Urgent help needed regarding housing benefit and possible homelessness

6091833

Hello,

This is a long story but I'll try to keep it as short as I can so if I miss out any details please ask and I will provide them.

I was made redundant in November meaning I'm now unable to pay my rent in full. I'm a single man so my housing benefit entitlement is around £64 per week, which covers around 45% of my monthly rent which is £595.

When I moved into this property I was in full time employment and able to pay the rent myself, but now that I am unemployed I face the realistic prospect of homelessness.

My situation got so bad that on Christmas Eve I attempted to end it all via an overdose. Fortunately I was unsuccessful and I'm now getting the help I need, but my situation is still the same.

I have applied for a discretionary housing payment from the benefits service but they say this could take up to 8 weeks to process. I have received a notice called a "Section 21(1)(b) Housing Act 1988" from my landlord which essentially is an eviction notice.

I have told the benefits service about my mental health problems and that I face eviction but it doesn't seem to spur them into action and I really don't know what else I can do.

If I lose this apartment I've got nowhere else to go and I fear that it's something I'll never recover from in terms of getting another apartment and that I may just end up on the streets.

Is there any other agency I can contact to help me? Or even offer some advice?

I'm seriously at my wits end and I'm scared to death about what's going to happen. Please can someone help me?

Dunroamin

I'm sorry you're having a bad time at the moment but you seem to be in the same situation as you were in August last year and I do wonder whether you should have been looking to move somewhere cheaper before now. I'm afraid that the situation isn't going to change.

XXJULESXX

Really sorry to hear about your situation. I would certainly advise you to contact Shelter and CAB or your local council's homelessness team as soon as possible. Good luck x

6091833

Dunroamin wrote: »

I'm sorry you're having a bad time at the moment but you seem to be in the same situation as you were in August last year and I do wonder whether you should have been looking to move somewhere cheaper before now. I'm afraid that the situation isn't going to change.

You're probably right, however I did find a job that paid very well and enabled me to pay my rent again. Unfortunately it didn't last long so I finished up in the same situation, only worse this time since I've also got rid of the girlfriend.

Even if I had found a cheaper apartment I would still be liable for the remainder of the lease on this one.

I'm pretty naive on things like this and my condition (bipolar) means I often make bad decisions because I think of the best case scenario and not the potential dangers.

XXJULESXX wrote: »

Really sorry to hear about your situation. I would certainly advise you to contact Shelter and CAB or your local council's homelessness team as soon as possible. Good luck x

Thank you, Jules.

Caz3121

Had you been receiving housing benefit before November?
If you had been paying your own rent for the preceding 12 months you should get protection for 13 weeks and get your full rent paid

edit: sorry just read older thread and see you have been claiming in the last year so this would not apply

amcg100

I am not sure why you cannot receive a full housing benefit for your home ( although this will reduce soon if you have extra rooms ) - £595 seems a lot for a single person, I think about £350 - £400 would be acceptable.

benefitbaby

Hi, have your local council actually accepted that you may be homelessness/threatened with homelessness? This may seem like a daft question but some councils do not trigger their duties when they should.

If the council believes that you 'may' be homeless/threatened with homelessness then they are required to provide advice and assistance. If you meet certain criteria then they have a duty to house you see http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/homelessness/homeless_peoples_rights

What are you council doing in relation to your s21 notice? If your answer is 'I don't know' then I urge you (as others have) to contact Shelter for advice.

Dunroamin

amcg100 wrote: »

I am not sure why you cannot receive a full housing benefit for your home ( although this will reduce soon if you have extra rooms ) - £595 seems a lot for a single person, I think about £350 - £400 would be acceptable.

It sounds as if the OP rents in the private sector and is paying rent that's almost double his LHA allowance.

111222

If your being evicted that's it though, whether you pay till the end of lease or not?

If you can't pay you can't pay, check the law on such matters, obviously you will need to move out. As for paying the rest of the rent to the end of the lease I don't know.

Is £64 the maximum you can get can get or was it because you had savings, seems quite low?

As said, Shelter are very helpful, they pretty much know it all.

The council have an obligation to put you up if your homeless.

6091833

Caz3121 wrote: »

Had you been receiving housing benefit before November?
If you had been paying your own rent for the preceding 12 months you should get protection for 13 weeks and get your full rent paid

edit: sorry just read older thread and see you have been claiming in the last year so this would not apply

Yeah I claimed the 13 week entitlement, then found a job, then lost the job.

amcg100 wrote: »

I am not sure why you cannot receive a full housing benefit for your home ( although this will reduce soon if you have extra rooms ) - £595 seems a lot for a single person, I think about £350 - £400 would be acceptable.

I was in a relationship when we moved here and we were both working in what we thought were stable jobs so it didn't seem like a lot of money at the time.

benefitbaby wrote: »

Hi, have your local council actually accepted that you may be homelessness/threatened with homelessness? This may seem like a daft question but some councils do not trigger their duties when they should.

If the council believes that you 'may' be homeless/threatened with homelessness then they are required to provide advice and assistance. If you meet certain criteria then they have a duty to house you see (had to delete the link so it would let me post)

What are you council doing in relation to your s21 notice? If your answer is 'I don't know' then I urge you (as others have) to contact Shelter for advice.

I have called them several times and told them about the section 21 notice and that I might end up homeless and all they say is that they will put a note on the account saying that it's urgent, which doesn't really give me any answers or assure me that I'm being taken seriously.

Thanks for the link, I'll read through it and ring them on Monday.

6091833

Dunroamin wrote: »

It sounds as if the OP rents in the private sector and is paying rent that's almost double his LHA allowance.

Yes.

111222 wrote: »

If your being evicted that's it though, whether you pay till the end of lease or not?

The landlord has told me privately that if I can catch up on the rent and find a job she'll let me stay, because I have always paid on time previously, but if I can't catch up and find a job I'll have to go. It's a private lease and she has a mortgage on the apartment that she pays with my rent money.

If you can't pay you can't pay, check the law on such matters, obviously you will need to move out. As for paying the rest of the rent to the end of the lease I don't know.

Is £64 the maximum you can get can get or was it because you had savings, seems quite low?

It's the shared accommodation rate which means because I'm under 35 and single with no children I'm only entitled to enough benefits to rent a single room within a house or apartment.

As said, Shelter are very helpful, they pretty much know it all.

The council have an obligation to put you up if your homeless.

I actually didn't know this. I may as well ring on Monday to check on the progress of the claim but also to see what my options are if I am evicted. Would it be a hostel?