Landlord selling house and I'm 6 mths pregnant

EastMidsGal

To get this property I went through the councils rent deposit scheme (council bond guarantee), they assess you on a case by case basis. So just because they approved me before doesn't mean they will approve me again (in theory, according to the council) They won't assess me until I have been given notice to quit, as soon as I get notice from the LL that he wants to terminate the tenancy and wants me out I can approach them and ask if they will help me again to find another private rental

The CAB said as I am going to become homeless because the LL wants to sell the house and not through any fault of my own, I will be eligible to approach the scheme again, but can't do that until I have notice to quit. They also said that because the council helped me previously they should be able to help me again. So the sooner the LL tells me to leave the sooner I can approach the council for help and find alternative accommodation

ETA: the council deposit scheme is non transferable so I can't just move it to another property, I would have to approach the council again to be assessed and approved again before I can go through that scheme again to find another private rental

N79

I would suggest you approach the council anyway and explain why you want to move and see if they would be willing to allow you to move now by allowing you to apply for a new guarantee. Do it in writing (harder for them to fob you off). What have you got to lose?

EastMidsGal

I have spoken to the council, CAB, Shelter, they all say the same thing there is no way to approach the scheme until you are threatened with homelessness within 28 days, they told me as soon as I receive notice to quit and it is 28 days or less to go straight down and they will assess me, they can't do anything till then. They told me if I left or handed in notice of my own accord it would be seen as becoming voluntarily homeless and they wouldn't help me

I explained I am pregnant and how much stress I am under knowing the landlord wants to sell and I could be served notice at any time and the rent deposit scheme officer at the council sympathised but said there was nothing they could do. They did say though that they usually help people before it goes to court so I will avoid that stress. The council are so rigid, they have their procedures and protocols and stick to them

This is why posts like Evokes annoys me. I don't want to be in this position, but I am stuck and have to abide by the way the council does things otherwise I will be left high and dry with no help from anywhere. I don't want to be a difficult tenant and I do understand his need and right to sell, but I am as stuck as he is

EastMidsGal

hhhmmm I sound so defeatist above, sorry

I am going to allow viewings for the next three weeks that will take it to a month. The LA said that if there was no interest after a month he would advise the LL to remove this house from the market and try to sell a different property. After the month is up I am going to refuse any more viewings and if that forces the LLs hand so be it, at least I will know what is happening.

Being optimistic is one thing, but 60% of the people who have enquired about the house are private buyers which means I will be out. So I will give it another three weeks and see what happens, either it doesn't sell and the LL realises a regularly paying tenant is better than an empty non sellable house, or an investor buys the house and chooses to keep me on or an offer is put in and I am served notice

After that I want my home back with no more viewings, and if it forces the LLs hand and he serves me notice I can then go to the council and get that ball rolling and I won't be in limbo anymore

GDB2222

Okay, let me see if I have the picture right?

1. You get housing benefit paid to you personally, and you pass this on to the landlord/EA as rent.

2. They are protected by the deposit guarantee if you don't pay the last month's rent.

3. If you don't pay the last month's rent, that will give you enough money to pay your deposit on the next property?

I can't believe I'm saying this, and I'm a landlord!

EastMidsGal

1. yes
2. money for damage caused by me has to be claimed direct from the council, no deposit money is paid upfront at the beginning of the tenancy as in other private tenancies
3. that's a thought! If I don't pay the next two months rent, that will give me one months deposit and one months rent upfront for another property. As I will then be eight weeks in arrears the LL could then apply for the HB to be paid direct to him but by then it won't matter as I will have moved. Not legal or moral but it is a way out

I can't believe I am contemplating it but if it gets me out of the rock and the hard place

N79

EastMidsGal wrote: »

3. that's a thought! If I don't pay the next two months rent, that will give me one months deposit and one months rent upfront for another property. As I will then be eight weeks in arrears the LL could then apply for the HB to be paid direct to him but by then it won't matter as I will have moved. Not legal or moral but it is a way out

I can't believe I am contemplating it but if it gets me out of the rock and the hard place

This is not a way out and is not even what GDB2222 (rather recklessly) suggested. (This is why high risk options are rarely the answer as most people are incapable of understanding the high wire act that is needed to keep things just the wrong side of OK - as EastMidsGal has done here by talking your plan and concocting a worse one of her own).

If you do this, the LL will simply get a court order for the outstanding rent. How would you pay? Your credit rating would be trashed and almost no LLs would rent to you in the future with a CCJ for rent arrears. This is not really an option.

nobblyned

evoke wrote: »

Going by the title of this thread, "Landlord selling house and I'm 6 mths pregnant", is it not the case that you expect the landlord to give prominence to your biological state and for him to reconsider the sale of his property because of this?

I rest my case.

The title of the thread accurately sums up the worries that the OP has and the situation they find themselves in, and their need to seek help here. The rest of your post is an assumption on your part, and a wrong one at that, if you read above you will see that the OP hasn't told the landlord that they are pregnant.

EastMidsGal

N79 wrote: »

This is not a way out and is not even what GDB2222 (rather recklessly) suggested. (This is why high risk options are rarely the answer as most people are incapable of understanding the high wire act that is needed to keep things just the wrong side of OK - as EastMidsGal has done here by talking your plan and concocting a worse one of her own).

If you do this, the LL will simply get a court order for the outstanding rent. How would you pay? Your credit rating would be trashed and almost no LLs would rent to you in the future with a CCJ for rent arrears. This is not really an option.

Don't worry I wouldn't actually go ahead and do it, it was just a thought, a run on from what GDB2222 said. I am fully aware of the recklessness and stupidity of it. I am going to contemplate all options and discard the worst, that one will be the first to go. I know that pulling fast ones like that never work out in the long or short run and what I don't want to be doing right now is adding more stress

The LA phoned earlier about the viewings due to take place tomorrow and I said go ahead. It's going to be a pain but I can't see what I stand to gain by being obstinate. If the viewings drag on for another three weeks I will then refuse anymore and if the LL decides to serve notice at least I can show I haven't been difficult

Wee_Willy_Harris

Firstly, please don't screw the council over. You will need them again long before they need you!

So, you need council assistance, either with a bond or witn re-housing, but in order to get that help you need to be threatened with homelessness within 28 days via a valid S21 notice. Your landlord wants to sell the property while minimising his rental losses. This would be much easier if you allow viewings.

And there you have room for compromise. Tell your landlord that you will not allow viewings until S21 has been served as you need this to assist with re-housing. landlord gets his viewings, can offer vacant posession, is unlikely to follow through with notice if propery remains unsold on expiry and, importantly, you have the piece of paper you need to get the assistance you want from the council.

Have a chat with your landlord. Expalin your position and your fears. Explain how he can help you AND explain how you could hinder him. And, most important of all, no-one gets stiffed, or makes themselves intentionally homeless.