Herbie
Have you had any financial support from your local council?Hi - no I have not had any support from my local council.
I am aware of the scheme and its eligibility rules and although I am a lone parent on UC, I am in full time work and have not felt that I needed to access these funds.
I am compromised by the benefits system as only in Feb this year has my local housing allowance (for 3 bedrooms) matched my actual rent (for a 2 bed flat). So I am actually over-occupying and have done for 3 years but it has taken all that time to get the housing cost to match with the rent - and this only happened because one daughter turned 16. And I think I could have applied to the council for help with this, but I didn't.
I cannot afford a bigger property that would suit my and my daughter's needs, but I can just afford this place. And I would not want that to change. The council support (if I had gone for it and got it) would have been temporary and not a solution.
We are happy here, and I have just had the tenancy renewed for another year. And for reasons I will never understand in a 10% inflation world, the landlord did not increase the rent. I am chuffed to bits.