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

puddy

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle wrote: »

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.

because it was temporary accommodation and they were not tenants as such

poppysarah

skylight wrote: »

The kids could have the bedroom and you and OH can get a sofa bed for the front room (check there is room for the cot!). Storage solutions will be the main concern but there are plenty of options - it will take a bit of a hard think about what to do with it.

Kids need room to play.

tiny_tear

poppysarah wrote: »

Kids need room to play.

And can't they play in their room?

In my day we didn't have these 'playroom' luxuries... we played in our bedrooms

BitterAndTwisted

We didn't, our bedrooms were too ruddy cold in the depths of winter. In the forces' married quarters we lived in when we were children not a single one of them had central heating. We must have found room to play somehow. I seem to remember being outside most of the time

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

This is my point exactly - we take it all for granted now and then there are stupid rules that stipulate you MUST be living to a certain criteria.

If i'm honest i think as children we (in general) had a better time than children do these days. I get so fed up when i see children spoilt to high heaven - no creativity whatsover because all of their toys do the imagining for them.
For example, kids now have to have an actually tent to play in a den, wheras we would have got a blanket and thrown it over a table or some chairs and made our own. Or all of these accesories for dolls and the likes, i remember cutting and sewing old clothes or materials for my dolls, a house out of painted boxes and being ever so proud of them...not ready to throw away when you get bored in a few days and didn't cost a thing.

Lol, this thread has digressed a bit!

If i lived in a one bed property with my children they would still be welcome to play - just as they are now, not having a room each doesn't mean they can't play does it? In fact playing together in random places is better than playing alone in their own rooms

My daughter already spends most of her time playing wherever i am anyway so i think she'd be quite happy to share a room with her brother - in fact she is always asking when will he be big enough so they can have bunkbeds and he can be in her room.

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

I remember behind the sofa where it was dark was one of our fave spaces to play - and how tiny of a space would that have been? Lol.

Brb

Sorry but I don't see a hope in hell of a LL permitting so many bods in a 1 bed flat. I don't mean this unkindly but the wear and tear would be more for a start and also they may think 3 children in a flat will annoy any neighbours (note I say may, your children could be very well behaved but LLs don't know that). You also run the risk of your children being disturbed by neighbours (not many families live in flats).

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

All seems too much of a difficult one then, to get into a property, not way to live IYKWIM.

It's amazing how things change from one generation to another.

Never mind - we will keep looking until this house sells! If not we may well have to move to a cheaper area, sadly meaning changing schools too We would have preffered to stay in this area but we know there are some areas about 5 miles away that are cheap (but are also known as 'junkie' areas which is what we wanted to avoid)

Brb

Could you maybe sell avon/betterware/kleeneze ?

Maybe a part-time job in the evenings when hubby back in from work ? I know it's hard I really do. Long term you could look into becoming a registered child minder ? you know kids after all! of course this would neccesitate a LL being ameniable to this (is possible though).

Obviously keep looking for a 2 bed.

Mind you, a flat over a shop are generally huge (friend had one). Get your butt down your high street and look upwards.

silvercar

Councils often won't classify you as homeless unless you stay put until the landlord formally evicts you. Some councils even want you to wait until baliffs are appointed. If you move any sooner then you risk the council classifying you as intentionally homeless and them not having an obligation to help.

Sounds unfair on you and the landlord, but that is the game councils often play to avoid being responsible for housing you.