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

Oldernotwiser

Anubis wrote: »

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If you moved to privately rented accommodation - for one, you have chose the area, which is going to be a sure bet to be a better area than you already live in - secondly, you have (hopefully) done extensive homework on landlords, lettings, secure tenancies etc for private housing (you can get secure tenancies in private housing) and long term rentals.

All this talk of picking and choosing is just ridiculous; in many cases you'll be jolly lucky to find a private landlord that lets to tenants on benefits.

a change in circumstance such as the landlord selling would mean that you are in desperate need of being rehoused and therefore you would be awarded more points and then given a certain timescale you could go back in social housing (depending on area, local council structures etc)

If you're in private housing and the LL sells the property, you'd be expected to move to another house in the private sector. How could you have a situation where everybody whose LL wants them to leave goes to the top of the housing list; how would that work?


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You make it sound so easy but frequently it isn't.

dcems

Anubis, you are simplifying things.

Even if someone is already in PR and are being evicted, have satsfied all conditions and are accepted as homeless, it doesnt mean you go to the top of the list. Even if approved as homeless, its still all about avaliabilty. if you have 200 other homeless households for example, what makes you think any kind of offer would be quick? Also now, you can be offered private rented or private sector leasing as a reasonable offer,if you refuse duty is discharged. So really, social housing as Ive already said, is in crisis. You are looking at it through rose coloured glasses.

Once you leave social housing-for whatever reason, its harder to get back into it than it was 10 years ago.

I work in social housing dealing with this every day. We already know that with the changes in HB rules ,many people are going to be coming through, and there simply isnt enough housing to go around.

No matter how you put it, its not a simple fact of joing a list and getting a choice anymore. Pretty soon social housing is changing in terms of rent and tenancy types. There will be no such thing as a tenancy for life. Only those,like the OP, who already have a social tenancy,may be in a better position to transfer to another tenancy without these changes affecting them.

So that is why,unless you are completely desperate,nobody should be encouraged to go into private rented from social, as the few pros mentioned are a big price to pay for the fall out you would ultimately pay long term.

Oldernotwiser

Anubis wrote: »

Yes, I am fully aware of that, but you don't tend to get a mix of child molester's, gangs, heavy drug dealers, burned out cars etc in such a small area of the private sector.
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The private sector places that accept tenants on benefits (and are below the threshold for LHA) aren't going to be in the most salubrious areas and most council estates aren't as you describe anyway.

dcems

In my last PR I had to leave as we suffered serious ASB from the neighbours.
Lovely area, all homeowners.Naively I did not expect an issue.

As with anyhting, it only takes a small group of people to ruin it for someone else. You can live on a duff estate with little issues. You can buy a house in a quiet cul de sac only to discover the man across the road served 8 years for rape.

Its not just where you live, it is who lives there.

Anubis_2

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

The private sector places that accept tenants on benefits (and are below the threshold for LHA) aren't going to be in the most salubrious areas and most council estates aren't as you describe anyway.

I must live in a really bad area ( well I know I do) but all council estates in my town and neighbouring towns are that bad.

The house where I live now is just a normal terraced street but is a hundred fold better.

It is not true you would be expected to move into the private sector if the
landlord was selling - you would be entitled to social housing if you were made homeless under those circumstances like anyone else. They are not going to turn around and tell you to live on the streets with your kids until you find another private landlord. (yes, I am aware it takes time!)

Maybe I am not making myself clear so I will simplify:

Privately renting does not exclude you to social housing if the need is there

It takes a long time to get social housing regardless of if you are a council tenant or private tenant ( again, only selective parts of my postings have been
read as people think I am unaware of this, so I will repeat:

It takes a long time to get social housing regardless of if you are a council tenant or private tenant. I never ever once said it would be quick, I do not know where this impression has come from!

There are risks with either tenancy ( with council it tends to be bad areas, with private it can be flakey landlords)

I am fully aware social housing is in crisis, it has been for a LONG time.

But it must be different where I live, a lot of social housing is boarded ( well the use metal on doors and windows) and is not wanted purely because of the area. More tenants here tend to go for private housing.

The comment about hoysing benefit not being accepted by landlords is not true either - well at least not where I live, however, this may get worse if people
are gouing to want social housing because of the new lha rules as you state you are expecting many through.

On the other side of the coin though, if that is true, the private landlords will become more amenable, relaxed and approachable as they are going to lose tenants left right and center. There is always a silver lining in the clouds.

What has not been mentioned either is private tenants do have rights!

pretty soon social housing is changing in terms of rent and tenancy types. There will be no such thing as a tenancy for life.

Therefore, if this is true, there will be no difference then between social housing and private as far as risk of being homeless goes, so there is little
point in continuing this discussion.

From what you say, social housing will be in more demand because of lha rules, but it may be pointless moving for lha rule reasons because the rules are changing for social housing and no one will get a tenancy for lufe, therefore coukd easiky end up in private accommodation anyway, which will be on a more level playing feild and more accessible due to the demand for social housing due to lha rules.

So, as I stated previously, nothing in life is secure, and neither is social housing.

Marisco

Anubis wrote: »

It is not true you would be expected to move into the private sector if the
landlord was selling - you would be entitled to social housing if you were made homeless under those circumstances like anyone else. They are not going to turn around and tell you to live on the streets with your kids until you find another private landlord. (yes, I am aware it takes time!)

You would be entitled to bid on a property along with everyone else, you would not be guaranteed of getting what you want though. If you strike lucky and there is only you bidding, then being homeless, you would go to the top, but if there are many homeless bidding, then it's pot luck! Of course you won't be homeless, they'll put you in B & B until a place becomes available. But I believe (not totally sure) that if you knock back places, for no good reason you'll go to the bottom of the Q.

Oldernotwiser

Anubis wrote: »

It is not true you would be expected to move into the private sector if the
landlord was selling - you would be entitled to social housing if you were made homeless under those circumstances like anyone else. They are not going to turn around and tell you to live on the streets with your kids until you find another private landlord. (yes, I am aware it takes time!) .

You wouldn't be "moving into" the private sector would you, you'd already be in it.

People have to move out of private sector properties on a regular basis and for many reasons. You simply cannot say that they're all homeless and will be given social housing, it just doesn't work like that.

According to your earlier posts, it's really easy to find a good private landlord who offers long term lets so why would anyone be homeless and have to live on the streets if their tenancy wasn't renewed, they'd simply go and find another one.

You can't have it both ways.

Anubis_2

You are misreading my posts, I have stated it takes a Long time AND you have to do EXTENSIVE homework if you want to privately rent! Again only parts of my posts are being read!

Marisco, yes I am fully aware of that fact - I am not stating it is easy, what I am saying is the entitlement would be there, (entitlement is different to actually knowing if you will get a place) which was claimed that it would't be along with other private renting fallacies such as:

If you are made homeless when in the private sector, you would be expected to find another private house ( and therefore not entitled to social housing)

Once you move out of social housing, you are not entitled to it again

If you move to private housing, you will have to move after a year

More besides

NOT once have I told the OP to go private, quite the opposite! Again certain parts of my posts are clearly not being read, but bits picked out to suit......

Just as people seem to be picking me up on that I am incorrect about social housing, there are many incorrect things that have been posted about privately rented.

Anubis_2

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

You wouldn't be "moving into" the private sector would you, you'd already be in it.

People have to move out of private sector properties on a regular basis and for many reasons. You simply cannot say that they're all homeless and will be given social housing, it just doesn't work like that.

According to your earlier posts, it's really easy to find a good private landlord who offers long term lets so why would anyone be homeless and have to live on the streets if their tenancy wasn't renewed, they'd simply go and find another one.

You can't have it both ways.

NEVER have I said it is easy! I have said it takes a long time and extensive homework MANY times - please re-read - it is hard for EVERY TENANT!

I am no longer responding to this thread as my posts are being misconstrued, bits picked out to fit the purpose of argument, and are not even being read properly!

dcems

Thats probably for the best Anubis, Im finding it exhausting to be honest.