My daughter and her boyfriend's tenancy is up on their rented room and the landlord wont be renewing it. (Dont know any details). He has given them a letter which states they need to be out in 8 weeks. Today they went to the council housing dept in town to present the letter. What my daughter says is that they have put the details on their application and they were given extra points but as far as she knows she hasnt got priority.

I thought if you were going to be homeless you got priority from housing?

Am I wrong?

I dont want to get over involved in this, I want them to sort it themselves, but it doesnt sound right to me.

i think that as they still have a tenancy at the moment they are not homeless, so wont get the priority yet, do you think that the number of points they now have will enable them to bid for anything ? what about housing aid , they are very good at sorting this sort of thing .

my friend was homeless she had to wait 6 weeks to be assessed then never got anything

no they dont do that anymore

Nope! Me and my partner were in the same boat. They basically said we would be waiting a long time for a council place and recommended renting. We rent now and its the best step we ever made.

i think that as they still have a tenancy at the moment they are not homeless, so wont get the priority yet, do you think that the number of points they now have will enable them to bid for anything ? what about housing aid , they are very good at sorting this sort of thing .

Who is housing aid and where are they, please?

Housing aid are at Howden House, same place as the homeless section. Unfortunately, the previous post was correct, that they won't get priority until there is actually an eviction warrant. The good news is that once the notice has expired, the landlord does have to go to court for an order to evict. However, there is such a shortage of accommodation in sheffield, that from the time they would get the priority and the time they would have to find another priority, they would find it difficult to find somewhere, particularly in a reasonable area.

we will be out of our rented house in crookes in teh next week.
tell them to contact me if there interested in renting it. £475 p month. 2bed terrace

Can't they just find somewhere else to live? It sounds as though the landlord has given them the correct notice to end the tenancy.

Why don't they try applying for a Council House?

Even thought they will be homeless - they are unlikely to get priority if they are both over 18, healthy and don't have children living with them. Even if they go through an assessment this is the likely outcome. Homeless priority is only awarded to people who are considered vulnerable and unable to secure housing any other way. Shelter explain everything clearly on their website http://england.shelter.org.uk/advice/advice-135.cfm

They could also go to Housing Aid in Howden House, there is some information here about their rights where they are living http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/in-your-area/housing-services/housing-aid/private-tenants/your-landlord-wants-you-to-leave

No one gets points in Sheffield any more, everyone who wants a council property has to bid for one. 75% go to priority cases, 25% to waiting time. Most properties let on waiting time now are let to people who have been registered for several years. They should ensure they get their names down, bid on properties, although they will probably have to carry on renting privately for some time. They could also approach housing associations. There is a list here http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/index.asp?pgid=14573

Even thought they will be homeless - they are unlikely to get priority if they are both over 18, healthy and don't have children living with them. Even if they go through an assessment this is the likely outcome. Homeless priority is only awarded to people who are considered vulnerable and unable to secure housing any other way. Shelter explain everything clearly on their website http://england.shelter.org.uk/advice/advice-135.cfm

They could also go to Housing Aid in Howden House, there is some information here about their rights where they are living http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/in-your-area/housing-services/housing-aid/private-tenants/your-landlord-wants-you-to-leave

No one gets points in Sheffield any more, everyone who wants a council property has to bid for one. 75% go to priority cases, 25% to waiting time. Most properties let on waiting time now are let to people who have been registered for several years. They should ensure they get their names down, bid on properties, although they will probably have to carry on renting privately for some time. They could also approach housing associations. There is a list here http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/index.asp?pgid=14573

she's right i'm afraid

Can't they just find somewhere else to live? It sounds as though the landlord has given them the correct notice to end the tenancy.

Why don't they try applying for a Council House?

Theyve been on the council housing list for ages. They dont have much money so cant afford to rent a house privately. They are both living in a single room in a shared house. They qualify for housing benefit and many private landlords dont want people in this situation. Im not defending their situation because with a bit more effort careerwise they could have more money. I just thought they might get priority if they were going to be homeless.

QUOTE "No one gets points in Sheffield any more, everyone who wants a council property has to bid for one. 75% go to priority cases, 25% to waiting time."

Why did Howden House tell them they would get more points??? What did they mean? Do housing give them points but just not disclose to people how many points they have like they used to?

They are on the list of several housing associations.

Can't they start bidding for properties. If they have been on the list for ages then they should have plenty of waiting time.

Council rent will be far cheaper then private.

I would contact Shelter as well ... they offer good advice

tell them to go round where they live and jot down all boarded up house.s and take a list to the nearest council office and see what happen,s:| :|

Can't they start bidding for properties. If they have been on the list for ages then they should have plenty of waiting time.

Council rent will be far cheaper then private.

They bid every single week on several properties but have got nowhere.

QUOTE "No one gets points in Sheffield any more, everyone who wants a council property has to bid for one. 75% go to priority cases, 25% to waiting time."

Why did Howden House tell them they would get more points??? What did they mean? Do housing give them points but just not disclose to people how many points they have like they used to?


Sorry Yellowrose, I can't answer why points were even mentioned! There may be a training issue there? There haven't been points awarded for several years, ever since 'Choice Based Lettings' was introduced. Council properties are just not easy to get any more, this is an example. Available this week in 1 bedroomed flats 32 across all Sheffield, but the majority are either Elderly persons/over 60s, age banded to over 40s, or priority for a variety of reasons. There are only 3 on waiting time, and one of those at Upperthorpe is likely to go to someone with 10 years waiting time. There is one at Darnall that says 1-2 years, and 1 at Lansdowne - 3 years. There is also a 1 bedroomed flat at Darnall through First Come First Served, could be worth contacting the Property Shop, they are open on a Saturday morning.
http://www.sheffieldpropertyshop.org.uk/filterpage.asp?ID=08342BCB2C5F46E0850E174C64404B39&pagefrom=thisweek

I think Im leaving the bidding etc to them because its important they sort things out themselves. But as you have to inform the council of your circumstances and any changes, they did, and I asked her again today and she was told they would get more points. I think she has been on the list for 2 years or so maybe 3, not sure.

So was there absolutely no point in her going to first point to tell them of her change in circumstances? Will it make absolutely no difference to her bidding if she is going to be made homeless?

I think Im leaving the bidding etc to them because its important they sort things out themselves. But as you have to inform the council of your circumstances and any changes, they did, and I asked her again today and she was told they would get more points. I think she has been on the list for 2 years or so maybe 3, not sure.

So was there absolutely no point in her going to first point to tell them of her change in circumstances? Will it make absolutely no difference to her bidding if she is going to be made homeless?

I can't answer that question, but as far as I know there are no points any more, but things do keep changing.

Shelter have an online assessment form, if they fill it in it will tell them what kind of help they can expect, by law, from the council. http://england.shelter.org.uk/advice/advice-3302.cfm I hope it helps.

Thank you. I will show her that at her next visit.

8 weeks is a long enough time to look for a new home. Why don't they put their name on the waiting list and try find a rented home first? If they wait for the council they might end up in a B and B or sometime horrid. In a desperate time I found a flat in less than a week.

2 friends of mine were in the same situation. Their landlady gave them notice so they tried to find somewhere else to rent private but also went to the council and were told that seeing as they both worked they coulnd't be homeless. They did find somewhere private after about 4 weeks.

2 friends of mine were in the same situation. Their landlady gave them notice so they tried to find somewhere else to rent private but also went to the council and were told that seeing as they both worked they coulnd't be homeless. They did find somewhere private after about 4 weeks.

There are so many facts already on the forum about homelessness and what it means, so I'm only going to point out that being in work doesn't automatically exclude someone from being given 'priority'. Its never that simple. If you are working, say on a low wage, and have a child or children under 18 then you would possibly be awarded 'priority' depending on your circumstances.

Why would anyone who is fit and healthy, able to work and with no children living with them need priority status? They need to build up waiting time if they are so desperate to get a council property. I would suggest anyone who thinks they may be homeless checks out the Shelter website that was mentioned in a previous post. http://england.shelter.org.uk/advice/advice-3302.cfm

Its better to check out the facts than compare yourself to anyone else's experiences, because a) your circumstances may be quite different, and b) they may only be passing on part of the story.

I myslef am not homeless and am only passing on what I have heard.

The point being though what if my friends hadn't managed to find somewhere private to rent and their time on their current property was up? Then regardless of weather they worked or had a child etc they would have been homeless.

I myslef am not homeless and am only passing on what I have heard.

The point being though what if my friends hadn't managed to find somewhere private to rent and their time on their current property was up? Then regardless of weather they worked or had a child etc they would have been homeless.

I agree they would be homeless, but under government rules they wouldn't get any priority. Not everyone who is technically 'homeless' does. They would be considered able to find alternative accommodation whilst trying to get council or housing association property, even if it meant renting a room rather than a flat. Lots of people on low incomes share accommodation, even if it isn't the best option in the long run.

If you are technically homeless though you should be given homeless priority because after all you are "homeless" it's odd how it works. Yeah I understand that what they are basically saying is that if your able to afford private renting you should but theres no escaping the fact that some people are homless but it gets overlooked.

If you are technically homeless though you should be given homeless priority because after all you are "homeless" it's odd how it works. Yeah I understand that what they are basically saying is that if your able to afford private renting you should but theres no escaping the fact that some people are homless but it gets overlooked.

Hi LJB, some flats and houses are rented for 6 months or a year, unlike council housing which is mostly for life. People sign up for short term rentals, they know at the beginning how long its for, so they need to make arrangements to find something similar before they have to leave.

If every private renter coming to the end of their rental period was given priority as homeless - there would be hundreds every week! There aren't enough properties available to rehouse everyone who currently gets priority as it is. Thats why some have to go into B & B or hostels, and some have to wait, like you, in a flat or house thats too small.