HOUSING......PLEASE HELP.

sheenagh_2

Totally agree with chugalug, lurverick I worked at the CAB for 5 years and the advise is good.

Go to the CAB tomorrow morning, they can phone the council and negoiate on your behalf. They will need to know all the facts and if you have any bits of paper, letters, receipts, benefits info, even your income stuff take it with you.

Do not leave your home voluntarily, you make yourself homeless and they can try to avoid rehousing you. The courts may not agree with the councils descision and if you have the CAB with you it will help.

Get everything in writing, especially names, asking will keep the council on their toes. Shelter are also good.

As an alternative option you could look at housing associations, they are good social landlords in our area. Get yourself on as many of their lists as you can. They are in the yellow pages.

Most of all good luck, it must be a difficult time for you but remember there is support for you here and out there too.

Freebie_Hunter_2

My friend who has an 18 month old son was put in a b+b for 8 months and then in a caravan as temp housing. She's still there after nearly a year.
There is such a shortage of properties to rent, let alone council acccomodation.
You'll be sorted out, but you may be re-located to a different town if there's nothing where you are.

I'm suprised that if you couldn't afford the rent you decided to extend the family. Are you on a council waiting list? They may bump you up the list in your current predicament but to be honest there was a family of 4 living in b+b where my friend was. They were living in one room and had been there for 14 months.

As long as they find you a roof then they have obliged the rule to find you accomodation. The family were lovely and bless them, said they felt lucky to have a roof over their heads.
I do believe they have found a nice little house now and they really deserve it - lovely people.

The problem is that there is a massive shortage of housing for larger families - if there;s one or two of you then you're ok. We get lots of council transfers from out of the area and this is unfair as it leaves locals out of a home. The occupants of the house don't necessarily swap houses with the ones moving here as well, therefore taking a house that someone here so desperately needs.

The CAB can certainly act as a mediator but they don't have any legal powers and the council and housing associations know this. My friend tried them but they said the same to them as they did to my friend - they wouldn't budge.

Even if you go into a 2bed flat for now - it's better than nowt. Take what you can, the most important thing is getting a roof over your head!

Agent_C

The CAB can certainly act as a mediator but they don't have any legal powers and the council and housing associations know this. My friend tried them but they said the same to them as they did to my friend - they wouldn't budge.

There is a legal option if the council won't help when they should - you can apply for judicial review which will force the council to carry out its duties. Experienced CAB advisers may be able to help apply for judicial review, and many CABx have arrangements with local solicitors who will offer their services free or at reduced cost - you may even get help with legal costs if you are entitled.

Judicial review can be obtained quickly however it can only help with situations where the council are actually breaking the law, for example, if they said you weren't in priority even though you had a dependent child. It can be a lot harder to challenge the type of accommodation you get, as the legal standards are very basic and the overcrowding laws count living rooms and large kitchens as bedrooms...

Freebie_Hunter_2

...... as I said, the CAB don't have any legal powers thenselves. Sure they can help you with finding a solicitor but they themselves have no powers of the law.

Perhaps my post was 'misread'.

System

hello everyone,
first off all thanks for your advice....second of all i thought i'd give you a quick update.
we had our appointment with the housing officer and all went well,however after heeding your advice i was a little cautious whilst things were being checked out etc but she rang me friday to say that they have accepted it as homeless duty etc and today we recieved written confirmation of everything in the post.
due to a mix up with verbal notice not being good enough our date to move from where we are is now the 11th dec but the council are taking care of us from there.
thankyou again,
claire x