Does PIP and LCWRA matter when on housing list?

robertt

Hello. Im receiving PIP and LCWRA. My private tenancy agreement ended a year ago. Landlord, wasn't bothered to come around with new one so the time went by. Today he came down and asked me to consider rent increase and let him know how much I can agree to pay from next month. He then said that we will put new agreement with increased rent. So I have no agreement and am about to get rent increase. I'm tired of private sector and having to worry, every year..is my landlord selling property or not yet, can I drill a hole or better not etc. I'm on housing list but I don't know how they view disability if I was to not agree on rent increase and was served eviction notice. Any advice guys? 
I also have 8yo son living with me full time. Child Benefit rival claim is still in process as my ex is still claiming everything, despite my son visiting her once per week only for dinner. I need to wait for outcome of this aswel. Technically without child benefit your child doesn't live with you ( I heard) 

janer1967

Hi

Bring on pip and lcwra have no weight with social housing 

A recommendation from social services could have some impact if an ot deems your current accommodation unsuitable but that's not really the case 

You are risking becoming homeless if you give ip your tenancy as there are massive waiting lists for social housing 

Most people will likely sed a rent increase due to current circumstances 

I would stay where you are . Being served notice can push you up the list but still prople wait several years 

You could apply to court for residency order for your son 

robertt

@janer1967 ok. I understand..I spoke with family lawyer and was told that there's no need for residency order if there is no conflict between parents regarding where the child lives. I also asked about benefits and they said that it's nothing to do with family law. I spoke with child benefit people and was told that they will decide who should get the assistance, they also said ' no need for court order'. I read somewhere that rent increase shouldn't be more than 5% annually.

Jo_2022

Hello @robertt! 😊 If I were you I would seek legal advice about the housing issue. I do not have specific knowledge about housing, however I hope you have found the above advice useful. Also perhaps you could try negotiating with your landlord. Hope everything goes well with you 😊 

Geoark

@robertt with regard to reading that rent increase should be no more than 5%, the government was consulting on increasing rents for social housing this with the options of 3%, 5% and 7%, preferring the 5% After the consultation it was set at 7%. So would not apply to private rent.

I noted that your landlord asked you to provide an increase that you would be able to cope with, not something I have come across a lot. Have you given any thought to this, other than not co-operating.

Getting evicted, as long as it is not deemed that you have deliberately made yourself homeless would certainly move you up the list, but may not be the quick solution you are thinking. For example you could find yourself, and your son, in emergency housing and could be in a worse situation than you are now.

You say you are on a housing list, but give very little details. For example many councils use bidding systems, and often state which band you need to be in to bid for a property. If this applies how active have you been in monitoring the available homes within your preferences and bidding? While there can be good reasons for restricting your options to area, type of home etc if there are not many types of property you would prefer or picking popular areas then you would have a long wait. On the other hand by opening your options where possible the system will likely work more in your favour. Also if offered a viewing do attend, it would normally mean you are within the top three for that property. Not attending will often remove you from that option however high on the list you are, and it is not unusual for someone to change their mind after viewing the property deciding it is not for them. As a result if there are not so many bidders someone lower on the list can be housed first. It is a numbers game, so the more options you give yourself and the more bids you put in the quicker you are likely to be housed. 

robertt

@Geoark . I'm in London, Wandsworth borough. They have housing list system where you can't bid or do anything other than wait to hear from them. My private rent for 1bedroom flat is £1250. I moved in 3 years ago. A year ago my tenancy ended and landlord wasn't bothered to make another one. I wasn't chasing him for it anyway. He told me yesterday to check on internet and see that some places in my area are £1500 and up. He was trying to hint in my opinion that whatever he will ask for,it will be justified etc. Yes , most places are advertised by letting agencies and prices are £1500 . But agency takes 10% minimum,so in the end it would leave him with very close to what he is getting from me now anyway. Plus loss of money for the weeks before finding someone else in my place. Yes he wants more money but I don't need to agree on more than £50 extra. In Wandsworth borough housing allowance for 1 bed is £1280 per month from universal credit. In my opinion asking for more than £1300 for old council estate flat ( from 1970s ) is taking pxxx. Evict someone takes between 6 to 12 months, between those months there's nothing landlord can do whether u decide to speak, answer your phone or even pay a dime towards rent. Fair or unfair but that's the reality, and I only hope he is aware of his unfortunate position should he decided to go stupid with me. My son lives with me, am waiting for child benefit claim to be resolved as my son is with me full time.