No DSS, private renting and advice.

emiai

I will keep this simple. Family of 5 (2 adults, 3 children) having to relocate from the Midlands to Dartford ASAP to be with family. We currently live in LA housing.

We have applied to Dartford local council via home choice but understand that to move we will have to rent private.

Have been ringing around tons of estate agents to be told repeatidly NO DSS (as were low income)

One company Ashwood estate agents deal with DSS accepted listed properties and gave me some figures today.

Based on a maximum £850 a month, we will have to find

Deposit £850
1 mnth rent £850
3x referance (myself, partner and guarantour) - £99 each
Admin fee £75
and for the 6 months duration we live there we have to pay upfront the cash that LHA does not cover. So approx anther £1000 - £2500 (As an estimate)

So were looking at £3-£5.5k to move into a house for 6 months, with no guarentee it will be extended, (and if so we will need that upfront 6 months LHA not covered rent - aka £1000-£2500 again after 6 months if were still low income) before removal van hire/labour to move us.

Obviously the LHA top up is.. if were given £400 a month, we will have to pay £450 a month in advance for the 6 months, and pay simply the other £400 each month when then LHA is paid)

We have never rented private before, and need to know if roughly this sounds right, if so thats a huge ammunt of money we need to save and were really upset that now it looks like we wont be able to afford this without a loan.

Any advice would be fantastic, thank you very much in advance.

PasturesNew

The deposit looks low, most I've seen are 1.5x the rent.
Paying 6 months in advance when you're not the most desirable of tenants is normal - I paid 6 months up front for my last place as I was moving to an area/didn't have a job (and I wasn't on benefits), I expect to pay 6 months up front on the next place as I don't have a job (self-employed).

Yes, it's expensive renting.

silvercar

Have you found the LHA for the area?

How old are the children? If under 16 you would be entitled to a 3 bed property and given LHA accordingly. If the children are very young they could conceiviably share a bedroom (give them the largest bedroom if necessary) and you get a 2 bed place. This could mean no top on the LHA and your costs reduce considerably.

emiai

We have one child who is 12 and the others are under 3. So we will need a 3 bed.

The LHA was estimated at £155 PW for April which can change, but we can't be sure to get the full ammount. We were estimating based on £100 a week - and that was hoping.

Reading the posts on this forum has made me very scared to rent private when we have low income and three children. It just seems that to step out of the local housing property to the private market is just suicide for us as we seriously cant save these huge sums of money we will need to find every 6 months.

We simply want to be closer to family, and the realisation that it isnt going to happen unless we chunk out huge sums of money is gutting. Private renting does not seems secure at all based on looking at others problems on this forum.

ruggedtoast

emiai wrote: »

We have one child who is 12 and the others are under 3. So we will need a 3 bed.

The LHA was estimated at £155 PW for April which can change, but we can't be sure to get the full ammount. We were estimating based on £100 a week - and that was hoping.

Reading the posts on this forum has made me very scared to rent private when we have low income and three children. It just seems that to step out of the local housing property to the private market is just suicide for us as we seriously cant save these huge sums of money we will need to find every 6 months.

We simply want to be closer to family, and the realisation that it isnt going to happen unless we chunk out huge sums of money is gutting. Private renting does not seems secure at all based on looking at others problems on this forum.

If you are lucky enough to have a council place somewhere decent I would hold onto it, and try and look at buying it.

Most landlords will treat you like a normal tenant after the six months are up if there havent been any problems. They cant actually make you pay another lump sum as the tenancy reverts to rolling monthly. They might give you notice of course.

Private renting isnt very secure, but then again nothing really is unless you own outright.

Morglin

I would stay in LA housing - you have a secure tenancy there, regardless of whether you are working or not, which you won't have in private housing.

Have you tried an exchange?

http://www.homeswapper.co.uk/

http://www.council-exchange.org.uk/

Lin