Benefit Entitlement Help Please??

missmontana

I was about 6 months pregnant when they housed me, I only got a one bed flat as it was only me at the time, at that point in time, I would have had to wait 5.... yes 5 years before they considered moving me to a 2 bed property! Luckily I got an exchange.

You need an eviction notice asap, it is the only thing that will get the process moving with the council. Go in and see if you can make an appointment with someone, they should do this then you can ask all the questions you have.

Sure Start Maternity Grant (I got all my sons stuff with this)

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Expectingorbringingupchildren/DG_10018854

Budgeting Loan

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/On_a_low_income/DG_10018905

PM me if you need to hun

Firefox1975

Remember to inform the authorities if you do get housed and then the father moves in with you afterwards. Just be upfront with them from the start. (You will undoubtably get "advice" from friends which will maximise the benefits you receive depending on every scenario) Don't be tempted by money alone. And good luck, my niece was born a few weeks ago and weighed 10lb! ouch! :-)

BigAunty

The local council is obliged by law to house the homeless, homelessness being defined as having no accommodation in the next 28 days, and where the applicant hasn't intentionally made themselves homeless (by moving out of a property when they did not have to or being evicted for rent arrears).

The Shelter website will clearly explain your rights and their obligations. Pregnant women, I believe, are classed as a priority. Have a good read of the process because some councils are weak at following them and may have to be reminded....

However, some councils have the reputation of 'gate-keeping'. This is where they try to cut down on the demand for their services because it is simply daft and impossible for them to provide accommodation to every tenant who receives a notice from their landlord. Local councils are getting weary of the assumption that some tenants have that they can waltz into social housing if their private landlord serves notice to them, without even bothering to look for a new private tenancy.

So the gate keeping practice that councils use are to tell the tenant to remain in the property until the landlord has got a court order for possession. Basically, they demand that the tenant ignores the notice which forces the landlord to take extra costly and time wasting steps. The landlord cannot ask for a court date until they have served formal notice to quit (not just verbally or a quick letter) which lasts a number of months, then it might take a month or so for the court date, then the judge if they grant the posssession notice, will give the tenant a period of time before they are obliged to leave the property.

The Shelter site says that councils should not do this but I think some still do. Even the local authority ombudsman has issued advice to local councils telling them not to drag out their obligation to house the homeless by telling them to ignore the notice served, if there's a good chance that the court will give notice to the landlord anyway.