Right, many of you know of my troubles with my parents. I've concluded I need to leave eventually, probably in four or five months. I want to do it properly though. I want a place to live in. I could go to my city's homeless services, but I'd really rather not. Once I'm living alone, I should be able to get my rent paid (up to the cost I'd expect to pay for renting a single bedroomed apartment/one room in a larger place), and either disability benefit or unemployment benefit while I find a job. I'd have to find a way to pay the deposit and first month's rent, but I imagine I could manage that. My real problem is... how can I find a place to live? I imagine I'd probably end up renting a room in a place with other young people, but I don't know how I'd go about finding somewhere like that. Do people advertise for lodgers or whatever? Alternatively, I could might stay on in my current house, and convince my parents to go back to Spain, and find lodgers of my own. Help?
i'm just going to throw this out there - what if you moved to spain? i know i would. easier said than done, of course.
I would... but I can't. For a number of reasons. -My parents own a house there, but its being rented. They can move back there if they weren't paying rent in the UK, but if I moved back there, they'd either have to follow me, which would defeat the point, or lose out on the rent. -I hate the sun -I hate the city-sized town I lived in there (a city-sized town because it had 200 000 people in it, and not one fucking thing to do) -They wouldn't give me the benefits I need to start out before I can support myself -I'd find it even harder to access trans treatment stuff. I get a hormone prescription for (almost) free right now, and free bottom surgery. No way am I giving that up -Unemployment in spain is even worse that the UK
You could check newspaper listings for apartments for rent, or maybe there's a certain website you could use to look for places to rent around your area? Those are usually the best ways to find a place.
Given your age the most difficult thing you'll face in the current rental market around the UK is that you're not in full time employment. The other difficulty would be if you're relying on unemployment/disability benefits than the quality of accommodation willing to take you could be questionable; not always, there are some fabulous places available but you do need to make sure that you check out each and every place thoroughly. Ideally I'd say take someone rent savvy with you so that they can "kick the wheels" so to speak; there are a lot of issues which first time renters tend to miss during their visit, so a rent savvy person or going in with a basic awareness of potential issues (damp, structural concerns, etc.) will be a huge benefit. If your parents are willing to act as guarantors you'll be in a better position in terms of finding somewhere that isn't a dive. There are a great variety of spare room websites available in the UK, some of them require you to pay a fee in order to interact with advertisers but they're generally very good. I'm not sure I can mention specific websites on EC, but a quick google for spare rooms to rent will normally bring up a huge array of websites. Alternatively utilise the rent feature of Right Move and look up agents associated with shared accommodation on there. Alternatively just pop into estate agents and ask them about their rental properties; lay out what you're after, tell them your circumstances and price range, and they're usually rather helpful in finding a selection of appropriate properties for you to view.
Oh, do some people not let to people on benefits? I'll keep the advice about taking someone with me in mind. Unfortunately, I don't think there is anyone I know who knows much about this stuff. I might just have to do some research myself. I doubt my parents would act as guarantors, they're pretty set on suffocating me for the rest of my life. Thanks for the help. Its kind of difficult knowing where to start with all of this, you know?
It depends on what part of the UK you are in, if it's London there is a Paper called Loot, which has lots of rented accommodation in, which part are you in?
Get on Craigslist, search apartment websites. Call apartment complexes around where you live. There's lots of ways to find a place to live.
Some won't, and some just won't let to people without full-time employment. It's just a case of reading adverts, contacting people and seeing how flexible they are. The main concern of the landlord is whether or not they're going to get the rent and the likelihood of you trashing the room; we've had quite a few issues with young people (18-25) trashing rooms resulting in landlords employing a 26+ age restriction for prospective tenants. Some of them can be brought around if there is enough evidence to suggest they'll get a reliable income with minimal damage. Really if you keep an eye out for mould, damp, cracks around the door frame/window frames, the condition of the roof (if visible). If not mentioned in the advert ask questions regarding whether the rent is inclusive of all bills (in the case rooms only, apartments tend not to be inclusive), how many others you'll be sharing with, check for locks on the room door, check out the area the house is situated in and all of the basics really. Spare Room is a site I've used a fair bit, and there are some excellent rooms available to suit a range of budgets. I've also used Easy Room Mate; both are quite useful if you're looking for a room rather than a house. Because I'm ridiculous I, personally, avoid the freeads due to issues with rogue landlords and the like.
gumtree on the net local press FEW THINGS TO THINK ABOUT ... have you done the housing association thing yet I know its a list thing same with council. I`ve been on both for over a year but I know my time is soon I share a house with 3 others its alright i guess but I really want my own place . Few mates of mine did it another way sharing with a mate or relative then talk with council exc and they may declare you as homeless meaning you move up the list allot faster .
A word on housing association/council lists from a housing officer: Anyone under the age of 25, single and without dependents and/or other things which make them vulnerable and/or in need are unlikely to be offered their own accommodation unless a series of events align; specifically applying for homes in areas people are not keen on living on. It differs in different cities, however the Birmingham method of point allocation can be found here. In Birmingham we have been known to place people in hostels as we simply do not have the accommodation for young people without a specific need. We offer rooms within shared houses but simply do not have the properties available for anyone under a certain age without children or other things which classify them as a priority. Even homelessness is not a priority if we do not have a statutory duty to rehome someone; the best advice I can give is to thoroughly research the allocation system and determine whether or not you're willing to wait 1+ years. On the plus side you get an extra point or two for each year you're waiting.
Some friends who are trans told me that being trans qualifies me for 'vulnerability status'. I'm also diagnosed with autism, which might help. I don't know.
