On Benefits - Life On The Dole C5

[silliemillie]

Where do they find these people?!

Single father on benefits says to his mate he would like to buy a house.

His mate says 'I think you have to have a job for that'

'Oh do you, I was afraid of that' he says.

Doh!

[fiction-factory]

Thanks hc. I only saw some of the programme (although as they tend to show the same thing several times maybe that doesn't matter).
So was it a council flat she was in?

[hc4361]

No, it was a private landlord. She may have first rented it when she working, before she got pregnant.

[fiction-factory]

Okay. Well the problems should have been addressed but if the real issue was the rent top up then sometimes people need to move to somewhere less expensive.

[silliemillie]

Even if there are problems with the property you still have to pay the rent.

Wonder what she will think of the conditions of her next property, as that's going to be a hostel or B&B if she gets thrown out, and she'll be lucky to get that as failure to pay rent makes you intentionally homeless

[hc4361]

Maybe it was the only way she could see of getting out of her situation. As she said in the programme she couldn't get another private rental because she didn't have the deposit + 3 months rent in advance and the council and housing associations wouldn't entertain her as she had accommodation.
If she is evicted the council and/or social services has the legal obligation to put her and her child in to emergency accommodation regardless as whether she has paid her rent or not.

It must be very frustrating to be a tenant when the landlord refuses to address the problems with his property.