Help with renting from council

Okydoky25

Not sure if it's still the same now but I had to be on the housing register to apply for any shared ownership properties. I was on the list 4 years before I got to purchase my SO flat.

jimjames

How much are flatshare or renting a room in a shared house?

For most people that would be their first place if they can't afford to rent a place on their own. I shared houses for 5 years, not always the best but it gives you the ability to live on your own means.

Mrs_Imp

Chris_1 wrote: »

If I was an unemployed drug addict with a long criminal record I would be top priority.

Not down here you wouldn't. You'd end up living on the streets/carpark/bin store/bushes behind the council offices etc, for a long time, getting what food and clothing handouts you could from local homeless charities. If you were lucky, you'd get a few nights in a shelter. Eventually, after many, many months the Council might find a hostel for you, provided that you agree to enter a drugs programme. If you refuse, then they will consider you as intentionally homeless.

Also, you need to be aware of the following (from the Shelter Website):
'From January 2012, if you are single (without dependents), in private rented housing and aged under 35 you will only be entitled to housing benefit at the same rate as you would get for renting a single room in a shared house.'

Which essentially means that even if you go to the Council, and are banded high enough to get housed, you'd only get offered a room anyway.

If you chose to house share, then you can pick your housemates. You might not be so lucky if you get housed by the Council.

Your choices are:
stay at home until you get a better paid job
house share
wait for an eternity on the Council list and get housed in shared accommodation (although the government is considering scrapping HB for under 25s anyway)
find somewhere you can afford

That is the reality.

BigAunty

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

...

Also, you need to be aware of the following (from the Shelter Website):
'From January 2012, if you are single (without dependents), in private rented housing and aged under 35 you will only be entitled to housing benefit at the same rate as you would get for renting a single room in a shared house.'

Which essentially means that even if you go to the Council, and are banded high enough to get housed, you'd only get offered a room anyway.

If you chose to house share, then you can pick your housemates. You might not be so lucky if you get housed by the Council.

...

Shared property rate for private housing for the under 35s (they can still live in their own self contained place but have to pay any extra rent above their Local Housing Allowance rate themselves).

This doesn't apply in the social housing sector where those under 35 will get a 1 bedroom council or housing association place if they are allocated social housing.

Matt1977

Chris, by all means join the housing options scheme and bid on flats but don't hold your breath. I'm doing this as a single guy with no dependants, living in a private rented flat but I am in a 'low need' band.

casualwalks

Chris_1 wrote: »

Listen i dont know where you get off trying to make out like i am out looking for a handout!!! I work and pay taxes i have no sense of entitlement as you say... I am simply looking for a home for myself which i will be paying for. My expectations are unrealistic???? What?? wanting a home??? Yeah really unrealistic If i go out and get someone pregnant or get a drug habit and get arrested and be a general drain to society, no doubt i will get a social worker and moved into a flat in no time!!!

I think it is unrealistic to expect to have your own flat at 24. None of my 10 closest friends had their own flat at 24 (nor did we expect to). We all lived in shared accommodation.

I'm a social worker, I work with those in priority need for housing, and I highly doubt you would want to trade their circumstances for yours just for a flat (nor would you likely want to live in a great deal of the accommodation offered).

I agree you need a place to live, I just don't agree you need your own place. It takes time and savings and career progression to get to a place in life where you can afford to live on your own. Adulthood is about compromise and not always getting what we want when we want it.

I understand you are frustrated but you are young, sharing can be great fun and character building. Give it a go you might be pleasantly surprised.

Frogfish

OP unfortunately you do have a sense of entitlement. You are explicitly stating that you cannot afford the home you want, and are considering being pretend-thrown out of your current home - for what? So you can, perhaps, take the place in the queue ahead of someone who genuinely has been made homeless?

This is not about what you want. It's about what you can afford, and about what is available to you. I moved out of my parents' home, at about your age. I found it completely unaffordable, and me and my partner ended up living with family till we had passed thirty. This did, however, allow us to save up enough money so we could buy a place of our own. Peace and privacy assured, just a few years of sacrifice needed to get it.

Times have changed. I know people in the past who got pretend-thrown out and immediately got places. The housing stock just isn't there now.

I wish you luck, but you are effectively asking for other people to subsidise something that you'd quite like, rather than something that you need, and haven't exactly built a case for why you think you deserve preferential treatment. Go for a house share, make some friends and get out in the world. Who knows where it might lead?

Werdnal

In my experience, getting yourself "thrown out" to be made homeless, means you will be put in temporary emergency accommodation. My friend and her 2 girls went through this, having been made homeless through a relationship breakdown and not being able to continue to afford her rent and its not a pretty.

Basically a 1 room B&B type arrangement, with shared kitchen and bathroom. Horrible place, people coming and going at all hours, banging doors. Her youngest was only 3 at the time, and would not go in the bathroom because it was smelly and other people's poo was in the toilet. The kitchen was very basic, and they ended up living on chips, crisps and sandwiches, as it was easier than joining the queue to cook something! They went through hell for 8 weeks, until (as they were a family and therefore prioritized over single, working 20'something like you), they were offered a place, which they took and have been settled now for several years.

If it is anything like our HAs, even if you do get on the urgent list, you will not be offered a choice where they put you. You will only get offered 1 bed studios/flats, and they could be anywhere - not where you want to be, leaving you with a long commute to work or friends/family etc. You will only get 3 choices, and if you turn your nose up at them, you will be off the list again! Also, sorry to sound judgemental, but I wouldn't want to live in an HA block, as there any often undesirable characters, some re-located through anti-social behaviour issues, etc.

Why not see what is around in the way of a rent-a-room or flat share? You will then be able to choose (within reason) where you live, who you share with. You can also move on again if things don't suit you, whereas a HA property will be allocated to you and you may find it very difficult to relocate if you find its not working out.

squinty

Werdnal wrote: »

In my experience, getting yourself "thrown out" to be made homeless, means you will be put in temporary emergency accommodation. My friend and her 2 girls went through this, having been made homeless through a relationship breakdown and not being able to continue to afford her rent and its not a pretty.

That is because your friend was in a priority need group - where the Council had a legal responsibilty to assist.

The OP however is a single person with no priority need. The Council would have no obligation to help.

Having said this, there is no harm in the OP putting thier name on the Council waiting list - sometimes is a HA or the Council develop a low cost home ownership scheme, or affordable rent scheme or similar they with ask people on the waiting list first.

Flibseyl wrote: »

1. get your mum to officially throw you out. some parents refuse to do this, but some realise that it's only on paper and they they're not going to be judged for not loving their child

Terrible advice, and would not help at all

Caz3121

Take control
In my area a single person with no dependents can easily be on the housing list for 10 years before anything comes up that they are entitled to
If you go down the homeless route and turn up needing housed you will likely end up in a hostel or a B&B or other temporary accommodation
Private lets are higher than LA rents which is why people do not want to give up their LA properties. The ones that may be available could be in undesirable areas
Far better to have some control over your life and finding a flat share or take a second job if you feel you have to have a studio/one bed