Feeling Worried

spooney7

Hi everyone 😊

It's been a very long time since I've been on here, but I'd really appreciate some advice. Me and my partner live together in a rented housing association property which I guess you could say we sublet from a friend. They wanted to move in with their partner, but was concerned that if anything went wrong, they could end up homeless.

Therefore we moved in, and are classed as lodgers by the HA. We'll be paying full rent and bills, although we only have access to 1 of the 2 bedrooms as the other is filled with the tenants stuff.

The thing is, my partner's work hours keep getting cut (he's basically got a zero hour contract and is working about 12 hours a week right now), and he can't look for full time work because he works during the day trying to get his business up and running. According to EntitledTo, we're not entitled to any benefits whatsoever because I'm on a probationary full time contract at a minimum wage job, and we have no kids.

I just worry that if his hours reduce any further, or if God forbid I need a sick day at some point, we're not gonna stay afloat. We're not on the tenancy agreement, so although we've been told we'll be rehoused if there are any problems, we don't exactly have a lot of rights.

Any suggestions?

Pixie5740

I'm slightly confused about your housing situation. Do you live in the same property as your LL? The friend that is named on the tenancy agreement?

spooney7

As far as the housing association is concerned, we're roommates rather than landlord and tenants- that's a private arrangement between us. She lives with her partner but keeps her tenancy, we live in the house and pay as if we were the sole tenants.

Pixie5740

So in other words you don't live with your landlord as your landlord lives elsewhere. This makes you sub-tenants, not lodgers and also means your friend is probably illegally sub-letting an HA property.

Tixy

How long has OH been working on building his business up?

I guess he needs to have a think about how soon that can become a profitable business and how much he will be able to earn from it, and consider whether that is a realistic option for him to pursue, or whether he would be better off looking for other full time work, and then building up the business in his spare time.

Or for him to look for other part time work which has some guaranteed hours.

Ideally you need to build up a small emergency fund in case your housing situation changes at short notice (or if you have any time off sick).
Do you finances allow you to put aside any savings at the moment? if not then have you been through all your outgoings and looked to see what you could trim/get cheaper elsewhere etc?

I'd also be considering your housing situation and considering looking to rent somewhere in your own name, if you do then it presumably wouldn't cost you anymore if you are paying all the rent and bills, and would give you better security (although on the flip side if you fell in to rent arrears then you would be liable to the landlord, whereas at the moment you are only liable to your friend).

andyfromotley

Hi spooney,

your partner has got this the wrong way around, you fit in new businesses around your full time job until they become profitable and then fit your part time job around your business until the business becomes profitable enough to be his sole source of income. If this is impossible then he must get other employment.

I have no comment to make about your housing arrangement other than if you get caught sub letting you could be out on your ear pretty sharpish!

spooney7

Thanks for the replies 😊

Obviously the situation is less than ideal. We agreed to move in on the basis that she would split the week between the house and her partner, so all the finances would be split too and we would be on the tenancy agreement. Then it changed to us living there alone and on the tenancy agreement. And now we're in limbo coz we can't really afford to move out 😞