HOUSING......PLEASE HELP.

Legacy_user

To try and give a short version of a very long story i today have had to phone the council and tell them as of 1st dec we will be homesless.
i have an appointment to see the housing officer next thurs?(18th) and have to take letter confiming we have to be out of house then,comfimation of my pregnancy and proof i am in reciept of child benefit for my 22 month old-to prove she is actually mine/im looking after her!!
we were told she'd assess the situation,put us as priority and we would be placed in a b+b.
the reason for me posting is does anyone have any experience of this?? can anyone tell us what to expect??
if it helps to know it is me,my husband,my 22 month old and i am 18 weeks pregnant.
thanks in advance for any help.
claire x

wma345

hi there
GOOD LUCK with the council as i will shortly be going there myself as my partner our child and myself will be homeless through no fault of our own, We were told by a councillor to privatly rent when i found out i was expecting back in 2003, so we went and got a flat costing the earth each month in rent and when out tennancy had expired i went to the council and they said we HAD to renew our contract or they could not help us as we had made ourselves homeless, so again we got into a contract and pay throught the roof rent each month, BUT now were in a different situation my partner and i no longer work due to medical reason and we have a 14 month old child and our contract ends in march 2005, we have to have "X" amount of earning to be excepted for privatly renting, but due to neither of us working we cannot get into another contract so i went to our council office and was told that they cannot help us until we recieve our letter which states our contract will be terminated, this could arrive anytime now up until 8 weeks before and there is 4 houses just being trashed by the local kids that would suit our needs just by where we live. I know how you feel as its very frustrating looking at becoming homeless, GOOD LUCK and let us know how you get on. ::)

Sarahsaver

You are pretty high priority, you have to be assessed and are awarded 'points' for certain things, like whather you have children, disability, have you been a victim of crime, have you any health problems etc.
Have you filled forms in or are the housing officers doing this for you? Be strong and put your foot down, demand at least a flat. My local authority has a policy of only housing families in HOUSES, or at least using houses for those with kids as a priority.
Use your local councillor, get in touch and explain your situation. They may even come to the appointment with you. They are there to help their constituents.
This is hard as you have a child, but i would be tempted to stay in the housing office until you have an assurance that you will be HOUSED rather than placed in a b&b.
You have to think of everything which may help you. For example, If you were depressed after the birth of your daughter get a letter from your GP or midwife stating that to not be permanently housed would put your health at risk. Good luck, im thinking of you.

16011996

can't add to the advice given, but the best of luck to you, hope you get it sorted.

chugalug

Sorry to hear of your situation - been there, done that!! Anyway, I would urge you to get proper advice about your situation. Please contact Shelter or your local CAB immediately about your homeless application. Dont even consider leaving the property voluntarily or of renting privately until you have taken advice. The council have a nasty habit of not giving independent advice when it comes to housing and its very important to understand that if the correct procedures aren't followed then you could end up not being housed. This may not be your fault but can have devastating implications long term. At least if you are advised independantly then you can be sure of your rights and that the council aren't trying to get out of their obligations. Good luck.

System

do tou really think i should contact cab?? before my appointment with the council??
we have to leave our property on the 1st dec and they have a letter stating that,we certainly arent and indeed cant afford to rent privately so thats not an option....indeed trying to do it ourselves and not get help also sees us over £12,000 in debt.
claire x

chugalug

I suppose it depends on what area of the country you live in. Here in the south of england the council's are desperately short of social housing and will find you intentionally homeless if they possibly can - for example if you leave your accommodation before the landlord has a court order and a bailiffs warrant. Even if the original tenancy agreement is finished and you have to pay all the costs. Perhaps it isnt so bad in other areas. Or perhaps I'm very cynical having been through the system as a homeless applicant who now works in the advice sector. Anyway, just don't take everything the council say at face value and if they make a promise to house you GET THIS IN WRITING. Hope it all works out for you.

System

thankyou for your advice.
we went to see cab this morning and she said we definately have a case,qualify all the criteria etc.....the council should and are indeed duty bound to help us and if they dont to go back and they will fight for us.
obviously we still need to get through next thurs and see what the council say but it has put our minds at rest a little until then at least.

Sarahsaver

Good to hear you have made a bit of progress. There are plenty of people who will stick up for you and help you. Best wishes.

Mrs_Thrift

Hi,

I can't really add any more except to reiterate that you must get everything in WRITING from the council, and I'd also advise you don't leave their office (and tell them your intention) until they sort things out for you and give you the written confirmation.

When we were in council accomodation we received terrible treatment until we did that once, and they (grudgingly) treated us better after that. (You could hear them sighing and tutting down the phone when I gave my name!)

My personal preferred method for getting officials, shop assistants, etc. to sort something out is to alternate between being abrupt and sickly sweet with them - completely throws them!

Wishing you and your family all the very best. Let us know how you're getting on.

Agent_C

Might be worth casually mentioning that you've been to the CAB when you go for your appointment with the council (not in a threatening sort of way, but maybe something like 'The adviser at the CAB told me...'). If they know that you're aware of your rights then they are less likely to fob you off.

Unfortunately they can put you in a B&B if they have no other accommodation to offer you, but as you have a child the law says they can only house you in a B&B for a maximum of 6 weeks. The accommodation they give you has to be 'suitable' for your needs, but the standards are less for temporary accommodation like B&Bs than they are for permanent housing. If you are made an offer of a property you're not happy with, go back to the CAB before you turn it down/accept it - if you turn it down without getting advice, the council could later refuse to house you.

It's also worth getting your name down on the waiting list as soon as you can and getting an adviser to check you have the right number of points.

Shelter's website has some good info about making a homelessness application and about your rights: http://england.shelter.org.uk/advice/housingadvice.cfm

Good luck!