On HB and struggling to find a home

rainbowfootprints

I am feeling rather anxious and could do with some advice. Thanks in advance.

I rent a 3 bed house with my two daughters (17 and 12), and was given 2 months notice to vacate as, I found out upon enquiry, the landlord has had an 'unfortunate change of circumstances'. While I feel for them I am also upset as we only moved here 10 months ago and made it clear that we wanted a home for at least the next 7 years.

Anyway, I know nothing is guaranteed so have rolled up my sleeves and started the process of looking again.

The problem is that, as a single parent in a (full time) low-income job, I am in receipt of some housing benefit. I have rented since i was 18 and NEVER missed a payment, have a guarantor, and have always cared for the properties i have lived in. After a month of looking someone has finally told me that many landlords now have a clause in their mortgage agreement that prevents them renting to people on HB.

Now i'm terrified! I have a month before we have to vacate our house, i'm working full time in a stressful job, my daughter is halfway through her A levels, and I am so scared we are not going to find anywhere to live.
On Friday i spoke to an agent who said that NONE of their 2,3 or 4 bed houses accepted HB.

On Monday I plan to call all the other agents and see if they have anything. I'll also call the council for advice.

Does anyone have any other thoughts or suggestions? I would really appreciate any advice you're able to offer.

HappyMJ

Don't mention the small amount of housing benefit you get.

As long as your monthly income is 2.5 times the monthly rent you do not need to have housing benefit to pay the rent.

You can still apply for housing benefit once you've got the property and there is nothing the landlord can do about it. The landlord will not know you've applied for housing benefit and if they do find out they can't terminate the tenancy for 6 months and as long as you continue to pay the rent on time each month they won't go to the expense of terminating the tenancy and finding a new tenant.

For example I rent a 2 bedroom flat for £475 per month. As long as I earn £1,187.50 per month which is just a few pounds below national living wage of £1,248 per month (40 hours a week) and just above £1,170 (37.5 hours a week) then although with one child I would be eligible for some housing benefit it doesn't matter as income covers the rent.

Pixie5740

You don't have to leave by the date give on your Section 21 notice...it does not end your tenancy, that can only be done by you (the tenant) or a court. So if you haven't found something by then don't feel pressured to moving out. Once the 2 months is up, your landlord would have to apply to court for an eviction notice which will probably take a few weeks. Even if an eviction notice is granted you still don't have to leave until bailiffs physically remove you from the property which can take another couple of weeks so you have longer than you think to find a new home. Also, if you become unintentionally homeless after going through court and bailiffs the council will have to house you (it might not be somewhere great but you'll have a roof over your head) so it would be a good idea to contact them now about your housing situation.

It's difficult but not impossible to find a landlord willing to take someone claiming LHA. Yes some mortgages prohibit landlords letting to those in receipt of LHA (mostly the banks who received millions from the tax payer to bail them out in 2008) but not every landlord will have a mortgage with one of those lenders and some landlords won't have a mortgage at all.

So in short, you have more time than you think to find somewhere and you won't end up homeless.

gallygirl

Whilst Pixie may be technically correct it's not a course of action I would advise. What if you find a house to rent with the same agent? They will hardly give the owner good feedback on you and the same goes for asking your current landlord for a reference.

Good luck, I hope something turns up. As a landlord I would not want someone reliant on HB due to the time it can take to get changes of circs sorted out - that played a large part in an ex-tenant running up large arrears. If it's only a small top-up then I wouldn't mention it.

rainbowfootprints

Thanks Pixie, it's good to know what I can do if worst comes to worst. I'd rather avoid that route if at all possible.

Gallygirl - Thanks. I was thinking about keeping quiet about it but wouldn't HB come up in my credit checks? Last time I moved I had to provide bank statements and of course the HB appears there.

HappyMJ, unfortunately the rent around here is horribly high. The cheapest 3 bed is £995 and my income is nothing like 2.5 x that! I would find it very hard to lose the HB right now.

theartfullodger

There are about a million working people getting (some) HB - so it's hardly that rare these days..
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/number-of-people-in-work-claiming-housing-benefit-soars-9647752.html

Wot Pixie says..

Artful (landlord...)

xylophone

I'll also call the council for advice.

Have you no chance at all of a housing association/council property?

[Deleted User]

The OP would have to go into emergency accommodation first, and depending on the policy of their council, this could be anywhere. My council doesn't do B&B and does house people locally.., but normally in hostels (single room accommodation). Its better than nothing though.

It is worth going to your local housing department, they might have a rental guarantee scheme or something similiar. However be aware that most councils 'gatekeep' so initially they'll say they won't help you for x reason .., however, as you have children, they do have a responsibility to help you. This is just what they say to put people off due to a shortage of social housing.

rainbowfootprints

I'll pop into the council tomorrow afternoon. I did have a look at the social housing application rules and it looks like I wouldn't be eligible in this area as I only moved here 10 months ago (unless there's an eviction order) I might be eligible in the adjacent borough though, as I've worked there for years. I'll explore that avenue tomorrow too. Thanks x

Samsonite1

rainbowfootprints wrote: »

I'll pop into the council tomorrow afternoon. I did have a look at the social housing application rules and it looks like I wouldn't be eligible in this area as I only moved here 10 months ago (unless there's an eviction order) I might be eligible in the adjacent borough though, as I've worked there for years. I'll explore that avenue tomorrow too. Thanks x

I hope you find a positive solution and please post back with further news x

xylophone

I'll pop into the council tomorrow afternoon. I did have a look at the social housing application rules and it looks like I wouldn't be eligible in this area as I only moved here 10 months ago (unless there's an eviction order) I might be eligible in the adjacent borough though, as I've worked there for years. I'll explore that avenue tomorrow too. Thanks x

Good luck with your quest - hope it turns out well for you.