Pregnant with a new job

MunchOff

Alter_ego wrote: »

Is the canal boat really out of the question? I lived on a boat 17yrs and never got electrocuted or drowned. Or is the issue lack of elec and water?

My original plan was to upgrade the boat to one I own, as the engine breaks down fortnightly, so showering or washing dishes is impossible, let alone sterilising bottles or doing washing. So no issue with having a baby on a boat at all, money means I can't afford to buy right now, so I'll need to wait until I'm back at work before I start teasing myself with a boat again

MunchOff

xylophone wrote: »

May be worth the OP's having a look at the above?

I'd seen NCT actually but had forgotten all about it, that only link is totally for me!!! Great stuff, thank you so much

MunchOff

Lioness_Twinkletoes wrote: »

First thought I had was that you need to use a chunk of your savings to provide a roof over your and your child's head. No ifs or buts with that. Your idea of sleeping on the floor with your newborn in a studio flat is frankly ridiculous.

You're unlikely to get Council Housing and you have the wherewithal to pay a deposit and rent. When you've exhausted your savings you'll have to go back to work or claim benefits.

The reason for staying with my dad for 3 weeks like he offered is that there will be help for me when I come home from the hospital. My dad has raised 2 children so he is the authority on this matter and I really appreciate his help and I accept it gladly. I would sleep on any floor if it meant I'm not doing something wrong that could harm my future kiddie.

How do you know I will not be eligible for a council house? I've always rented privately so I've no experience so if you have advice you'd be willing to share, that would be very kind. I will obviously need to use saved money to pay rent, but a lot of places state no DSS. Meaning I'd be asked to leave once I'm on benefits as I don't qualify for money from my job. Cheaper rent means renting a bedsit, and not to sound snobby, if I can avoid sharing a bathroom with a total stranger and the smell of weed, I will fully. Thank you for any input.

xylophone

Something that has just occurred to me, won't your midwife want to be assured that you are returning to suitable accommodation for you and your newborn?

Would that offered by your father be considered adequate?

You are currently employed with savings, can you look for a private rental now and move in before the birth?

poppy12345

MunchOff wrote: »

How do you know I will not be eligible for a council house? I've always rented privately so I've no experience so if you have advice you'd be willing to share, that would be very kind. I will obviously need to use saved money to pay rent, but a lot of places state no DSS. Meaning I'd be asked to leave once I'm on benefits as I don't qualify for money from my job. Cheaper rent means renting a bedsit, and not to sound snobby, if I can avoid sharing a bathroom with a total stranger and the smell of weed, I will fully. Thank you for any input.

Housing association waiting lists are huge in all areas of the country. Hundreds of people have been waiting for many years for a house. They won't just give you a house because you have a baby, it doesn't work like that i'm afraid.


Most people have to go down the private rented route because social housing just isn't available.



You're right, most LL don't accept those claiming benefits and those that do will require a guarantor. It certainly isn't any easy process and having a baby won't make it any easier, i'm afraid.

Lioness_Twinkletoes

MunchOff wrote: »

How do you know I will not be eligible for a council house? I've always rented privately so I've no experience so if you have advice you'd be willing to share, that would be very kind.

There is a chronic shortage of social housing - especially in London. In order to be eligible you need to have significant priority need. You mentioned West London; a quick look at Ealing Council's website states that they have "a chronic shortage of housing with 12,000 people on the waiting list...we 40 new applications every week and we have about 800 homes to let each year. This means that less than 10% of people on the register will receive an offer each year and many people will not be rehoused at all. Therefore people are encouraged to explore alternative housing options in order to get suitable housing"

Hammersmith & Fulham state it can take ten years to be offered a home with them. As housing is in such short supply you have to have significant need to be offered a home, such as a medical issue, severe overcrowding and, importantly, no funds to be able to privately rent "We can't offer a home to everybody who applies for housing so only applicants with high levels of identified housing need will be accepted onto the housing register"

You have none of those needs (that we're aware of) and having a child no longer automatically puts you to the top of the list. By all means join the waiting list but be realistic about the fact that you're not likely to be offered a home.

When you go to the Council offices they'll ask about savings and will immediately tell you to rent privately. You can afford it, unlike so many others. If you need to claim benefits when your savings have depleted then you'll need to find a landlord that accepts benefits - like so may before you. The Council can help with that.

You might also want to consider moving out of West London to somewhere more affordable - you can no longer really afford to live there. Now you have a baby on the way you need to cut your cloth accordingly. Seriously, your top priority should be finding a suitable, affordable home for you and the baby. That means a private rental in an area you can afford. That's not West London.

Wish you all the luck; you are really going to need it. You've got a steep learning curve coming up!

Comms69

snapdoodle wrote: »

Where did I mention anything about the child's father? I didn't. Time to jump off your high horse!

You were replying to a comment regarding exactly that. Perhaps you aren't familiar with how a forum works?...

John_G_Jones

MunchOff wrote: »

The father has no rights in this situation.

If you’re taking morally then I disagree. If you chose to have a child by him then you need to give him the chance to be part of his child’s life.

Anyway, I n more practical terms, if you have chosen to have a baby by someone who you will now not have anything to do with then life’s going to be pretty tough for the two of you. As others have mentioned, you are unlikely to get council housing, and state support is set towards the minimum of what you need.

I do think that you need to reconsider speaking to the father, the statistics on children with this sort of life means that you face a real uphill struggle just to end up sort of OK.

calcotti

Benefits Board: For help and support NOT JUDGEMENT

Catnip63

Well done OP on keeping your cool, not rising to the bait and sticking to the point of why you came on this forum- for advice not thinly veiled criticism of your decisions, which you've clearly made for reasons that are not the business of anyone here - good luck to you