B&B, Social Housing, possessions

sacapuntas

I think I might be made homeless when my tenancy is up. I am a single parent with two young children. I'm on the social housing register although as I'm not currently homeless, I'm on one of the lower bands. I understand that imminent homelessness and homelessness bump you up to the highest band, but that houses aren't amply available and that B&Bs are often offered as temporary accommodation.

My question is this: what do you do with all of your things when you're in a B&B? For example, I have a bed, sofa, chairs, 2 kids' beds, kitchen table, toys, all the sort of thing you'd expect to find in an average home. What would I do with these things while in temporary accommodation? There aren't any self-storage places in my area and I doubt I could afford them and someone to move my things into one anyway. So what happens in that situation? I don't have family in the area or anywhere I could store them and selling everything I own only to have to re-buy it all when I was offered a house obviously isn't a viable option. So what would happen?

(Background-- I am on benefits and have no one that could act as a guarantor, so I'm completely limited to private landlords, no estate agents, when looking for a place to rent. They're few and far between in my area so if I am served notice for the end of this tenancy, I'm screwed.)

Edited to add: if it comes to it, I will be able to draw out the moving out process as my deposit was never protected and I'm aware of being able to stay until everything has been issued, including court orders, but that still leaves the problem of all our stuff if a B&B becomes the only option!

lighting_up_the_chalice

Go and talk to your Council (or whoever provides the statutory homeless service in your area). They should be able to assist you with both information regarding homelessness, priority etc and may be able to help you to avoid it. The sooner you act, the sooner they can.

The shelter website is also a good source of information.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/homelessness

As for your furniture? If they are going to take a homeless application, they also have a duty to provide furniture storage IF NEEDED.

richardw

Do you want to stay where you are if offerred a new tenancy?

sacapuntas

I was faced with a similar position at the end of last year when my husband and I separated and the council wouldn't have anything to do with me until I was actually being made homeless. I called 4 weeks before I thought it was going to happen for advice and help and they told me I had to wait until it was happening. Luckily, a few days later I stumbled upon a place, where I'm now living, but I doubt I'll be that lucky twice.

pmlindyloo

To answer your question about what to do with your possessions I found this on the Tower Hamlets website:

http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgsl/101-150/112_homelessness_advice_and_su.aspx

If you scroll down, about halfway, there is a PDF about storage of your possessions which this council provides. There is a charge but at a reduced rate if you are on benefits.

Perhaps your local council has a similar system?

sacapuntas

richardw wrote: »

Do you want to stay where you are if offerred a new tenancy?

A charity may offer some kind of reduced price storage for the bulky things.

I absolutely want to stay and I told the landlord from the start that I wanted to be a long-term tenant. She also said that's what she wanted, but the week before I was set to move in, asked to change the tenancy length from 12 months to 6 months. And again today she has mentioned that the "tenancy is only 6 months" so I am getting the strong feeling that she will have the tenancy end then.

sacapuntas

Thank you for the info on the reduced rate storage-- that is a huge relief to hear about! I'll be sure to confirm my council does this or check with the CAB to see if charities in the area do if it all begins to be necessary.

richardw

Perhaps ask her outright that you'd like to renew for a further 6 months.

sacapuntas

I'm definitely going to next time I see her. She's dodging me at the moment because she's supposed to be replacing the oven (which I was lead to believe was working when I moved in, but in fact, was not) and is dragging it out for weeks. The most recent time she brought up the tenancy length was today on the phone when I was trying to tell her that "another few weeks" to find an oven was too long when it's been 2 weeks already. She kind of said it in a threatening manner, so I'm not sure if she was just trying to shut me up or actually plans to get rid of me at the end!

richardw

Perhaps put the oven issue on the back burner and sort the tenancy out with her first.

sacapuntas

I think we're almost at a solution to the oven problem, thankfully, so I should be able to bring it up with her. I'm not a bad tenant (and I certainly haven't been here long enough for her to think so!), but I kind of wonder whether she wants a tenant that's more of a doormat and just doesn't hold the landlord accountable for anything (ie. I've asked for her to have the worker's tools left in the shed removed so I can use it, for the deposit to be protected, for a working oven since I signed the contract on the understanding that there was a working oven, the aerial that had fallen off the chimney to be fixed, and a window handle that wasn't even attached to the window sorted out).