Finding Private Rented Accommodation

He risked life and limb in Iraq, but when this soldier needed a home for his young family the council put ex-cons and asylum-seekers first.

WHAT A WAY TO TREAT A HERO!

FIGHTING on the hellish battlefields of Iraq, he risked his life for his country every day.

But when Private Joe MacDonald asked his local authority to help find his young family a house, his sacrifice counted for nothing.

He first met with a point-blank refusal, followed by the offer of nothing more than a room in a hostel for himself, his wife and three young children.

The council, which organises the provision of social housing through housing associations, put his case behind the unemployed, single mothers, criminals freed from prison and asylum seekers.

It claimed that because he was leaving the Army he was deliberately making himself homeless. The bizarre loophole could affect thousands of military personnel when they end their service.

Pte MacDonald, 25, completed a gruelling seven-month tour of duty with the Royal Logistic Corps in southern Iraq in 2006. He fought gun battles with Iraqi insurgents as he protected Army convoys carrying food, fuel, ammunition and kit to troops in UK bases around the British-held part of the country.

Last year he decided to quit the regiment to spend more time with his family and began searching for accommodation once his final posting in Germany ends this month.

He was born and brought up in Bexley, south-east London, and his parents still live there. But he was stunned when the council refused to provide a house for him and his wife Rachael, 21, and children Ellen-May, four, Harry-Joe, 19 months, and baby Maissy-Ann.

Pte MacDonald said officials told him that because he was making himself homeless by voluntarily leaving Army quarters, he was ineligible for any property at all.

Later, they offered the family the hostel room where they would have to share a bathroom, kitchen and living room with other families.

Pte MacDonald fears he and his family will be forced to live with his mother-in-law near Salisbury, Wiltshire, where nine people will have to share the house.
He said: ‘I have put my life on the line. I have been to war and spent nine years in service for this country. It is absolutely disgusting that it is not recognised.

‘I am retraining as an IT engineer and desperately need somewhere for my family to stay as I won’t earn enough initially to afford private accommodation. 'It seems incredible that no one can find me a council house to live in while I find my feet. It seems like people in the Army are last on the list to be given help.’

In 2008, the Ministry of Defence pledged to give fairer treatment to forces’ families over accommodation.

Recognising that the military struggle to get council housing because they go back to the bottom of the waiting list each time they move to different area of the country during their careers, ministers vowed to make it easier for them to apply for social housing.

Bernard...

I have a degree and have applied to do a masters. However I need a 1st class degree to do it and am not too confident I will get this. Anyway there is private student accommodation (a company renting to students) in my city and I really wanna live their next year. If I put my deposit down but find out I have not got on do they still let you stay the year? I know of one person who had a job and got to live their. I have tried contacting them with my query but they're not replying!

Should 21 Romany Gypsies be re- housed after destroying the privately owned accommodation they got through social housing in the first place? They threw all the rubbish and excrement to the rear of the property, ripped electrical cable from the walls and put holes in the ceilings and flooded the house. The other two houses with the rest of the Romanies (80+) were vacated after the locals helped the landlord evict them after serving them with eviction notices. Yesterday the final 21 were evicted. The news crews were in the house as they packed. You would not believe what they did, absolutely disgusting it was. Social housing has to pay for the houses to be fixed up, the landlord probably wont rent to social again. They in effect made themselves deliberately homeless and not eligible for social housing. So why did the mayor run down to personally find emergency accomadation for them? If it were I or you we'd be out on the streets and told to sort it oursselves
Sheepy i know others can be as destructive, but it seems to be the romanies remit. 3 decent houses now of the social because of them pack rats.
Jo: with the first eveictions they refused to leave after being served eviction notices, then the locals chased them out after being goaded by civil rights groups. Big mistake right away the locals are now labeled as racist, town hall has to do damage control because the media is now involved. Thats why all the hand wringing and apologies. The mayors a liberal nutcase anyway
Jo: heres the most recent link, from yesterday i think. It shows the state of the house, don't blink or you'll miss the live cable going across the room.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8222757.stm

A married couple with a child were given a housing association property, referred by the council, with both names on the tenancy, but now they don't get along and they are going to court to find out who gets to keep the property.

Is the council legally obliged to re-house the individual who's name will be removed from the tenancy agreement via the courts i.e. Since man is likely to have his name removed from the house ( as the woman has the child and is claiming custody), will the man be re-housed by the council as he is currently a council (housing association) tenant sharing the property with his estranged wife?

Plus the man cannot afford private rented accommodation, that why he is currently in a council property.

Would appreciate some advice.

Hello beautiful people.
My boyfriend and I are driving from Holland to Croatia in Aug for 2 weeks. Ideally it's not the best time to go with it being high season, that been said it's our only option. I've bought the Lonely Planet guide for Croatia and find it really useful, however I would love to hear personal experiences that would match our ideal holiday...

Through our eyes, this is what our holiday would look like...

After our long drive we would pull up outside our private rented accommodation that would be as close as possible to a quite sandy beach where we can peacefully bring in the sun set or surf the warm crashing waves. The surrounding area would be picturesque with unspoiled natural beauty. Close by there are good quality sea food restaurants and wine bars, where good conversation can be heard and the atmosphere is contagious. For the wilder nights there are bars, music and dancing less than 20mins drive away. As we have the car day trips to other must see places will be planned (anything but museums, history tours, famous buildings etc)

In a nut shell, we want to eat good fresh sea food, drink fine wines, plan lots of water sports (both open water divers, kayakers, surfers and swimmers) experience the famous Croatian culture as well as meet a small amount of other tourists and stay away from the commercial side things..

Can you paint our picture?
Thanks so much in advance..

Hi, I have been made homeless and need some info;
I have been in touch with my local council and asked about housing benefit and found out as I am under 25 I am entitled to bedsit accommodation or a room in a shared house with no help from the government deposit scheme which has been set up.
My question(s) is if I find somewhere to live (most likely a private rented room in shared accom.) will I:
i) Have to find somewhere that specifically accepts housing benefit?
ii) If yes to the above is there somewhere that lists places that accepts beneifts or is it just a case of contacting landlords individually?
iii) Do I need to notify the landlord that im on housing benefit?
iv) Will the benefit get paid to myself or the landlord directly?
v) As I have been told it can take a while to go through, will housing benefit be back dated?

Basically, here's the situation:
My parents split up since I was about 4. Ever since, I have been living with my mum, who in the process has worked her way through about 5 different boyfriends. I still got to see my Dad every other weekend.
Anyway, the house in which I currently live is rented. I lived here with my mum until about september last year, when she couldn't afford to keep the house anymore.
I didn't want to move, as in my 16 years of life, I have lived in 9 houses including this one, and it is near my mates, and my school.
My Dad then offered to move in, as he was on a decently paid job at the time.
Then, fgs, he was made redundant before christmas, and now we can't afford to pay any bills - I have had to loan £60 of my birthday money lol, and generally, it was a shit, lonely christmas - my Dad couldn't afford presents for anyone including myself, and I ended up opening mine on xmas day on my own.

Funnily enough, my mum had a streak of luck and has got a promotion. She is looking for a nicer place to live again, and asked me and my dad if she could live with me again. My dad objected sharply, so my mum said she would find a house nearby - either that, or she moves to London with her new hubby (lol, yeah another one). I live about 300 miles away from London, and I don't want to completely lose contact.

I asked my Dad why he didn't want my Mum to move back in... then I found out how more or less worthless and invalid my life is up until now.
I did not want to believe what he had told me at all, and still I can't bring myself to, but he claimed that she was using me all of her life, just for the fu**ing CSA and family allowance and all of that rubbish that you get paid for having a kid live with you.

To be horribly honest, I was getting sick of living with my Dad anyway, and feel like blowing my brains out, and I know none of my lousy friends will care about this pathetic tale of woe enough to offer any support at all. He says he loves me, and I'm sure he does, but I somehow just can't bring myself to give a flying feck, or love him or any of my family back.

Hence, finally, I come to my question ^^
As a 16 year old GCSE student, Is it possible, if even legal, to rent a house/flat/whatever, private or social from that age?

I just want to be independant now, and have almost nothing to do with my continually disappointing family. I think living alone would take the pressure off of things.
I would of course get a part-time job, and in the September of this year, I will then continue into further education.

Thanks for enduring that moan - if you bothered to read it =P
BTW, I live in Britain/England

I am currently pregnant living in shared accommodation so i need to find a new home before baby is born. I will be a single parent as me and the babies dad split up. I currently have a full time job and will go on maternity leave in march 2011. i have managed to save a deposit to move into a new place (private renting). but because im on low wage, its night work and i wont be able to organize or afford childcare after my maternity leave ends, i have decided that i wont be going back to work. because il be on my own and i wont be able to afford the rent in the new place, will i still be entitled to housing benefit to cover the rent??? the letting agent excepts housing benefits but im unsure of how much il be entitled to because il still be on maternity even though im not going back to work. can anyone help?
I am currently pregnant living in shared accommodation so i need to find a new home before baby is born. I will be a single parent as me and the babies dad split up. I currently have a full time job and will go on maternity leave in march 2011. i have managed to save a deposit to move into a new place (private renting). but because im on low wage, its night work and i wont be able to organize or afford childcare after my maternity leave ends, i have decided that i wont be going back to work. because il be on my own and i wont be able to afford the rent in the new place, will i still be entitled to housing benefit to cover the rent??? the letting agent excepts housing benefits but im unsure of how much il be entitled to because il still be on maternity even though im not going back to work. can anyone help?
i live in london
i live in london uk