housing benefit, family of 5 are we entitled to a 3 bedroom please?

theshadow

we are with a council which is passing all homes to a housing association very soon so still kinda council home i guess at the moment but we want a decent place so our kids can have fun and play safe ..well anything better than where we live at the moment

and private is a BIG option as council house u always in bad areas

baza52

private is good untill you find you have to move a year later. How will your kids feel if they cant call anywhere home?

Anubis_2

I have been in a private house for 15 years, I have been lucky. The Landlord sold but we were allowed to stay. The benefit of being in council and housing association is that you are exempt from the LHA rules, so think carefully. Make sure you get a long term let when looking for a house as some stipulate short term. It is also hard to find ones that accept LHA/HB tenants now, and it is only going to be even harder with the new LHA rules as Landlords will be scared they are not going to get their money.

I really need low level housing (bungalow) as I am stuck to a life upstairs in a 10 ft x 9 ft room (I call it my prison cell) but as things are the risk of moving is too great - I am trying to stick it out here as long as I can. Can you not apply for another council house based on overcrowding? What social housing schemes are in your area? I know in my area, social housing has now to be "bidded" on which means you don't get a house you don't want to live in - as you only bid on those you like. You would be entitled to apply to whatever scheme is available in your area and would be relatively in a good place on the list due to your current over crowding conditions.

DX2

dcems wrote: »

Of course its about whether you have 3 children,as well as the ages.

If you have a daughter aged 16 and a daughter aged 7 you will qualify for a 3 bed rate as the rules state seperate bedrooms same sex up to the age 15 or over.

So as I said already and as you have just stated yourself nothing to do with three children after all. It's about gender and age.

viktory

theshadow wrote: »

we are with a council which is passing all homes to a housing association very soon so still kinda council home i guess at the moment but we want a decent place so our kids can have fun and play safe ..well anything better than where we live at the moment

and private is a BIG option as council house u always in bad areas

Why not look to a mutual exchange? You have to consider how you are going to be able to afford the rent on a private rental when you are off benefits. They are very expensive. Plus, with kids, there is a the very real risk of damage being done to the property that you will have to pay for. Added to this is the fact that you may be very unsettled, having to move often (can you afford to move perhaps once a year or so?). What will happen when the kids are settled in school and you're given notice to quite? In some private rentals you'll be unable to decorate.

You'd be completely mad to give up a secure tenancy for an insecure one and I would wager that you'll be bitterly regretting it in a year. Once you give up that tenancy there is no way back. Remember that.

Anubis_2

I don't know why it is deemed you have to move each year in private rented property? If you get a long term tenancy this is not the case at all!

Even if you do have to move for whatever reason, you then go back to council or housing association, and if your landlord is selling, you will go to the top of the list, staying in the area your kids go to school in - so what is the issue?

I know a few who rent privately, not one of them has had to move - too much scaremongering regarding privately rented!

See what scheme is in your area for social housing, as I said, a lot of properties you can bid for now. Mutual exchange can take months and a lot of the time people drop out. If you are in a bad area like you state, you won't get any offers either.

crystaltipps

I gave up council for private rent 8 years ago. It was easily the best decision I have made. I too was in a terrible area, with awful neighbours who stole from us then smashed our windows when we dared to phone the police (who were less than useless anyway).

Not only was the increase in rent easily worth every penny but I moved a 2 minute walk from my daughters school (instead of a 45 minute round trip walk for me to drop them off and return home) because there was no way I was going to send them to my local lions den of a school. I was closer to work. I gained an extra bedroom so the girls didn't need to share. All for £80 a month extra.

My landlord/his agent were ecstatic when I stressed I wanted a long let. Less hassle for them. I can decorate. I wasn't on HB for a long time, to be fair, but when I decided to return to study and found out I could get some, my landlord was made up for me as he said it was excellent I was improving my prospects. My rent has increased twice in 8 years - and by minimal amounts. He was also apologetic about it!

OP, for every tale of woe and misery, eviction and moving from the private rental sector, you will find another like me. Only you know if it is the right decision for your family.

Very best of luck.

mazy_m

Sorry to jump in on this but I just wanted to check something...my friend lives in a one bedroom council flat it's tiny............like teeny tiny...and there is her, her fiance and 2 children one is 7 soon and the other is 18 months soon....are they classed as overcrowed as the council don't seem to think so?

Cheers
Maz

DX2

mazy_m wrote: »

Sorry to jump in on this but I just wanted to check something...my friend lives in a one bedroom council flat it's tiny............like teeny tiny...and there is her, her fiance and 2 children one is 7 soon and the other is 18 months soon....are they classed as overcrowed as the council don't seem to think so?

Cheers
Maz

Of course they are overcrowded. Where are the children meant to sleep in a one bed place?

bestpud

Anubis wrote: »

Even if you do have to move for whatever reason, you then go back to council or housing association, and if your landlord is selling, you will go to the top of the list, staying in the area your kids go to school in - so what is the issue?

While they may be lucky and get a LL who will rent long term, they may as well kiss goodbye to ever being given a council property again!

That is seriously misleading - it is nowhere near that simple for anyone, let alone those who gave up a secure tenancy to move into that private rent!!

OP - it's your choice. Some are lucky and get a long-term tenancy with a good LL, but it is not as secure as a local authority tenancy, by any stretch of the imagination.

I know families driven to despair by having to move several times in a few years, as the LL has needed them out. All due to misfortune rather than anything they or the LLs had done.

Also, don't forget you are not in a strong position being LHA tenants and many LLs won't take you at all. And pets are often not allowed, or if they are in one tenancy, they may not be in the next you go on to.

I really would consider this very carefully. I know it all seems ideal now that you are on benefits, including family related ones that don't last forever, and want a better area etc, but it may well be something you bitterly regret in the future.