Shurgard won't rent to me as driving licence and passport out of date. Any good alternatives?

terry8591

Herzlos said:

Have you tried other storage or removal companies? Or know of anyone who's got a garage or spare room you can fill for a while?

Though obviously the more you can sell/donate/dump before that point the better. For the valuable stuff it may be worth seeing if you can get someone to sell it on consignment; they'll take a cut but will take posession of it until it sells, and getting anything for it is going to be better than having the landlord dump it.

The council have an obligation to house you when you become homeless, though no obligation to house your stuff.

I'd also contact Shelter immediately if you haven't already.

Yeah, I've tried other storage companies. So far they've been too expensive. I don't really know anyone with any space, my social circle has dwindled as I've got older. The few people I know are short of space as it is.

I signed up with the council in case they could help, but they haven't done anything yet. If I'm thrown on the street they will probably put me in a B&B. I think I'd seriously consider ending things before that happens, because I just don't want to live that way.

I've spoken to Shelter for advice several times, but they can't help me in any other way than legal advice.

terry8591

Jude57 said:

terry8591 said:

Hi Molerat, thanks but it would be cutting it a bit fine, given I'm frantically trying to find somewhere to live and it might take longer than a week to get back to me. I don't really know many professionals who would sign it, and trying to get a doctor to do it might take a long time to see them.

I presume (and it may not be the case for you) that you've waited until the bailiff comes to evict you so that you can present yourself as homeless at your local Council. I'm also presuming you're a single person as you don't say 'we' in your posts so that's what I'm basing my comments on.

As a single person over State Pension age being legally evicted, the Council have a duty to adequately house you but 'adequate' should be read as 'bare minimum'. Unfortunately, a London Borough is very unlikely to have a one bedroom or bedsit (all you'd be entitled to) property sitting vacant just when you need it. You're most likely to be offered Bed & Breakfast accommodation and it's possible that not only won't it be in your home Borough, but it might be in a different part of the country where demand is lower than London and the South East.

Under the circumstances, I'd ask if you've looked at Housing Associations who offer homes specifically to older people? Such properties tend to have shorter waiting lists for obvious reasons and if you're not fussy about exactly where you live, some Housing Associations let you apply for property anywhere where they operate. You don't need to have a local connection and don't have to prove need in the same way as for Council accommodation. You wouldn't need a deposit, can claim Local Housing Allowance (if eligible) and the tenancy is about as secure as you'd find these days. Searching online for 'over 60's housing to rent [location]' will show local organisations but there are some which are nationwide such as Anchor housing.

You'll probably need to have photo ID for any housing applications though, so I agree with others that you should get that sorted out now and a Driving Licence is the cheaper option. For what it's worth, I recently renewed my Driving Licence at my nearest main Post Office (not all offer this service). All I required was my old photocard Licence and a household bill, in my case Council Tax. My photograph was taken there (be warned, those photos are NOT flattering!) and the fee was slightly higher than doing it online or by post. I had my new Licence within 72 hours. If you're worried you wouldn't receive yours before the eviction, set up mail redirection immediately to wherever your other mail is going.

It's a worrying time I know and I wish you well.

Yeah, I signed up for a retirement flat with a housing association near where my brother lives in deepest Essex, that was about 8 months ago. No luck yet. The Boomer generation were called that for a good reason, there are lots of us all looking for retirement flats at the same time.

Thanks for the tip about getting the driving licence, I might try that, although in theory it will need renewing yet again when/if I get to a new flat.

Emmia

terry8591 said:

Jude57 said:

terry8591 said:

Hi Molerat, thanks but it would be cutting it a bit fine, given I'm frantically trying to find somewhere to live and it might take longer than a week to get back to me. I don't really know many professionals who would sign it, and trying to get a doctor to do it might take a long time to see them.

I presume (and it may not be the case for you) that you've waited until the bailiff comes to evict you so that you can present yourself as homeless at your local Council. I'm also presuming you're a single person as you don't say 'we' in your posts so that's what I'm basing my comments on.

As a single person over State Pension age being legally evicted, the Council have a duty to adequately house you but 'adequate' should be read as 'bare minimum'. Unfortunately, a London Borough is very unlikely to have a one bedroom or bedsit (all you'd be entitled to) property sitting vacant just when you need it. You're most likely to be offered Bed & Breakfast accommodation and it's possible that not only won't it be in your home Borough, but it might be in a different part of the country where demand is lower than London and the South East.

Under the circumstances, I'd ask if you've looked at Housing Associations who offer homes specifically to older people? Such properties tend to have shorter waiting lists for obvious reasons and if you're not fussy about exactly where you live, some Housing Associations let you apply for property anywhere where they operate. You don't need to have a local connection and don't have to prove need in the same way as for Council accommodation. You wouldn't need a deposit, can claim Local Housing Allowance (if eligible) and the tenancy is about as secure as you'd find these days. Searching online for 'over 60's housing to rent [location]' will show local organisations but there are some which are nationwide such as Anchor housing.

You'll probably need to have photo ID for any housing applications though, so I agree with others that you should get that sorted out now and a Driving Licence is the cheaper option. For what it's worth, I recently renewed my Driving Licence at my nearest main Post Office (not all offer this service). All I required was my old photocard Licence and a household bill, in my case Council Tax. My photograph was taken there (be warned, those photos are NOT flattering!) and the fee was slightly higher than doing it online or by post. I had my new Licence within 72 hours. If you're worried you wouldn't receive yours before the eviction, set up mail redirection immediately to wherever your other mail is going.

It's a worrying time I know and I wish you well.

Yeah, I signed up for a retirement flat with a housing association near where my brother lives in deepest Essex, that was about 8 months ago. No luck yet. The Boomer generation were called that for a good reason, there are lots of us all looking for retirement flats at the same time.

Thanks for the tip about getting the driving licence, I might try that, although in theory it will need renewing yet again when/if I get to a new flat.

Updating your address is easy though, and free it shouldn't be the barrier to you getting the document.

terry8591

Emmia said:

terry8591 said:

Yeah, I signed up for a retirement flat with a housing association near where my brother lives in deepest Essex, that was about 8 months ago. No luck yet. The Boomer generation were called that for a good reason, there are lots of us all looking for retirement flats at the same time.

Thanks for the tip about getting the driving licence, I might try that, although in theory it will need renewing yet again when/if I get to a new flat.

Updating your address is easy though, and free it shouldn't be the barrier to you getting the document.

It isn't possible to update the address online without a valid passport, which surprised me a few years ago, as you would think the passport would only be needed for the picture. But as I don't drive I might not even bother renewing if I get to move.

Murphybear

Have you thought about over 60s housing.  I live in sheltered housing, there are 33 flats and a big communal lounge.  The rents are lower than private housing and include service charges such as cleaning communal areas. Outside window washing, gardeners, use of Miele washing machines and tumble dryers.  We have a court manager Mon-Fri who sorts any problems out.  

They accepted a bus pass for ID.  We didn’t need to pay a deposit.  Probably the most important thing is that you get an AST for the first year then it automatically goes to an Assured Tenancy.  This will give you greater security, as long as you pay the rent then you can stay in the property as long as you like.  We have a few tenants who have been here for 10+ years

If you would like more information then please PM me 

ripplyuk

If you can’t find anywhere to move to, you could present to the council as homeless. As a pensioner, you are likely to be classed as being in priority need so the council have a duty to house you and in most cases, store your possessions. Sometimes there is a charge for the storage but it should at least solve the ID problem. 

https://www.lgo.org.uk/make-a-complaint/fact-sheets/housing/possessions-in-council-storage

RHemmings

You can get a new passport in 3 days or slightly more by applying for the premium passport renewal service. The service itself is same-day, with you getting your new passport four hours after your appointment. However, you can't book an appointment  earlier than 2 days in the future, or similar. 

As I'm sure will surprise no-one at all, it costs a lot of money. £222 for a standard passport, more for a frequent traveller passport with extra pages. 

https://www.gov.uk/get-a-passport-urgently

terry8591

ripplyuk said:

If you can’t find anywhere to move to, you could present to the council as homeless. As a pensioner, you are likely to be classed as being in priority need so the council have a duty to house you and in most cases, store your possessions. Sometimes there is a charge for the storage but it should at least solve the ID problem. 

https://www.lgo.org.uk/make-a-complaint/fact-sheets/housing/possessions-in-council-storage

Thanks for the reply. I've been trying to get help from the council for about ten months now, because I received a Section 21 'no fault' eviction notice last year. The bailiffs are coming in less than three weeks now. I told the housing department that I was 66, severely depressed (with ideation) for six years. It cut absolutely no ice with them whatsoever. It doesn't make me any kind of priority with my council, unfortunately. The housing shortage (social and PRS) is SEVERE at the moment, and with population increasing far faster than housing, it will only get worse.
I hope if it comes to the worst, they will look after my possessions if they stick me in some awful B&B.

terry8591

RHemmings said:

You can get a new passport in 3 days or slightly more by applying for the premium passport renewal service. The service itself is same-day, with you getting your new passport four hours after your appointment. However, you can't book an appointment  earlier than 2 days in the future, or similar. 

As I'm sure will surprise no-one at all, it costs a lot of money. £222 for a standard passport, more for a frequent traveller passport with extra pages. 

https://www.gov.uk/get-a-passport-urgently

Thanks, but I just don't have the money right now.