Housing Options For Single Parents- Renting A Home By Elizabeth Taylor
There are various options when it comes to renting a home in Wales. You can rent from a social landlord, such as a housing association or a local authority; this is classed as social housing. Or you can rent from a private landlord, usually through a letting agent.
If you are on a low income or if you don’t work, you will be able to claim Universal Credit which will help you with your rent, in some cases you rent will be covered in full. Universal credit is the replacement for tax credits. Families who are claiming benefits for the first time, will now go through Universal Credit.
Renting from a private landlord
Any landlord in Wales must be registered with Rent Smart Wales or they can receive a hefty fine or ban from renting their home. To check your landlord is registered, you can click here.
There are many organisations offering advice and support for those thinking of renting.
Find out more here: https://www.rentsmart.gov.wales/en/tenant/
The cost of rent will vary based on the area that you choose to live in, as well as the size of the property. You will be given a tenancy agreement to sign. This is likely to be an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) which is usually a 12-month contract. Make sure you read the contract in detail before you sign it. The landlord of an assured shorthold tenancy can end the agreement for any reason, provided they give the tenant proper notice and follow the correct procedure. However, if the tenancy started before a certain date, the agreement might actually be an assured tenancy or a regulated tenancy, even if the agreement says otherwise. Both of these types of tenancy give much stronger rights, including the fact that the landlord would have to prove a special legal reason in court before ending the agreement.
Find out more here: https://sheltercymru.org.uk/get-advice/renting/renting-agreements/
Points to be mindful of:
As of the 1st September 2019, most tenant fees were banned in Wales. The only fees you can legally be charged for are as follows
You have broken the terms of your tenancy and the landlord or agent can charge you a ‘default payment’
You are late paying rent
You want to reserve a property and there is a holding deposit
Find out more here: https://sheltercymru.org.uk/get-advice/paying-for-housing/letting-fees/
Renting from a social landlord
Applying for social housing can be a challenging process and the waiting lists seem completely crazy. This is because there are not enough social homes in Wales. Welsh Government have committed to building thousands more social homes in Wales which will hopefully minimise, if not irradiate this challenge.
Different councils across Wales have different rules when deciding on the allocation of people in properties. Special considerations can be made for single parents but it is based on ‘housing need’. You will be offered a property in your preferred location. However, if you are homeless and in priority need, you may be offered accommodation in a different area. You can go on the register at anytime if you are over the age of 16 and have a housing need.
Housing need includes things such as:
Being homeless
Having medical conditions that are made worse by your current home
Overcrowding
Under occupying a social housing property that no longer suits your needs
Needing to move because of hardship caused by your current accommodation
Let’s look at Cardiff:
The council will ask you about where you live now, who else lives with you, and whether you have any particular housing needs. You will be given an application form to fill in, and then an appointment will be made for you to come back and see an advisor.
Once the authority has all the information it needs about your application, it will decide whether you can join the waiting list, and write to you to let you know the decision.
If you are accepted onto the waiting list, the council will look at your housing needs, and whether you have a "local connection" to Cardiff, to decide which band you will join. To have a local connection you generally must have lived in Cardiff for at least two years when you apply. Bands A & B are for people who have a housing need and a connection to Cardiff.
Where that need is urgent, they join band A. Where the need is less urgent - eg it is are overcrowded where they live now - they join band B.
Bands C & D are for people who have a housing need, but who do not have a local connection to Cardiff. Band E is for people who have a local connection to Cardiff but have no housing need. Band F is for people who do not have a local connection to Cardiff and have no housing need. Waiting time is used to decide your position in the band.
Once the authority has decided you can join the waiting list, it will write to let you know and which band you're in.
You can choose as many areas of the city as you want, but you should bear in mind that the council has very few properties in some areas, and they may not become available very often.
Depending on your circumstances, you may be required to include two areas where social housing is more readily available in your choices – this will help to ensure that you have the best chance of being rehoused.
The council should always send you a letter to confirm any offer.
Find out more here: https://gov.wales/apply-housing
Get in touch if you have any comments or would like to ad to our Housing Resources page.