Trying to move - stuck!

smj43

I am trying to find a place to rent for my partner and I and our baby daughter. Every time I try to get somewhere there is always something stopping us. We currently live in an overcrowded 3 bed flat, sharing with her parents and brother. It's getting increasingly more difficult to live here as the baby is getting bigger and we have the smallest room for all 3 of us.

I only earn 14k a year and no EA will let me rent a property from them. I live in London, so the rent is quite high, which I clearly can't afford without LHA. None of the EA's I have asked will accept LHA. I have been told by more than one agent that I should be earning around 35-40k to be able to rent. I went to the council, they gave me a list of EA's that will accept LHA, but none of them had any suitable properties. We have thought about joining the housing needs list, but have been told we will probably be scored quite low for need and therefore will need to wait a long time to get housed.

There seems to only be one option which is to save 6 months rent in advance. According to the EA, this is the only way I can rent with such a low income. 6 months rent + security deposit is around £9000 in total. That's going to take a long time to save. What can I do?

hazyjo

Does your partner not work? Any income there? Are you entitled to any benefits? Can't really see how three of you could possibly afford to live in London on that single salary of £14k. Any chance of looking for something better paid or retraining?

Jx

smj43

My partner doesn't work at the moment, she looks after the baby at the moment (she is only 5 months old). We get Child Benefit and Working/Child Tax Credit. As soon as something better paid comes up, I will go for it. But that is easier said than done. I am working towards a promotion at work which would increase my salary by quite a bit. But all of that doesn't help me now, we need to move asap.

jenhug

get another part time job and save like a loon? bar work, supermarket work are all options.

hazyjo

Could you transfer to another part of the country? Or maybe job-hunt in an area where £14k goes further? Renting would be much cheaper elsewhere. It's probably less than a third of the average wage in London for one person, let alone three...

Jx

poppysarah

smj43 wrote: »

I only earn 14k a year and I live in London,

Think about moving to a cheaper part of the country where you will have a better quality of life.

smj43

I can't move. I could consider the cheaper areas of London or very close by, but I can't leave London. All our family and friends are here and my job.

pmlindyloo

Sorry to hear of your problems.

Does your Local authority run a rent/bond deposit scheme which you could apply for?

Would any EA accept you if you had a guarantor?

Have you a family member who would be willing to act as guarantor?

Have you a family member who would lend you the money and you pay them back each month (set up a DD).