Having problems downsizing.

oliveoil99

eadieb wrote: »

You could ask your council for an application form for a discretionary housing benefit payment. The individual local councils have their own rules for who they give these to and you usually have to provide an income and expenditure breakdown and explain why you are in a property which is too big for you but it is worth a try. At best, they agree to make an extra payment for a limited period of time until you find somewhere else. not sure if your local discretionary budget is close to being spent but sometimes its worth holding off till april when the departments get their new budget.

I would support the advice about your local housing lettings system. their will be somewhere on their system that details their lengthy policy document. In our area you get a 'banding' according to your need and then the winner of a property is the person with the highest banding and longest date. Double check what banding you are and why and double check that they are using the correct date, and that you are using the correct bidding reference number. I spend a lot of time in my job helping people appeal their bandings and sorting out simple mess ups in the system which are causing problems for people getting the best chance of bidding. In our local system, the people who get the highest banding have to show that their current home is causing a high risk to their health, physical or mental, or they are downsizing in a social housing property, escaping violence, or the condition of their current property is deemed to have cat 1 hazards by housing standards. However, our local council has just voted to bring in an extra boost up the banding, if the applicants do voluntary work or are employed! In our area there are plenty of 'over 50's' self contained flats being advertised, and these seem to be easier to win than the family homes. Also properties in more rural areas tend to have fewer bidders. You could also contact your local council and find out if there are separate lists operated by the local housing associations or council for 'Sheltered housing'. These are frequently one bed properties in flats with a warden on site during office hours. they are not care homes and mostly take people from age 55/60 up. They are usually let to people lower down in the bandings.

As regards to private renting in shared properties, in our area, the places that accept housing benefit and no deposit, are usually the last resort of the desperate. they are frequently run down, in disrepair, with many transient, vulnerable people living in them. cleaning of communal areas doesn't happen. leaving the main entrance front door open all the time for constant visitors does. Plenty of noise nuisance and drug dealing. If you are considering a shared property then spend some time researching the area it is in. Ask in the local shop about the reputation of the road. find out how long the people in the house have lived there. Does the house have a high turn over, does it have any rules for living there? How do the residents pay bills, what is included in the rent? sometimes residents of these places are forced to buy expensive electricity credits from the private landlord and the saving on the rent might not be so great. I am afraid that due to my job and the area I work in, I have a negative view of the many private rented shared properties that people are now forced to live in. I would ask about how many of these type of properties your prospective landlord owns and perhaps pop into your local council housing advice department and find out if they are aware of that landlord.

I have had the DHP twice 2 lots of 6 months the first one £20 a week the second lot £15, I was told in no certain terms not to apply again as they had helped me for a year and I should of found suitable accommodation in that time. You have certainly given me alot to think about in your post and will take heed in what you say. Maybe the time has come to accept what might not be ideal and have to at least give it a go it's the only chance I have been given.

SandraScarlett

oliveoil99 wrote: »

I have had the DHP twice 2 lots of 6 months the first one £20 a week the second lot £15, I was told in no certain terms not to apply again as they had helped me for a year and I should of found suitable accommodation in that time. You have certainly given me alot to think about in your post and will take heed in what you say. Maybe the time has come to accept what might not be ideal and have to at least give it a go it's the only chance I have been given.

I am probably talking nonsense, but are you not able to get Pension Credit at 60? And I would write requesting a pension forecast, I used to do this annually before I retired. And lastly, could you not look for a part-time job for a few hours a week, which may not pay the earth, but would enable you to live in an area and accommodation that you love.

xx

Dunroamin

SandraScarlett wrote: »

I am probably talking nonsense, but are you not able to get Pension Credit at 60? And I would write requesting a pension forecast, I used to do this annually before I retired. And lastly, could you not look for a part-time job for a few hours a week, which may not pay the earth, but would enable you to live in an area and accommodation that you love.

xx

The age limit for PC is set at the age limit for a woman to claim her state pension so it's well over 60 now and rising.

On an earlier thread the OP was very negative about any suggestion of her working.

esmy

Oliveoil, I remembered your previous thread and that you live in Bradford.
Just had a quick look on Rightmove and several 1 bed properties state they will accept DSS, all over the city. You can do a search within the rent you can afford (I just looked at £350 and under). Might not be in the areas you'd like to be but worth a look.

Would you have a deposit to come back from your current landlord and can he give you a reference? Could you son/daughter be a guarantor for your rent?

lighting_up_the_chalice

I had no idea it was Bradford. There is PLENTY of low demand social housing suitable for a single occupier in Bradford. Just glancing through their recent lets shows......

http://www.openmoveshomes.co.uk/Data/ASPPages/1/56.aspx?LettingCycleID=630784

2 x 1 bed flats attracting only 1 bid each (8 Howden Close, Bradford, BD4 0QD went to a bidder in the lowest band who had been on the waiting list for just 2 weeks)

http://www.openmoveshomes.co.uk/Data/ASPPages/1/56.aspx?LettingCycleID=630785

2 x 1 bed flats, both attracting fewer than 5 bids and both allocated to bidders in the lowest band who had been waiting less than 1 year.

http://www.openmoveshomes.co.uk/Data/ASPPages/1/56.aspx?LettingCycleID=630786

Again, 2 x 1 bed flats with fewer that 6 bids each. 28 Otterburn close, Bradford, BD5 0RD attracted just 2 bids and went to a bidder in the lowest band waiting 2 months.

http://www.openmoveshomes.co.uk/Data/ASPPages/1/56.aspx?LettingCycleID=630787

Same story.

http://www.openmoveshomes.co.uk/Data/ASPPages/1/56.aspx?LettingCycleID=630789

Same story

And before anyone tells me that they must be rough, just have a look on Google Earth.

There are 14 x 1 bed flats suitable for your age on this weeks cycle alone.

I think the solution to your problem is a very simple one. You just need to do it.

esmy

lighting_up_the_chalice wrote: »

I had no idea it was Bradford. There is PLENTY of low demand social housing suitable for a single occupier in Bradford.

I'd no idea that it was possible for so few bids to be made on any property! Some of these are definitely not in rough areas.

So it seems the OP has some options other than shared accommodation...

CKhalvashi

Angelic wrote: »

I didn't know that. I looked up Age UK last year as I wanted advice on behalf of my mum and their site stated that they helped people aged 50 plus.
Maybe it depends on the area

Is 50 really that old anyway? I have no plans to retire before I'm about 60.

Bradford has a large number of properties, so it's a case of getting in and doing it.

CK

MissPiggy50

lighting_up_the_chalice wrote: »

I had no idea it was Bradford. There is PLENTY of low demand social housing suitable for a single occupier in Bradford. Just glancing through their recent lets shows......

http://www.openmoveshomes.co.uk/Data/ASPPages/1/56.aspx?LettingCycleID=630784

2 x 1 bed flats attracting only 1 bid each (8 Howden Close, Bradford, BD4 0QD went to a bidder in the lowest band who had been on the waiting list for just 2 weeks)

http://www.openmoveshomes.co.uk/Data/ASPPages/1/56.aspx?LettingCycleID=630785

2 x 1 bed flats, both attracting fewer than 5 bids and both allocated to bidders in the lowest band who had been waiting less than 1 year.

http://www.openmoveshomes.co.uk/Data/ASPPages/1/56.aspx?LettingCycleID=630786

Again, 2 x 1 bed flats with fewer that 6 bids each. 28 Otterburn close, Bradford, BD5 0RD attracted just 2 bids and went to a bidder in the lowest band waiting 2 months.

http://www.openmoveshomes.co.uk/Data/ASPPages/1/56.aspx?LettingCycleID=630787

Same story.

http://www.openmoveshomes.co.uk/Data/ASPPages/1/56.aspx?LettingCycleID=630789

Same story

And before anyone tells me that they must be rough, just have a look on Google Earth.

There are 14 x 1 bed flats suitable for your age on this weeks cycle alone.

I think the solution to your problem is a very simple one. You just need to do it.

Two crappist areas in bradford, homewood and west bowlin are crime ridden crap holes wiv chavs on everi corner, look it up

sofaspud1234

Here they have one bedroom flats and affordable rent too. It would be sad to see you go into shared accomadation.
http://www.anchor.org.uk/our-services/Servicefinderresults?DisplayResult=true&Location=bradford&SubCat=0

lighting_up_the_chalice

MissPiggy50 wrote: »

Two crappist areas in bradford, homewood and west bowlin are crime ridden crap holes wiv chavs on everi corner, look it up

What about Thornton then? A 1 bed flat there went to a non priority bidder on the list since June this year.

Or Shipley? 1 bed flat, non priority bidder, on the list less than 18 months.

Or Little Horton? 1 bed flat, non priority bidder, on the list for just 2 years.

Or Keighley? 1 bed flat, non priority bidder, on the list for just 2 years.

And so on, and so on. I'm only looking at the flats that were allocated to non-priority applicants. As soon as you factor ANY priority in, even more are allocated. Hardly a social housing desert, is it?