Receiving Benefits but need to rent new accomodation.

ranchu_2

I've been out of work for a few months now & am starting to panic as the property I'm currently renting is being taken off the market in the New Year. I need to find somewhere new to live but have no savings to be able to afford a deposit, advance rent & fees etc. Do I have any help available to me by the likes of Housing Allowance etc? Maybe I'll get a new job in time but it's really worrying me that I wont & will be out on the street


Many thanks.

stresshead81_2

You need to contact your local council. If you are going to be made homeless then they will help if they have a duty of care whether it be with advice or practical support. I would suggest you do that as soon as is possible so that the help or advice can be put into place as soon as is possible.

Fiver29

Did you pay a deposit on your currently place? Could you borrow off someone on the understanding that they'll get it straight back when you get your original deposit back?

Oldernotwiser

As you'd have to pay a month in advance where you are at the moment and you'll presumably get your deposit back, surely you only need a short term loan to cover the new deposit for a short period?

kennethw_2

stresshead81 wrote: »

You need to contact your local council. If you are going to be made homeless then they will help if they have a duty of care whether it be with advice or practical support. I would suggest you do that as soon as is possible so that the help or advice can be put into place as soon as is possible.

I have faced homelessness myself, and if you do not have children or a long term disability or illness, you will not receive any help from your local council regarding homelessness. I take no pleasure in posting this, but better to know the facts. I joined this forum to get advice, because I cannot currently pay my rent/council tax without benefits, yet the council apparently can rewrite the rules on business income so they don't have to pay part of my claim, which has been assessed by the CAB.

In theory the council do have an obligation, in practice the queue of relationship breakups and teen pregnancies mean as a single fit person you are more likely to be hit by a flying pig than receive practical help with housing

LadyMorticia

kennethw wrote: »

I have faced homelessness myself, and if you do not have children or a long term disability or illness, you will not receive any help from your local council regarding homelessness. I take no pleasure in posting this, but better to know the facts. I joined this forum to get advice, because I cannot currently pay my rent/council tax without benefits, yet the council apparently can rewrite the rules on business income so they don't have to pay part of my claim, which has been assessed by the CAB.

In theory the council do have an obligation, in practice the queue of relationship breakups and teen pregnancies mean as a single fit person you are more likely to be hit by a flying pig than receive practical help with housing

Not necessarily true. I know someone who doesn't have children and isn't ill and their council couldn't do enough to help them.

I've also been homeless, but I was a care leaver and "vulnerable" so the council had a duty to help me.

Yes, it may be rare that councils help those who don't have a disability/children and are homeless but it's not a hard stone fact that they won't.

vee

Hi, it could depend where you live (im in Northern Ireland ), hubby got made redundant and in the same week we were given notice of end of contract for privately rented home, ....went to housing dept, on our uppers, got awarded some points for homelessness , got classed as `full duty, priority, unintentionally homeless, with long term health problems, and 3 kids and hubby out of work`...and STILL cant get a house in our area...We`re being offered the odd temporary accommodation, as they legally have to offer you something if they assess you and class you as homeless, (usually a hostel, but some nice single lets), but to me have been very understanding of our situation, ...on the DOWNSIDE, cos lately theres been loads of them , all they`re offering us, if I phone every day or 2(as was told to do), is too far away for kids going to school (no car).. but, Ive started packing ....dont know what we`l end up doing but it better be soon before I go mad! Anyway, gonna have to take the next reasonable temp accommodation offer cos its affecting us all waiting to hear where and when to go ....I really do think its down to the council and how hard it is to get a place in the area you want to live in and what the reasons are eg any local connections even!..sorry for the ramble,,,hope this helps

dr_who_3

ranchu wrote: »

I've been out of work for a few months now & am starting to panic as the property I'm currently renting is being taken off the market in the New Year. I need to find somewhere new to live but have no savings to be able to afford a deposit, advance rent & fees etc. Do I have any help available to me by the likes of Housing Allowance etc? Maybe I'll get a new job in time but it's really worrying me that I wont & will be out on the street


Many thanks.

If you have been in receipt of benefits for more than 26 weeks you may be eligible for a budgeting loan which could help with a deposit. If you are a single person the maximum you can have at one time is £348.00 and you would have to be in receipt of Income based JSA or ESA, Income Support or Pension Credit.

If you can secure a property and have a tenancy agreement etc you can apply for a Crisis Loan to help with the Rent in Advance. However, a Crisis loan cannot help with the deposit or admin costs.

Some councils have rent deposit schemes or bond schemes whereby they either lend you the money for a deposit or provide a guarantee to a private landlord.

If you are claiming benefits at the moment then the council may also have a list of local private landlords who will accept LHA.

londonbabe73

Approach your local council even if you are a single person the council have a duty to provide you with minimum housing prevention advice so they may refer you to a hostel provider or landlords that don't require a deposit ( usually short term housing association let's or charities )

If they do have a duty ( disabled , children, mental health , etc ) that's where the fun really starts you will be usually placed in b&b accommodation for 6 weeks max if your a family ( legal requirement ) if your a single person you could be there for months depending on the housing list and some of these places are pretty dire . BUT it's a roof over your head and it will certainly movitate you to find something else !!!

And as for permanent housing , due to localism bill coming in the council soon will have no duty to provide the homeless with permanent council accommodation and as long as they find you 'settled accommodation ' ie 12 private let ' they can discharge their duty so unless your out of London your chances of ever being housed permenantly is zero I'm afraid.

Blame buy to let , and tons of selfish council tenants living in properties that are too big for them but refuse to move to smaller places. But hopefully the changed to housing benefits in 2013 will force them into smaller places and free up the larger properties for families waiting in temporary accommodation for literally years .....

And yes I work in a housing department ..... Unfortunately

Good luck !!!

Wee_Willy_Harris

londonbabe73 wrote: »

Blame buy to let , and tons of selfish council tenants living in properties that are too big for them but refuse to move to smaller places. But hopefully the changed to housing benefits in 2013 will force them into smaller places and free up the larger properties for families waiting in temporary accommodation for literally years .....

And yes I work in a housing department ..... Unfortunately

Good luck !!!

That's a rather simplistic argument, particularly from someone with some knowledge of housing.

BigAunty

See if your local council operate a deposit guarantee scheme.

You can't get LHA until you have found a property and this is paid in arrears. Do you have any friends or relatives that could loan you the first months rent (and deposit if you can't get on the deposit guarantee scheme) and you pay them back when you start receiving LHA and get your deposit back from the previous landlord?