Need some house or flat finding advice here

CrimRain

Hello everyone

Me and a friend of mine would like to find a place together, I'm male an she's female, not actually together just really good friends.

Ideally would prefer somewhere with 2 bedrooms/2 seperate bed, though 1 Bed/room would be fine an something we can work around an both of us haven't the slightest idea how to go about finding something like this, where to go or what to say.

Both of us are on Benefits/DSS on ESA and also both of us are eligible for housing benefit (I claim it for where I live now in shared house), an want to know exactly what are options are an what we should be looking on and where do we go?
Also gotta think about as well, what about say things like deposits? being on Benefits at the moment clearly can't afford that with what prices some people ask for in our area (Devon, UK) so is there essentially any way around that?

I honestly can't stand my landlord at present where I am because he's raised the rent far too high £85pw for a house that isn't up to health standards, as well as he treats some of the others in the shared house like rubbish abusing the "Lodgers have very little rights compared to tenants" ideal, an my friend has too many issues at home an ideally we known each other for many years an trust each other so for peace of mind this would be ideal for us, any help to give us something to go on would be greatly appreciated.

dc197

If you are certain that entering into such a huge commitment with a friend us what you want to do, starting looking on RightMive, register with local estate agents, and talk to a mortgage advisor.
Having done all that, ask yourselves again whether you really want to do this.

Hoploz

How about you pop in to a letting agent and ask what they need to know from new tenants? They'll be able to tell you what their systems are and whether you're likely to qualify. You will of course require a deposit so you'll have to save up for that or get hold of it some other way.

Btw does your LL live in your shared house? What sort of tenancy do you have? Rights as a lodger are indeed different but are you a lodger in a shared house or just a tenant? Best thing to leave if you can if you're not happy anyway.

Detroit

You may have a hard time retaining your single claimant status for benefits of you move into a 1 bed place together. Agencies likely to consider you a couple and you may have trouble convincing them otherwise. You benefits as a couple would be less.

CrimRain

Hello all again.

I'm curious, being on benefits what would purpose of going to a Mortgage advisor be? Both me an my friend are on benefits for the time being an I thought Mortgages were for buying homes at really high prices like 200k? Forgive me I definitely don't know that much if anything about Mortgages.

Yes the LL lives in same house as me and 3 others in a shared house, he's recently put up the rent an extra £15pw claiming in his exact words "I've looked at the market and I am just charging way too cheap" which could not be further from the case at all, the house is pretty much a shambles, my room for example has really thin wallpaper and it's been slightly peeled away since I moved in a year ago with nothing done about it, we also got into an argument once over how apparently the sofa that was in my room when I moved in was creeky an he could hear it every night, and despite the fact that I proved it infront of him that any creaking done was due to the floorboard next to my bed he still went against me just to move the sofa into one of the other guys rooms which the LL gives special treatment towards above the rest of us, due to him being a drinker and heavily angry when drunk he likes to spoil this one rotten to the core, I am not even allowed friends or family around to visit because he doesn't want too much running around or noise he said, yet this angry drinker was allowed his father around for the weekend and listened to them argue till 5am in morning yet LL does or says nothing about him again an the fact it disturbed me an my friend upstairs claiming "oh well it couldn't have been too loud because I didn't hear it" when in fact we know he did because you can hear that guys tv on a average volume from the LL room, the LL even says to me on different occasions I am one of the quietest he's ever had generally as I am light footed an talk quiet so he hardly even knows if I am ever in, as you can see its a big thing why I want to move.

From sounds of it I guess 2 Bedroom would have to be an absolute minimum, that is fine for me and her an more ideal, how would HB work essentially for me an her being in a 2 Bed house or flat? Do we both still get it, or does one of us just get it and if it's just one of us then is the amount any different to what I get now which is currently £70pw?

CrimRain

BumpBumpBump

AnotherJoe

CrimRain wrote: »

Hello all again.

I'm curious, being on benefits what would purpose of going to a Mortgage advisor be? Both me an my friend are on benefits for the time being an I thought Mortgages were for buying homes at really high prices like 200k? Forgive me I definitely don't know that much if anything about Mortgages.

It's the way you phrased it, it sounds as if you are looking to buy a house not rent, especially when you talk about a deposit when I presume you mean the rental deposit.

Hoploz

You might get more answers if you post in the Benefits section of this forum, I think.

[Deleted User]

When you say HB, do you mean local housing allowance?

My understanding is that as 2 people sharing a place, you'd be eligible for the 'shared house' rate only (i.e. £70 each). In most areas, this isn't enough for a 2-bed flat. If you clubbed together with another friend or two, it would probably be easier to find a 4 bed for £280, or a 3 bed for £210 than a 2 bed for £140.

You'd still need a deposit though: do you have any savings? Can anyone lend you money?
You'd also have to convince the landlord of your reliability as a tenant, e.g. references, bank statements showing LHA money in and rent out regular as clockwork.