What options for someone on housing benefit & unable to find a home

deannagone

If she is being persecuted where she lives, wouldn't it be better for her to consider other areas, closer to where you live maybe?  Anything under 100 miles away has to be better surely (which means she has much more choice as to area, and finding a LL who is more amenable)?

Could she find a childminder for the hours her child is not in school?  I must admit (having had two autistic children) depending on how her child is affected by autism it can be challenging, but I did manage to find one who my younger son was ok with.

I hope she is getting the right benefits, I was awarded high care for my younger son which helped a lot financially (with my older son, I was less experienced as to how to apply for DLA). This should help with extra costs involved in caring for her child. 

She could also consider applying for an EHCP if she hasn't already - he might be happier (and more able to attend full time). I had extended school refusal with my younger son until he had an EHCP and was able to go to a specialist school).  That was last year, this year he's a lot more stable and able to cope with school.  We are still working out some kinks but hopefully I will be able to consider work myself next year.  It is a long journey though.  First she needs to figure out where to live, where she has more chance of getting somewhere to live and then work on setting up services in that area if what she has already can't be transferred easily. 

merlin51

She would be at a disadvantage in moving to a new area - Councils only have an obligation to house people with a “local connection”. Whilst it is admirable that she doesn’t want to put her landlord out, it doesn’t serve her well. As PP has said she needs to get evicted in order to be “homeless” and therefore eligible for local authority assistance. For example some councils will help with deposit/ rent for private rental. As a parent with a child with additional needs she should get quite high priority, but will not if deemed to be intentionally homeless. 

it would also help her to get some proper maintenance for her son through CMS, this is not treated as income for benefits purposes. 

Tokmon

onearmbandit said:

Lover_of_Lycra said:

Your partner doesn't have to leave her current just because the landlord is selling the property.  The landlord would need to serve valid notice that would then allow him to apply to court for a possession order.  Even then your partner doesn't have to leave until bailiffs physically remove her from the property.  Then your partner would be classified as unintentionally homeless and the council would house her but that might just be in emergency accommodation and I don't think that would help with her wanting to move towns.

Putting aside that the DSS hasn't existed for 20 years if there is competition for the kind of property your partner is applying for then perhaps it's time to widen her search area or compromise on the type of property she is looking at for something less desirable that attracts less competition. Is the local housing allowance your partner receives enough to cover the rent for the area and type of property she is trying to rent?

If you applied to rent somewhere and then tried to sublet the property to your partner that would open a whole other can of worms.  Is living with you out of the question?

Hi. Sorry - I replied to this yesterday but must have not pushed the button to send. And thank you for the reply.

You are right that she could not be forced out however she wouldn't do that. She has a good relationship with her LL who has been really good to her. Furthermore, she has wanted to leave the area for some time and this has given her the impetus to do it (in a few words- she left her religion and lets just say she gets a lot of grief over it from the local community).

I realise I am probably getting the terms wrong for housing benefit - I've never claimed it. My apologies.

I am unable to live with my partner right now as my job is over 100 miles away & I rent accommodation as well.  I do intend to intend to move in however there is no work there.

I wasn't thinking so much subletting but I suppose it is - I was thinking if she informed the council of her situation and said her partner secured the rent just to secure a house is their anyway they can accommodate this. A hair brained idea I realise.

We have a few more weeks and as I say, if I have to take the financial hit even though I am not moving there I will I just am not a rich man and it'll stop my ability to save for a house which I am trying to do for herself and the kids. Bottomline is we are still lucky - I realise others in her position have it even worse. Who'd have thought just trying to rent is almost like auditioning for the x factor!

Thanks again.

Well unless I'm missing something the obvious solution is for her to move in with you and then you can both rent a house together near where you work.

Neruda

onearmbandit said:

Due to her son having slightly different schooling hours and having to be picked up/dropped off has made it hard for her to do even part time supply teaching. She cannot get to work before 9:30 am and would have to finish by 13:30. However, she actually has managed to get a few hours as a TA however she never got enough hours to make it financially viable - she actually lost money due to reduction in her benefits. unfortunately she receives no support from her ex, the father of her children so she is financially quite limited although she can and always has paid her rent. 

Even though working as a TA for a few hours would make her lose money, it might still be worth doing so that she can present herself to landlords as a TA rather than a benefit claimant.

luvchocolate

My sons lets his properties out through open rent...he has 6 properties and the only one where he has full rent every month through the pandemic is the only one claiming housing benefit!!

TBagpuss

I understand that she wants to stay on good terms with her landlord but she needs to put her own needs first - if they are on good terms perhaps she could talked to them about extending the notice period to allow her time to find something else, rather than them incurring the cost of having to go down the eviction route which may take months.

Given that she is looking to move out of the current area, would it be possible for you to rent something in your local area, suitable for the two of you to share?  It would mean that she would not qualify for benefits to cover housing costs but she might still be entitled to any Carers Allowance for her child.

Alternatively it may make sense for her to try to find part time work even if it means working in a different job to the one she she is qualified for - she might, for instance, be able to work part time in school hours in retail and while that may not be her preferred option, it might put her in a better position when it comes to finding somewhere to live (and would also be something to look at if the two of you do move in together later on, so she could help towards the rent and other outgoings.

Encourage her to check Entitleto and Turn2Us websites to make sure that she is claiming whatever she's entitled to (and to look at what she could claim if the two of you were to move in together) 

LocoLoco

Hi OP, I do feel for your partner; my situation is similar and renting on benefits is a nightmare - even getting somewhere grotty isn't easy if you aren't in paid employment. I would like to add my vote to your partner staying put and following the council guidelines so that she can get a council/housing association property.  I do understand how unpleasant it feels to do that to a landlord and we've had some lovely landlords I'd have been very loathe to inconvenience or put out in anyway.  But the landlords on here will all tell you it's a risk that comes with the job, as it were, and it's something all landlords have to factor into their business plans (anyone coming on here asking about becoming a landlord is always reminded of the 'tenant can't/won't leave' scenario).  So as unpleasant as it is, I think your partner's best option is to liaise closely with her local authority housing department and sit tight until they can find her a property.

It's lovely that you want to help her out but (a) she could find herself in the same situation again in six months, twelve months, two years - that's the downside of renting.  So you may have to keep repeating this process.  (B) you might not have any luck getting her anything anyway; as you've said, it's proving hard, plus you'd have to pay two lots of rent indefinitely which I'd assume would be a push over a long period.  (C) If you split up and/or you lose your job, your partner will have a huge problem on her hands, much bigger than the current one, I would say, as she'd have no tenancy agreement of her own in order to get help with her rent.  It would put her in a very precarious situation.  So as difficult as it is, I would say that staying put and getting a council place is the best bet for now.  It might mean she has to take a place that isn't in the area she wants just now but with most local authorities you can swap after a year.  I know that isn't ideal, particularly with school situations, but it might be necessary to struggle on a bit now to get a better long term outcome.  With a council property it's hers, it will be secure, repairs are done and the rent will be a lot cheaper so if she does manage to get back to work at some point it will be more affordable in the long term as well.

If she really is determined to rent privately then I have found it easier to find landlords directly through local ads, Gumtree, Facebook etc.  I send them our info and explain our situation (former teacher, gave up work to look after disabled son) and a brief financial summary so that they can see we can afford it, plus references.  It's hard going but we do manage to find somewhere eventually, although to be truthful they are usually not terribly nice places with awful neighbours.  I think that's why they rent them to benefit claimants because anyone who was working could easily move out But I really would go down the council route personally; it will be better for her in the long run.  If she's dependent on you financially it will cause her all sorts of problems if you break up at some point.  You sound lovely and I'm sure your intentions are good but relationships can and do breakdown so for her kids' sake she's probably better off making herself secure from a housing point of view.

The very last thing is whether her landlord might sell to another landlord?  I know that's sometimes discussed on her as an option for tenants; the landlord changes rather than the tenant moving out.

Good luck!  I hope you can both get something organised soon, it's very stressful not knowing what's happening.