impossible to find a home when on housing benefits
7 replies
37.7K views

88 posts
Its virtually impossible for my daughter to find a home that is paid for by housing benefit.
There is just 1 that is available in a different town to where she wanted. Its a flat and its a dump. Every room is full of mould and damp. It smells of cigarrette smoke in the foyer. The kitchen is very tired and basic.
She has 2 children under 3. She is thinking of taking this property as she is desperate now. The agent said it would be sorted before she took it on. But im not so sure it will probably just be cleaned and the damp will just come back.
Its so frustrating that most landlords and agents think that people on benefits are dirty scumbags and they look down their noses at them. I feel like writing to the newspapers or watchdog ITS NOT FAIR!
The agents tell us its to do with the insurance companies. Apparently the premiums double if someone is renting thats on Hb i really dont understand why or is that just an excuse???
There is just 1 that is available in a different town to where she wanted. Its a flat and its a dump. Every room is full of mould and damp. It smells of cigarrette smoke in the foyer. The kitchen is very tired and basic.
She has 2 children under 3. She is thinking of taking this property as she is desperate now. The agent said it would be sorted before she took it on. But im not so sure it will probably just be cleaned and the damp will just come back.
Its so frustrating that most landlords and agents think that people on benefits are dirty scumbags and they look down their noses at them. I feel like writing to the newspapers or watchdog ITS NOT FAIR!
The agents tell us its to do with the insurance companies. Apparently the premiums double if someone is renting thats on Hb i really dont understand why or is that just an excuse???
0
This discussion has been closed.
Quick links
Essential Money | Who & Where are you? | Work & Benefits | Household and travel | Shopping & Freebies | About MSE | The MoneySavers Arms | Covid-19 & Coronavirus Support
Replies
Where abouts are you? I didn't realise there was such a problem. The best thing to do is to make a fuss at/with the council - the squeaky wheel gets the oil. With 2 kids very young I can imagine she would be a relatively high priority especially if she starts making a fuss.
Good luck!
We are in cambridgeshire
The kitchen is "tired and basic"? Well, yes - housing benefit isn't enough to pay for showroom stuff.
"Every room is full of mould and damp" is indeed a problem. How severe a problem it is depends on how the mould and damp was caused. If it's "previous tenants dried washing everywhere and never turned the heating on", then an application of bleach might be a permanent fix. If it's something else, not so much.
But I think the real problem is that you can't find anywhere in the town you want to live in. Where are you looking? Sometimes you find that the agents with glossy brochures and a large internet presence aren't the agents with the cheaper properties.
As others have already said, your daughter has to distinguish between those features that make the property not particularly attractive and outright disrepair. I would advise her not take a property until items of disrepair are fixed - her negotiating power is much less once she is a tenant. Disrepair would include damp and any other features that could affect the safety or health of the family.
Your local authority housing dept should be able to give your daughter the names of agents who should have properties suitable for tenants on HB as part of their homelessness service.
I am an official representative of CAB. MSE has given permission for me to post in response to questions on the CAB Board. You can see my name on the companies with permission to post list. If you believe I’ve broken any rules please report my post to [email protected] as usual"