Nowhere to go.

MileyReilly

As the title says we have nowhere to go. In 23 days the notice to leave our rented house will be up and we have nowhere to go.

We've rented the same house for just over 6 years with rent allowance. My partner and our 3 year old child. Landlord is selling the house and generously gave us 6 months notice, we were always on good terms. For the whole 6 months we've looked for a place and have found nothing that we can afford. Nowhere will accept rent allowance. Been to all councillors and am on waiting list for RAS scheme but the council can't help they just tell me that there's simply no houses available. Council have advised me to find houses for rent and ask landlords to put their house on RAS but nobody seems to wants to put their house RAS.

23 days left here and when that's up I don't know what we will do. My partner is Portuguese and has no family here who could help and my own parents house is full with no spare rooms. We have fridge, freezer, wardrobes etc etc to move with nowhere to even store them.

There are places to rent here in town that you'd need to wipe your feet on the way out and even they're out of our price range and even if I had to move there they won't accept rent allowance.

In Carlow Town if anyone by some miracle knows of anywhere to rent or any ideas I'd be more than grateful

whomitconcerns

Try outside Carlow I'd imagine you'll find places in the countryside

riclad

Go and see the welfare official at the health centre ,
they ,ll arrange temporary accomodation if you cant find a new place to live .
Its, up to the landlord to provide furniture,fridges etc

https://www.focusireland.ie/

maybe vincent de paul might store the fridge,freezer etc for you in their warehouse.
The no of landlords taking ra seems to be going down .
IN Dublin focus give out a list every day ,
houses for rent that take rent allowance,
at 11.30 am.

Th3B1tcH

Maybe these can help I know says Dublin but might have local office or tell you other places that can help
http://www.homelessdublin.ie/renting-and-worried-about-losing-your-home

PS. If you have kids you might be able afford a place bit further out without RA there are places cheaper if willing move farther and no need for RA (just another option)

Gone West

Let's face it. The problem is not that you "have nowhere to go", but that the taxpayer can't afford anywhere that meets your standards.
Adjust either side of the equation.

handlemaster

If the state is paying for your housing you can at least look outside of carlow. There's a whole country out there with lots of small towns that have houses for rent with little demand. The most important thing is the kids and having a home will be more important than having family and present friends close by. Best of luck.

P.s. landlords dont want RAS because of the hassle and problem tenants.

riclad

OR in many areas, ras is 20 per cent less than the market rate for that area .
So landlords don,t take on ra tenants .

athtrasna

handlemaster wrote: »

P.s. landlords dont want RAS because of the hassle and problem tenants.

Please don't make sweeping generalisations

Mod

handlemaster

athtrasna wrote: »

Please don't make sweeping generalisations

Mod

ask any landlord on RAS their opinion, it will be less than positive

Internet Ham

Fuzzy wrote: »

Let's face it. The problem is not that you "have nowhere to go", but that the taxpayer can't afford anywhere that meets your standards.
Adjust either side of the equation.

Eugh. People of your opinion I want to see fired out of a cannon at a wall. Having standards is nothing to be scoffed at. I have lived in properties where my basic standard is not met. It is deeply unpleasant.

rossmores

Private landlord are getting out of the business because of increase regulation and high taxes hence the increasing shortage of private rented accommodation sorry for your predicament as a poster said readjust your expectations

handlemaster

Internet Ham wrote: »

Eugh. People of your opinion I want to see fired out of a cannon at a wall. Having standards is nothing to be scoffed at. I have lived in properties where my basic standard is not met. It is deeply unpleasant.

You were just given friendly advice id suggest you take it and look outside your 'comfort zone'.

SCOOP 64

handlemaster wrote: »

You were just given friendly advice id suggest you take it and look outside your 'comfort zone'.

Thats friendly and helpful ?

athtrasna

Mod note

Posters are asked to stay civil on this forum. It's no place for attitudes, high horses or personal attacks. Thanks

handlemaster

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

Thats friendly and helpful ?

We are now a nation of 'we have to get offended or upset' if the obvious is pointed out . The OP is looking for accomadation and asked for opinions they can take it or leave them as she wishes .What has been suggested is that she look outside of her area Carlow. There are loads of small towns looking for people to rent there.

McGrath5

OP, you came on here asking for ideas regarding your situation.

I think you will need to be pragmatic and expand your search to find yourself and your kids accommodation.

Have you looked around the Northwest? Plenty of small towns with less demand for very nice houses.

rawn

While I agree with the advice for OP to look elsewhere, let's not forget the moving costs associated with a big move across the country, especially with large furniture. It might not be feasible right now.

Also, if they are on the housing list for Carlow doesn't that mean they can't get RA anywhere else?? I'm not sure how it works so I might be wrong...

haveringchick

What do you mean when you say that there are places to rent but you'd have to clean your feet on the way out?
I don't understand what that means?
When I was renting, the place always had to be scrubbed, by me, room for room before I moved in. Am I missing something? Is it different now?
Your in a pretty serious situation OP so you'll have to change your position
Take one of the places you don't like and you and your partner go in first and take a few days to clean it up, throw on some paint etc ( are neither of you working?) or you'll have to look further afield because ultimately if you go to the Homeless Unit they will house you temporarily in a B&B before telling you that you will just have to take one of the properties advertised

haveringchick

rawn wrote: »

While I agree with the advice for OP to look elsewhere, let's not forget the moving costs associated with a big move across the country, especially with large furniture. It might not be feasible right now.

Also, if they are on the housing list for Carlow doesn't that mean they can't get RA anywhere else?? I'm not sure how it works so I might be wrong...

I think what posters mean is that there are plenty of houses to rent in the county of Carlow as opposed to just confining themselves to Carlow town
If your not in a position to provide housing for yourself, then you must be prepared to be flexible about the housing that the State offers

Stheno

haveringchick wrote: »

I think what posters mean is that there are plenty of houses to rent in the county of Carlow as opposed to just confining themselves to Carlow town
If your not in a position to provide housing for yourself, then you must be prepared to be flexible about the housing that the State offers

I did a search on daft. There were three properties under the rentt allowance limits for rent in the whole of Carlow two of which were student accommodation

handlemaster

Stheno wrote: »

I did a search on daft. There were three properties under the rentt allowance limits for rent in the whole of Carlow two of which were student accommodation

All the more reason to look else where.

haveringchick

Stheno wrote: »

I did a search on daft. There were three properties under the rentt allowance limits for rent in the whole of Carlow two of which were student accommodation

The CWO has the authority, if it can be proved that no other suitable properties were accessible, to approve a higher limit
They can and do this all the time
However, saying a house wasn't suitable because it was dirty won't do.
Likewise demanding to live only in particular areas

riclad

I heard this on newstalk,
it happens often,
the landlord puts up the rent,
the cwo can opt to pay ra over the limit,
in order to stop someone becoming homeless .
Mostly used in cases of women renting with 1 or more children.
this was mentioned by a social worker being interviewed about the housing crisis we are
going through .

Wanderer78

haveringchick wrote: »

The CWO has the authority, if it can be proved that no other suitable properties were accessible, to approve a higher limit
They can and do this all the time
However, saying a house wasn't suitable because it was dirty won't do.
Likewise demanding to live only in particular areas

this seems to be becoming a common complaint. our standards have really dropped. i wouldnt recommend any family to take a house in my area. you're playing russian roulette with your and your families lives if you do. its very worrying to see families being backed into a corner and having to take substandard living arrangements just because our government wont step up to the mark to start properly deal with this housing crisis. but in saying all that, we do need more info from the op. its hard to make out the issues with the info given but best of luck with solving it. thats a very worrying situation for a family but there are solutions out there.

MileyReilly

To the people who haven't read it properly I did not say I won't move into a place that needs a good clean. I'm saying that even the places that need a good clean will not accept rent allowance or go on RAS. We don't drive so not possible to move to the country. But thanks for the helpful comments

haveringchick

MileyReilly wrote: »

To the people who haven't read it properly I did not say I won't move into a place that needs a good clean. I'm saying that even the places that need a good clean will not accept rent allowance or go on RAS. We don't drive so not possible to move to the country. But thanks for the helpful comments

Miley here's the deal.
You've had 6 months to sort this
You are 2 adults with tiny dependent
I get that you have been searching for a home but it's not working out so now it's crunch time
One of you needs, really seriously needs, to get a job
Even if that means moving away from Carlow. Or getting a Credit Union loan, getting driving lessons, learning to drive, get some kind of s car on the road, drive to work, or get a house in the country.
Carlow Council are not going to pull a house out of nowhere for you at the last minute
You will end up in B&B accommodation with your kids
I live in a slightly smaller town then Carlow and there are 44 kids in B&Bs in this town tonight and it is s nightmare.
Act now for your own sake.

MileyReilly

Here's the deal. Not any jobs going in case you didn't notice. Don't really have money lying around to just buy a car.

Stheno

MileyReilly wrote: »

Here's the deal. Not any jobs going in case you didn't notice. Don't really have money lying around to just buy a car.

I'm not trying to be offensive but have neither of you been able to find a job in six years?

c montgomery

MileyReilly wrote: »

Here's the deal. Not any jobs going in case you didn't notice. Don't really have money lying around to just buy a car.

Maybe no jobs in Carlow but lots in Dublin,cork etc..
Do you have any qualifications?


RAS is a crap scheme for landlords so im not surprised none will go for it.

haveringchick

MileyReilly wrote: »

Here's the deal. Not any jobs going in case you didn't notice. Don't really have money lying around to just buy a car.

There are jobs.my niece just walked out of one retail job and into another today. Its minimum wage, but it's s job.
If you are on the dole SW often pay for driving lessons for people who say they could look for work further afield if they could drive.
The Credit Inion are giving loans to people on SW with no saving history to stop them from going to loan sharks
But I don't think you want suggestions that cause you consider a lifestyle change so I'll leave it here and wish you and your partner and children the best of luck with finding a property to suit you in under 3 weeks.

riclad

People on ra don,t all get council housing, you can get ra anywhere ,
as long as you are listed on a local authority housing list .
we ARE in a crisis there, 100,s of people living in hotels cos they can,t get housing.
MY friend was on ra for 8 years before she got an apartment from a housing charity.
The government has increased costs and taxes on all landlords ,
many are getting out, selling up,
the no of landlords taking ra is falling .
All the action is see is they are going to build emergency housing ,in some area,s
probably on council owned land .
it,ll probably take months before a single unit is built .
Say a woman takes a job in a chipper, she loses the right to claim ,ra.
she ,may have to pay a child minding service .
And she has to pay all the rent out of her wages after tax ,prsi,etc

athtrasna

MileyReilly wrote: »

Here's the deal. Not any jobs going in case you didn't notice. Don't really have money lying around to just buy a car.

Did you miss the mod note earlier in the thread?

makeandcreate

Hi, sorry to hear you are in this situation. On a practical level, if you reach a situation were you need to store your furniture etc I maybe able to help with storage in Kildare - PM if needed.
I do think it is time you re evaluated your priorities - when I left my ex in order to provide a home for my children had to live 2 miles outside town, there was no buses etc, not even a footpath along the first mile of the road. I did not drive, had 2 kids in a buggy and a dog. I walked that road mostly daily to get shopping etc and weekly the supermarket would drop off my main shop, briquettes, potatoes etc while I walked home.
I would also walk the woodland on the winter and collect enough sticks to light the fire and keep it going for a couple of hours. I put 20 euro a week into the credit union first priority every week and after 9 months got a loan for driving lessons and eventually a little opel corsa.
Then like you, I was in a position where I had to move due to LL sale but ended up moving 180 km to an area where I could afford rent (don't get RA), I don't really like the area but it is what I had to do to keep a roof over our heads.
It has taken 4 years to get to where I am now looking to choose where I want to live but still the price is a big dictate in my choice.
You have to be responsible and do everything you need to - ring every property you can afford no matter where the location, even if it says no RA, ring and ask, get a LL reference and his contact number - get potential LL s to call them. Call estate agents, letting agents etc, a lot of property never even gets listed but they are the guys who know when people are moving.
Good luck.

handlemaster

makeandcreate wrote: »

Hi, sorry to hear you are in this situation. On a practical level, if you reach a situation were you need to store your furniture etc I maybe able to help with storage in Kildare - PM if needed.
I do think it is time you re evaluated your priorities - when I left my ex in order to provide a home for my children had to live 2 miles outside town, there was no buses etc, not even a footpath along the first mile of the road. I did not drive, had 2 kids in a buggy and a dog. I walked that road mostly daily to get shopping etc and weekly the supermarket would drop off my main shop, briquettes, potatoes etc while I walked home.
I would also walk the woodland on the winter and collect enough sticks to light the fire and keep it going for a couple of hours. I put 20 euro a week into the credit union first priority every week and after 9 months got a loan for driving lessons and eventually a little opel corsa.
Then like you, I was in a position where I had to move due to LL sale but ended up moving 180 km to an area where I could afford rent (don't get RA), I don't really like the area but it is what I had to do to keep a roof over our heads.
It has taken 4 years to get to where I am now looking to choose where I want to live but still the price is a big dictate in my choice.
You have to be responsible and do everything you need to - ring every property you can afford no matter where the location, even if it says no RA, ring and ask, get a LL reference and his contact number - get potential LL s to call them. Call estate agents, letting agents etc, a lot of property never even gets listed but they are the guys who know when people are moving.
Good luck.

This post should be highlighted. This is what the OP needs to be doing. Its great to read where someone that has common sense and uses it to get out of a difficult situation. It must be remembered that for working folk the same applies, you can't always afford where you would ideally like to live and you compromise.... again congrads poster on doing what needed to be done for you family.

haveringchick

makeandcreate wrote: »

Hi, sorry to hear you are in this situation. On a practical level, if you reach a situation were you need to store your furniture etc I maybe able to help with storage in Kildare - PM if needed.
I do think it is time you re evaluated your priorities - when I left my ex in order to provide a home for my children had to live 2 miles outside town, there was no buses etc, not even a footpath along the first mile of the road. I did not drive, had 2 kids in a buggy and a dog. I walked that road mostly daily to get shopping etc and weekly the supermarket would drop off my main shop, briquettes, potatoes etc while I walked home.
I would also walk the woodland on the winter and collect enough sticks to light the fire and keep it going for a couple of hours. I put 20 euro a week into the credit union first priority every week and after 9 months got a loan for driving lessons and eventually a little opel corsa.
Then like you, I was in a position where I had to move due to LL sale but ended up moving 180 km to an area where I could afford rent (don't get RA), I don't really like the area but it is what I had to do to keep a roof over our heads.
It has taken 4 years to get to where I am now looking to choose where I want to live but still the price is a big dictate in my choice.
You have to be responsible and do everything you need to - ring every property you can afford no matter where the location, even if it says no RA, ring and ask, get a LL reference and his contact number - get potential LL s to call them. Call estate agents, letting agents etc, a lot of property never even gets listed but they are the guys who know when people are moving.
Good luck.

This is what you do when you are a responsible adult mature parent of children.
Well done and good luck to you and I hope the next few years are a bit easier for you

riclad

There,s no point in ringing up a house for rent over the ra limit for the county you live in.
rents are going up in most area,s .
crosscare and focus give out a list daily ,houses for rent that take ra.
90 per cent plus of landlords do not take ra clients .
IF someone puts on ad ,would suit professionals,
no ra,
etc its a waste of time to ring them up.
The chances of a single mother being able to pay all the rent for a 2bed house out of their own income is very small,
good luck to her,
she said that she cannot get ra , she must be working or have some other income.

makeandcreate

riclad wrote: »

There,s no point in ringing up a house for rent over the ra limit for the county you live in.
rents are going up in most area,s .
crosscare and focus give out a list daily ,houses for rent that take ra.
90 per cent plus of landlords do not take ra clients .
IF someone puts on ad ,would suit professionals,
no ra,
etc its a waste of time to ring them up.
The chances of a single mother being able to pay all the rent for a 2bed house out of their own income is very small,
good luck to her,
she said that she cannot get ra , she must be working or have some other income.

It was me not the OP that did not get RA but I was no better as a potential tenant than someone on RA - I get 75 euro a week maintenance so this plus my own contribution was how I paid my rent. At the beginning my only other income was one parent family payment and family allowance. I made cards, baby gifts etc and sold them locally which kept me going, yes we had days when we had duvet days as it was so cold but it wasn't unbearable - my rent was 400 a month for a small 2 bed semi out of town, I had to really work at getting the landlord,(asked around found out who he was, plucked up the courage and basically turned up at his door) to give me a shot as he had bad previous experience with social welfare tenants but he did. My last landlady took on a RAS after I moved out even though her ads said she wouldn't.
If neither are working they should be putting in hours and hours, trying to get on local radio, constantly checking, finding empty houses, ask the neighbours what the story with it is, there are houses and apartments in Kilkenny, Laois, Tipp, Offaly that are under RA allowances for 2 adults and one child and while it is hard, you need to get out there and do it.
The pressure and stress they must be under is huge and if it were me I would move to Timbuctoo to alleviate that, due to family issues I left home at 16 and being homeless is one thing that has always terrified me.
After moving, I met my now partner and we bought a derelict house for 25k, got 2 credit union loans to rewire, plumb and insulate it and have slowly done it up.
Best of luck OP.

Wabbit Ears

My advise is to broker a deal with the landlord to extend your stay. If that's not possible you're looking at emergency accommodation. That's the reality of it.

Once that is done one or of both of you need to get a Job, Any Job, and save solely with the purpose of gathering a deposit and rent. Best scarioio is one of you look for daytime work and the other evening or night work so you can avoid childminding fees

Then start looking for a place as private tenants that fit your present possible earnings.

My sister, who is a single parent, had to do exactly this when here rental accommodation was put up for sale, minus her overstaying, when she realised no-one was taking RA Anywhere she adapted as he had no choice. Even as a private tenant landlords had absolutely no interest in renting to a single mother. She also ended up moving from a Dublin suburb to a small cottage in wicklow, Her daughter had to move schools again but now shes employed, Her daughter loves her new school and everything is ok.

Lastly, when you get this all resolved, learn to drive.

Taco Chips

makeandcreate wrote: »

Hi, sorry to hear you are in this situation. On a practical level, if you reach a situation were you need to store your furniture etc I maybe able to help with storage in Kildare - PM if needed.
I do think it is time you re evaluated your priorities - when I left my ex in order to provide a home for my children had to live 2 miles outside town, there was no buses etc, not even a footpath along the first mile of the road. I did not drive, had 2 kids in a buggy and a dog. I walked that road mostly daily to get shopping etc and weekly the supermarket would drop off my main shop, briquettes, potatoes etc while I walked home.
I would also walk the woodland on the winter and collect enough sticks to light the fire and keep it going for a couple of hours. I put 20 euro a week into the credit union first priority every week and after 9 months got a loan for driving lessons and eventually a little opel corsa.
Then like you, I was in a position where I had to move due to LL sale but ended up moving 180 km to an area where I could afford rent (don't get RA), I don't really like the area but it is what I had to do to keep a roof over our heads.
It has taken 4 years to get to where I am now looking to choose where I want to live but still the price is a big dictate in my choice.
You have to be responsible and do everything you need to - ring every property you can afford no matter where the location, even if it says no RA, ring and ask, get a LL reference and his contact number - get potential LL s to call them. Call estate agents, letting agents etc, a lot of property never even gets listed but they are the guys who know when people are moving.
Good luck.

This is a good helpful post with practical advice. One of the only ones on this thread. Many other contributors seem to be enjoying to role of giving out and talking down to the OP a bit too much. Christ a lot of high horses around here and self righteousness. When did we get to the stage where families facing difficulties during the housing crisis were so openly sneered at? Anyway good post makeandcreate!

MileyReilly

A lot of high horses indeed. You'd swear I said I only want to live in a luxurious 5 bed house or something. I'm looking or anything to rent. Anywhere. I never said I'm looking for a place ONLY in town centre. I'm willing to walk a few miles in and out if town. I'm willing to rent anywhere that I'm lucky enough to get. Whether it's a 1 bed apt with no garden or a small house with a bedroom for my child.

To the person who got herself back on her feet by walking into town and collecting sticks to burn etc I can say fair play to you, you made me feel like there is a bit of hope.

To the person with the little passive aggressive comments you look ridiculous and a right one to be talking about common sense.

Stheno

MileyReilly wrote: »

A lot of high horses indeed. You'd swear I said I only want to live in a luxurious 5 bed house or something. I'm looking or anything to rent. Anywhere. I never said I'm looking for a place ONLY in town centre. I'm willing to walk a few miles in and out if town. I'm willing to rent anywhere that I'm lucky enough to get. Whether it's a 1 bed apt with no garden or a small house with a bedroom for my child.

To the person who got herself back on her feet by walking into town and collecting sticks to burn etc I can say fair play to you, you made me feel like there is a bit of hope.

To the person with the little passive aggressive comments you look ridiculous and a right one to be talking about coming sense.

There are few if any properties available to you in the whole of carlow you need to look further afield

MileyReilly

That's what I am doing thanks so much for the great advice

CaoimheSquee

MileyReilly wrote: »

A lot of high horses indeed. You'd swear I said I only want to live in a luxurious 5 bed house or something. I'm looking or anything to rent. Anywhere. I never said I'm looking for a place ONLY in town centre. I'm willing to walk a few miles in and out if town. I'm willing to rent anywhere that I'm lucky enough to get. Whether it's a 1 bed apt with no garden or a small house with a bedroom for my child.

To the person who got herself back on her feet by walking into town and collecting sticks to burn etc I can say fair play to you, you made me feel like there is a bit of hope.

To the person with the little passive aggressive comments you look ridiculous and a right one to be talking about common sense.

The best of luck MileyReilly.
I am afraid I have no tips for you but I just very much hope you and your family find somewhere suitable soon that doesn't require taking kids out of their school or emergency accommodation. There is indeed a severe shortage out there and I wish you well.

Sleepy

Have you tried Netwatch for work? They seem to be growing at a phenomenal rate and pride themselves on being a big employer in Carlow town.

intheclouds

What about going to your partners family in Portugal? Could they help?

Would your partner find it easier to get work over there?

Mrs OBumble

CaoimheSquee wrote: »

I am afraid I have no tips for you but I just very much hope you and your family find somewhere suitable soon that doesn't require taking kids out of their school or emergency accommodation. There is indeed a severe shortage out there and I wish you well.

His kid is three. Change of schools now isn't an issue.

Available of schools in the area that he moves to is. But luckily most small areas have schools that are desperate for more students rather than a shortage of places.

However I do think that availability of jobs for either MileyReillyor Mrs MileyReilly is likely to be more important: the best way to get around "RA not accepted" is to not need RA.

intheclouds

intheclouds wrote: »

What about going to your partners family in Portugal? Could they help?

Would your partner find it easier to get work over there?

Portugal is fecked and has one of the lowest if the not the lowest average salary in the EU (less than half of Ireland's) so I'd imagine its not a good place to be looking for work or looking for the dole.

EndaHonesty

Cayson Mango Python wrote: »

Portugal is fecked and has one of the lowest if the not the lowest average salary in the EU (less than half of Ireland's) so I'd imagine its not a good place to be looking for work or looking for the dole.

Portugal is in recovery with growth and the unemployment numbers coming down, it's not Greece!

And of course the weather isn't bad...

EndaHonesty

EndaHonesty wrote: »

Portugal is in recovery with growth and the unemployment numbers coming down, it's not Greece!

And of course the weather isn't bad...

The average salary net salary is just over 1k per month...... not the sort of thing you want to be aiming for and as I said if you aren't working I'd imagine state benefits are non-existent. Hot weather is over rated, see how you can sleep at night if you cant afford aircon.

Safran

I am sorry if this sounds offensive, but I cannot believe someone cannot find any job.
I havr been recently asked to help to find a job for a polish guy who came to Ireland as he was promised a job and when he arrived there was no job waiting for him. He had no qualifications, no driving licence, no 3rd level education and his english was so-so. He had a full time job within 2 weeks, even though he had no pps.
In co. Carlow I have heard you can always get a job in warehouses somewhere near baganelstwon (?). Even if you do not have a car I am sure there are plenty of people who would share a lift.
Good luck.

athtrasna

Mod note

Posters are asked to stay on topic. The weather in Portugal and social welfare questions all have appropriate fora.