[Seeking Help & Advice] Moving to a different borough

PalsyP

Hello,

I live in a ground floor flat in Enfield, it is for disabled people from a housing association. Been living here since my mother died in 2001. The initial years, the area was nice and quiet, now it's getting worse.

This year a social worker came to do a review of my care package, during that, I said I would like help and advice with moving from this borough. They referred me to this Enfield Disability Action (e-d-a.org.uk). It took them two months to respond.

Now, I was expecting to meet up with someone. But in reality, all I got was a reply asking what advice do I want, etc. I explained that I'd like to move out of the borough. They stated that I needed to register on the housing register of the borough that I wish to move to. Ok I thought, I'll go do that - however, I might be a tad way off here or read it wrongly, to join housing registers, they state that you'd be living in the actual borough. So, I replied asking if this was true..... They didn't reply.

I also asked what happens to my benefits. Who do I contact, how, when... All they said was

Your benefits would not be affected and would just transfer to your new address. Any care package you receive through Social Services – Direct payment, support from P.A etc would automatically transfer to the new borough who have to accept the assessment that your current borough has completed and continue the service as currently assessed."

Nothing like, how do I transfer them, etc. When I got this place, my social worker (yes, back when they actually helped) and O.T helped me, alongside my mum, to get this current flat, so, it is all new to me, hence why I need help.

Before you tell me to go to my housing association, I already tried, they said to go to Enfield Council.

Social Services are all over you like flies to **** when they need to save money (eg. cut care funding), but if you need help, forget it. 

Ironic really, if I move out of Enfield, that'll save them money, so, you know, helping me is a win-win situation, no?

I'm not sure what to do now... Can someone here point me in the right direction, please.

Chloe_Scope

Hi @PalsyP, it sounds like this has been very stressful for you!

I would recommend reaching out the council that you are hoping to move to and getting in touch with social services over there. I also would inform your own council / social services about any progress.

Hopefully this should limit the gap within the care that you receive. Please do let us know how you get on!

PalsyP

Sorry I sounded passive. I've been wanting to move for a few years, and now I'm older, I don't want it to be just an 'idea', want it to be 'realistic'. 

FWIW, I've been advised to join home swapping sites.... That is all very well,  I am disabled, I need to swap with someone with a disability, considering my current flat is for a disabled person. This is very difficult, no disabilities are the same.

I could actually live in a normal flat/bungalow with a few adaptations.

I'll contact the area that I wish to move to, let's hope.

Chloe_Scope

No need to apologise @PalsyP, I appreciate how annoying it must be when you have wanted to do this for a long time.

Please do let us know how you get on. I hope it goes smoothly.  

Jean Eveleigh

This site will give you advice on how to swop your property with another person in either council or housing association property  - https://www.gov.uk/apply-swap-homes-council

These are sites that you can register your property on and look for a suitable property in another area -
1 -  https://www.homeswapper.co.uk/
2 - https://www.councilexchangesite.co.uk/
3 - http://www.councilhomeswap.co.uk/

when you have signed a new tenancy agreement you then contact the DWP offices for the benefits you receive using the contact details on your award letters to inform them of your change of address and contact the social services department for the area you are moving to through that areas council website to arrange to have your care package transferred and to be reassessed in the new property for any extra adaptions it may need

poppy123456

Hi,

For benefits if you move then i'm afraid it may not be as simple as just a change of address. As Universal Credit is now in all areas for most people, except if you claim a severe disability premium in with another benefit. If you don't claim this then you won't be able to start a claim for housing benefit if you move to a different local council, it will have to be Universal Credit.

If you move to the same local council then you will remain on your existing benefit.

It really does depend which benefits you claim.

PalsyP

Well that was useless

With regards to Stevenage Borough Council’s Housing Register, you would not meet the criteria to join as you do not currently live within the borough and are required to have a local connection of 5 out of 7 years residence.  As you have advised you could possibly look at a mutual exchange, there may be someone within the Tenancy Department at your Local Authority/Housing Association who may be able to assist you further. If you have a social worker they may be able to support you with this process, alternatively, I would recommend that you contact Enfield’s Adult Care Services. 

As you have advised you could possibly look at a mutual exchange, there may be someone within the Tenancy Department at your Local Authority/Housing Association who may be able to assist you further. If you have a social worker they may be able to support you with this process, alternatively, I would recommend that you contact Enfield’s Adult Care Services.

So, looks like I'll be going around in circles

poppy123456

If you're looking at moving to a different local council and be housed with housing association then most local councils require you to have a local connect to the area in which you want to move to. If you don't have that local connection then they won't house you in that area.

My advice is to look at a swap with another person. Or privately renting and this isn't easy because most landlords won't accept those claiming benefits. It's not easy out there for those claiming any benefits when privately renting.

PalsyP

So, if you're disabled and can't afford a house to buy, you're screwed then?  Even if I swap, my benefits would need to be reviewed by the new council (eg. housing benefit, council tax).

I'd love to work, however, I need carers and I have so many problems with them, the times mainly, it would be impossible to get a job. Like yesterday, a carer turned up at 8.40 am, today they turned up at 9....  I used to employ my own carers, but the council cut my care budget and hours (10 hours to be precise), I had to move to agency care as just 14 hours a week isn't worth it to people once transport and any tax are taken into the equation.

poppy123456

Not just disabled, people who claim benefits in general. If you move to a different local council and you don't claim severe disability premium then you won't be able to claim housing benefit at all, it will have to be Universal Credit. I'm disabled too and privately rent my house and it recently took my approximately 18 months to find somewhere else to live.

Please also be aware that moving to a different local council may mean your care support will need to be re-assessed under the new local council, which could also potentially cause problems. As for the times they arrive, it could be because traffic is bad or they were delayed by the person they were seeing before you.

PalsyP

Exactly, where home swapping wouldn't be that easy - like, nearly everyone has suggested that...... People think it would be that easy.

I wouldn't rent from a private landlord anyway, can you imagine if they were dodgy, or kick me out - at least I would be homeless I suppose, so the council will need to help.

So far:

My housing association: "We can't help you, you need to contact your council, or join home swapping sites";
A social worker: "I will refer you to the EDA for advice";
EDA: "When you move to the new council, your benefits will be automatically transferred";
Other Councils: "We cannot help, please contact your current council, or join home swapping sites";

poppy123456

No one has said it's easy and i'm sorry you thought that. It's never easy moving house and even less so when you want to move to a different local council because you need to have a connection to that area, otherwise they won't accept you.

If you do eventually move to a different local council then your benefits won't automatically be transferred across to Universal Credit. You will need to claim this yourself online and your rent will be paid in with your UC monthly amount. Of course, if you do claim a severe disability premium and you move before January 2021 then you will remain on all your existing benefits.

PalsyP

I know it's not easy to move, I understand that, but the advice I got stipulates it is..... Took me 2 years to move into my current place, back in 2001, there were no over-crowding, lack of budgets, government mess, etc...... I just thought it would be fairly easy to get help and advice to do it properly, as I got it all done for me when I moved out of home - of course, I was living in Enfield with my mother, so I had this "a local connection".

I emailed Enfield Adult Social Care yesterday, someone replied today saying I will be allocated a "social worker" in due course.

poppy123456

2001 was a long time ago and alot has changed since then. Waiting lists are off the scale for most local councils and this is why a local connection in needed if moving to a new area.