urgent help needed with moving bonds and removal company's advice

[asmgabber]

hi, many thanks in advance. What we require urgent information on is, are there any grants/loans available to assist with bonds and advance rent and can you get funding for assistance moving house if u read on i will explain our situation.

We live in a privately rented house, 2 days ago we received a phone call from our estate agent basically to inform us that the landlord was selling the property and we had to move out in 6 weeks! Our estate agent then told us that they have another (and probably better) property near by that was available for us in a month and we could have that. The problems we have got is that to secure this new property we need a bond and a months rent upfront (£1100), we have an existing bond with the property we are currently in but it is being held by the BPS, we cant get this money back until we have moved out of the property and the landlord has inspected the house and is happy the house not been vandalised etc then it takes a couple of weeks to actually process the payment so we can't even access the original bond money either (thats assuming there aren't any issues as well). We worked before taking ill and used up all our savings to keep ourselves afloat until we received benefits so are not in a good financial situation at the moment so just to produce that kind of money is out of our reach currently and 6 weeks is just not enough time to save it up. When it comes to the actual removal one of us has got an overactive thyroid so has to really avoid getting a raised heart rate and the the other has got a vascular tumour in their brain so cant afford to have raised blood pressure as it greatly increases the chances of a rupture causing him to have another brain hemorrhage so even if well enough at that time, picking up heavy objects and the strain involved is out of the question, is there any type of grant or loan which will pay for a removal company to actually help with the move or is there any orginisations who can help with this sort of situation. Many thanks again for taking time to read this and any help/info will be greatly appreciated

p.s.
we are in receipt of

ESA Income based
DLA Middle tier

[wobble1]

It maybe that your contract with landlord says different but usually you have to be given at least 2 months notice and this has to be in writing, a phone call from agent is not acceptable. Also, the landlord wishing to sell is not good enough reason to terminate tenancy, depending on how long you have left on your tenancy. Therefore I would suggest you look into these points with a housing advisor.
Now I'm assuming you are getting HB, if so you could talk to the council about your rights and they may also run a scheme which is specifically to help those in the rented sector with things like loans for deposits, moving expenses etc and will act as guarantor to landlords for deposits.
I'm not sure you are eligible for a loan from the social fund but it's worth giving the DWP a ring to find out.
My first port of call would be your local council, then DWP, and if you just need help with moving furniture you may contact a local charity for help.

[Stepheninleeds]

OMG, I have been there, I know what you are going through. First, Wobble is right, you have rights as a private tenant & you need advice on your specific situation.

You might be able to get help with rent & a bond, as Wobble has said, but it all depends on where you live & what is available. I would suggest you get down to your nearest CAB, if you have a good one.

You can apply for a loan to help you pay removal costs, & you need to do that fast as you have to get quotes from removers. Depending what benefits you are on & how long you may have to pay this back too, they will advise you on this. You do need to move fast though.

CAB can advise on all this, including your rights as a private tenant.

When you say estate agent, do you actually mean letting agent?

[asmgabber]

let us start by saying thanks for the fast replies.

@ steveninleeds yeah doh! lol, i mean letting agents .

We have made an appointment to see the local CAB Person, and as soon as i have posted this i am getting on the phone to the council and I have downloaded all the recommended forms and will fill them out just incase after all we can always refuse loans if we qualify for grants many thanks again and we will update as we find out more .

[beau]

Shelter may be able to give you advice. You can call them and possibly get an answer quicker than waiting to get to CAB.
Here is the link with contact details for your area.
http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_ad...ry?pc=peterlee

[Stepheninleeds]

OK AS, just wanted to be clear what was happening here. Hope the CAB can help. Council? For what, may I ask?

[asmgabber]

@ stepheninleeds the council have a process in place where they will sort of stand as guarantor for your bond while you wait for it to be free'd by the bond protection service, im not sure if this will work in this situation but anything is worth a try

[Stepheninleeds]

@ stepheninleeds the council have a process in place where they will sort of stand as guarantor for your bond while you wait for it to be free'd by the bond protection service, im not sure if this will work in this situation but anything is worth a try

You are right, but it does not always work. That is why I feel people need help from other agencies so they can get all the help they need. We had a solicitor helping us deal with the Council & Housing, & it was still a nightmare.

[wobble1]

Due to the changes in HB and the ongoing problem with the lack of social housing, many councils have introduced schemes to help people with private rental. If the OP's council run such a scheme then I think they will be the best people to help in this situation.

[Stepheninleeds]

Glad they have. I have not heard about this so not sure if LCC are doing it. If they are they are keeping it a secret.