Trying to find somewhere to rent on housing benefit

Jessticulate

So, I am living with my Mum at the moment and have been trying in vain to find a landlord who will accept me as a tenant as I am on housing benefit. Plus I have two children and I know that puts some landlords off

I've been doing plenty of research into what I can do to improve my chances, I have someone who will act as a guarantor, I can just about get together three months rent in advance at the moment, and am saving up so if I still haven't found anywhere in a few months I can offer 6 months in advance, I have one good landlord reference, one possible one (but I was only there for a couple of weeks, until my ex chucked me out) and one landlord who won't give me a reference because I annoyed him when I disputed the silly things he was trying to deduct off our deposit at the end of the tenancy.

Is there anything else I can do? It's rather disheartening to be constantly turned down because of the housing benefit

Bella56

My friends in a similar situation had to pay 12 months upfront. ): Have you asked your council if they have any HA's that would take you? Ours have a HA that offers 80% of market rent and of course a better landlord (HA) for fairness.

Jessticulate

Council won't help at all, they just told me I would need to find a private rental and wiped their hands of me pretty much.... Apparently when you get thrown out by your then fiancee you have 'made yourself homeless' and aren't entitled to an awful lot of help.

[Deleted User]

If that is what they said, and that was the only reason you are homeless.., get your MP or councillor involved. You could always call Shelter too. Normally relationship break up is considered a reason for valid homelessness as long as there aren't any rent arrears.

However, they may consider you to be adequately housed, for example, if you have two children in your mothers 3 bed property house (no idea what the arrangement is, just giving an example).

Unfortunately Housing Departments will tell porkies to put off potential tenants because of the shortage of social housing.

Mardle

You could try looking for a Facebook 'Houses to Rent' group for your area. The ones for my area have posts from private landlords willing to take housing benefit claimants.

TWS89

Jessticulate wrote: »

Apparently when you get thrown out by your then fiancee you have 'made yourself homeless' and aren't entitled to an awful lot of help.

When I was thrown out (Twice!!) of the family home, at 17 and 19 (whilst at college with no access to a regular income) I called the council and the lady on the phone literally laughed at me and said I have no hope of getting on a waiting list and that I was "On my own!"

Got my own back when they tried to claim £700+ underpaid council tax from me a few years ago and it actually worked out they owed me £325!! Ha! In your face council!

They are shocking! Try your local paper or ad boards in supermarkets/newsagents!

Hump

Jessticulate wrote: »

Council won't help at all, they just told me I would need to find a private rental and wiped their hands of me pretty much.... Apparently when you get thrown out by your then fiancee you have 'made yourself homeless' and aren't entitled to an awful lot of help.

I think your Council are a bit confused. If you have returned to mum's and resumed residence there then they might argue that you're not homeless especially if mum said something like 'come home and you can stay forever or at least for the foreseeable future'. If returning to mum was only ever a temporary arrangement i.e. for the weekend and that's now stretched to 2-3 months - then they will have to consider the circumstances under which you came to leave your last home with your ex-. If there was violence - actual or threatened - or other domestic abuse such as controlling behaviour, then you can never be said to have made yourself homeless, nor can they say that you are intentionally homeless. It doesn't matter whether it was his property or a joint tenancy. In these circumstances they would have to help you.


Perhaps you should try to arrange a meeting with their 'homeless prevention', 'housing options', 'housing advice' service - take a friend because such interviews can be quite intense.


Why bother? because if they have a change of heart and decide that they have to help you then they might provide access to some of the schemes which they run which will be aimed at helping you secure a new home - such as a rent deposit scheme, landlord incentive scheme or similar, which might just be the extra help you need to get somewhere


Good luck