Help for a Gillingham Tenant

[valsanswers]

Hi all

I'm asking this for my Auntie, who doesn't seem to get a lot of luck with securing somewhere to live longer then a year

Having moved a lot of times now, most tenancies over the years been through letting agents and in her current property after only a year has been served an S21 notice due for expiry in May (because the landlord needs it back to now house his own son) and as she hasn't been sucessful securing anywhere else as it stands, we wonder what her next step should be? been to Council but they don't seem that willing to help I take it she has to wait until homeless in May.. I would of thought with an S21 she would become priority? There is her, an 11 year son and another one in his twenties so ideally needing a three bedroomed property.

Also can someone advise us of the best way to try and find a private landlard in the medway towns (Gillingham/Chatham area of Kent) because I would think that could be her best bet at the moment trying to find a private landlord...

I'm shocked at the way the system can operate and would be extremely thankful for any responses

[Snorkerz]

First thing to note is that she won't be a priority for council help because an s21 is NOT a notice to quit. It merely reserves the right for the landlord to apply to the court for possession. If she leaves at the expiry of the s21, when she has no need to, then she will be voluntarily homeless - and so far as the council is concerned, that's a red rag to a bull!

Most landlords make the first AST only 6 months - a kind of trial run in case things go wrong - so Auntie has been lucky to get repeated 12 month contracts. The clue is in the name - Assured SHORThold Tenancy However, there is no rule that says an AST has to be for 6 or 12 months, she just needs to negotiate a longer contract term, whilst understanding that doing so ties her to the property too.

I'm interested in your last sentence. Which bit in particular shocks you?

BTW - this may be of interest... http://tenancyanswers.ucoz.com/index/being_evicted/0-21