously going to make sure they stay within the law by only offering 3 beds. That seems to me to be a reasonable approach.

Completely understand what you are saying but then what if we cannot afford the rent and bills/CT? Because thats pretty much the situ now - and Housing Ben can do nothing to help us as the LHA allowance for this area and our situation is £650 wehich means we get a ridiculous £1 a week, yet the best priced property we can find is £800 - well that leaves us £150 down (£240 per month where we are now) on the basics your supposed to live on. Honestly i have no idea how we do it but we manage somehow...probably by our ridiculously frugal living. We end up litterally at £0 every month and are trying to do something about it...i'm confused why it's so sodding difficult to simply move to a smaller property, surely that's what the common sense thing is to do??? No????

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

nancyo wrote: »

That would be far to crowded, two bedroom might be do-able and its opnly an additional £50 tops a month in difference.

If it's only £50 a month difference tops - please help me find one Trust me, maybe where you are but unfortunately not where we are. Or i wouldn't be having to think about this option!

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

I'm just gobsmacked at the prospect that the government can stipulate that we MUST rent a 2 bed property (or 3 once baby turns 1yr) even if we can't afford one???? Very odd!

You'd think they'd be greatful a family are trying to cut back to better themselves rather than take out of the benefits pot and never be able to better themselves!

Thank you for all of your advice, much appreciated - i think what i'm getting is a little conflicting, which is pretty much the same as before

Nicifer_noonoo

Couldn't you try the Up Your Income boards to try to meet the difference?

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Ok - sorry to drag this on but i have just been speaking to a friend, she had two children and her and her husband went to the council as 'homeless' about 6 years ago and they put them in a one room b&b -all 4 of them and they were there for just under 3 years - how is this much different from what we are thinking of doing by moving to a one bed flat for a couple of years? Instead we'd be doing it off our own back rather than heading to the council - not that we are homeless now, but we will be once the LL sells this house.

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Nicifer_noonoo wrote: »

Couldn't you try the Up Your Income boards to try to meet the difference?

I don't think we could do more than we currently are doing I litterally live by the MSE Old Style threads to make ends meet. Hubby could probably get a better paid job but i doubt he could get one as stable as his is at the mo, he is a service engineer for public transport and engineers are in short supply at the mo. So we are kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place

Our LL is selling so we are currently sitting here waiting for it to sell, hoping to find something in the mean time but with a past CCJ about 3yrs ago that we stupidly weren't aware of we can't even just rent with any estate agents, most see that and send us on our way after taking a couple of hundred pounds in holding fees and refrencing costs, even though we tell them prior. We are just getting conned left right and centre - so with our current property we paid a few months up front, no others seem to accept this, they want a whole 12 months...which we could possibly do if the monthly rent is about £500, but not any more, and deffinately not at £800 a month.

So if you get my drift - we're pretty stuffed! With two kids and another on the way....and the housing officer litterally told us hubby would have to leave his job before the council would house us...how messed up is that???:mad:

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Lol, all we want to do is cut back even more to better ourselves....why is it so difficult???