Homelessness- who can help??

sandy2_2

He's got a job to start after Easter, but won't get paid for a month

november

Sue and Betty are right in that unless he is classed as vulnerable and homeless the local authority or housing associations have no duty to house him only to advise him.

To search to see if there is a deposit bond scheme in the area try here http://www.crisis.org.uk/prs/index.php

His landlord has served him a Section 21 I presume. If he doesn't leave then his landlord will have to take him to court which if this hasn't already been done will give him a bit longer.

Diamond78

He will get helped by the council. The council have a duty of care. You can check your local councils website. He needs a letter from the landlord. Also he cannot be kicked out just like that. It is illegal and under the housing act he needs to be evicted and the landlord needs to take him court and evict him so really he can stay there till he finds a suitable place or the council do. He cannot just be kicked out.Check your local councils website under housing section and you will see.

Alleycat

Unless his landlord has issued with a valid two months written notice (section 21) and has got a bailiffs warrant from the courts, your friend does not have to go anywhere.

If this is the case and no notice has been issued then the landlord cannot legally evict your friend on Monday. Your friend however need to pay as much of the shortfall as he can over the next few months, to prevent his landlord applying for accelerated possession (which is a much quicker way to evict if there are rent arrears, but they need to be over 8 weeks worth or rent).

With regards to the council, unless your friend has a severe medical or mental health issue or other severe vulnerability the council would have no legal duty to accommodate. They merely have to provide 'advice'.

It would be a good idea for your friend to look at a shared house as his next accommodation as it will certainly be more affordable than his own self contained flat and he should therefore not fall into arrears with his rent.

LondonDiva

Have a look at gumtree.com there are a lot of shared houses / rooms as well as agencies advertising shared rooms and houses.

Once he gets paid, he can then move out & elsewhere.

Where does he live ? and would it be possible for him to move 'home' or to friends some 200 miles away until the job starts and then move back down?

snake666

LondonDiva wrote: »

Have a look at gumtree.com there are a lot of shared houses / rooms as well as agencies advertising shared rooms and houses.

Once he gets paid, he can then move out & elsewhere.

Where does he live ? and would it be possible for him to move 'home' or to friends some 200 miles away until the job starts and then move back down?

there is a homeless shelter in st albans which is only 20 miles from london and he will get fed also FREE as hes on JSAsnake666

alwaysskint96

UglyBetty wrote: »

He has not been paying all of the rent for the last three months and owes the landlord £300, so the situation should not come as a suprise to him. The council don't have a responsibility to house him unless he comes within the 'vulnerable person' category (specific criteria available from your local council). He could always get a job or even a 'live in' job until he can sort out accomodation that he can afford.

Could you pay £100 a month rent out of £46 a week JSA??? As someone pointed out he has a job starting soon) next week)- he had to get copy of birth cert from up North- something about proving eligibilty to work in uk as he didnt have a passport.

Before he was on JSA he was a carer for his wife and received CA - although this was paid into her bank account as he didnt have one of his own, and while she was there the HB covered the full rent

He has been visiting the council offices, the resource centre etc since he got the notice to quit- that was back in January. As the landlord no longer owns the hosue Im unsure of the legalities of him staying there- after all the new owner wants to live there herself I believe

Alleycat

I don't think UglyBetty was insinuating that he should be able to afford the shortfall, merely that the fact it was not being paid would mean that he was liable to be evicted.

Anyway, as the Landlord has yet to apply to court for possession, I would suggest that your friend sits tight. He could also apply for discretionary Housing Benefit which is payable for a brief period to enable him to pay the rent and stop it escalating even further.

With regards to the new owner, they would still need to follow the legal process of eviction. Your friend would still be legally entitled to live in the property until a bailiffs warrant is served.

Best thing would still be a flat share. He should be able to hold out for another month given the length of time it takes to obtain an eviction which would give him enough time to get paid from his new job and have a deposit and first month rent. He could also get a bar/waitering job which usually pay weekly to boost his earnings. There are usually loads of shifts going if you go through agencies or hit the highstreet.

UglyBetty

Exactly my point Alleycat. It is a fact that if the rent isn't paid for months then a tenant can expect that eviction will inevitably follow. As I and others have suggested there are courses of action he can take. Suggestions have been made by many about future accomodation, such as sharing and other affordable options so that he will not be in the same situation again. These suggestions are made in good faith which can be taken up or not.

LittleTinker

OP.....you seem to care about your friend a great deal......are you not able to offer him a roof until he can sort himself out?