Rent application critera - rent no more than 30% of income?!

[PinkTurtle]

Seriously, how is a single mother on single parent pension meant to be able to afford rent if this is the case? Rent is so expensive these days and I need atleast a 3 bedroom home for the kids... maybe if they were older they could share a room, but whilst they are both still so young (one being a newborn) - I'm not really keen on them waking eachother up all through the night.

I will be getting the family assistance payments plus child support, but even with rent assistance - i'm still struggling to find a place.

If you don't mind me asking, how much rent are you paying? Is it below 30% of your income? Maybe I just have to put my newborn daughter into childcare straight away so I can go back to work so I can afford a place? How do you do it? I feel like everything is against me. My solicitor said I can't move away from the area by law because my ex lives here and it's in the best interest of the children to have regular consistant access to both parents. That's all fine and dandy, but I don't even know anyone here. I don't even have any family here to help me when the new baby comes. I had my interview with centrelink yesterday and they won't approve the payments because they don't have enough proof that i'm not living in a marital relationship, so I need to move out before they will help me - yet I can't move out with out a regular income... it's a vicious cycle! Fortunately my husband is starting to cooperate in hopes of keeping it out of court. He has offered to pay my bond and rent until centrelink starts paying me and then he will just continue his payments as child support. I thought centrelink would have a problem with this because he would be basically supporting me (more than even when we were in a marital relationship), but they said it was a great option because i'd be scene as single since living at a seperate address and his rent payments would be classified as child maintenace. But now i'm finding it hard to even find a place i'm going to be able to afford to rent with the income I get from centrelink because of the rental agent saying that rent has to be less than 30%.... I just want to scream....:hissy:

[HarvestMoon]

Do you have any community housing providers or supported accommodation you could apply for in your area? Department of housing will be able to supply you with a list of these. Getting your name on department of housing is probably a good idea too.

With private rentals i think your best bet is to move to outer cheaper/dodgy areas. You will probably have more luck there. Unless you just settle for a 2 bed unit? Would you be able to share with your newborn? Thats what i did when i was in the same situation.

As for not moving away.. you should still be able to move to close towns. Like living in bris shouldn't be an issue as it's only an hour to an hour an a half drive to Toowoomba. It all really depends on what you and your ex agree on. I have a friend who lives out ipswich way and her ex lives up at the Sunshine coast.. They just meet at a half way point when dropping the children off. That was decided through court too. You don't have to stay in the same exact town.. just relatively close usually.
Courts will sometimes make exemptions to this say for the fact that you have no family/friends for support where you live. If you wanted to move to be closer to them you may be able to. they will sometimes make the exemption for work reasons as well.

I know it's all so difficult.. have been there before and am going through it all again. You will get there though!
Good luck with it all!

[NibbleCurlynBub]

30% :dizzy:

Mine was a little over 50%. :no:

[our little treasures]

You are right about the 30% of income. Our agent told us that they only accept applicants when the rent is only 30% of their total incomes..

I know it's hard but it is really a good thing. So many people get into a lot of debt over committing to rent. I THINK it is a very responsible thing for the agents to do..


It sounds like you would fit into the category for a public house.. Perhaps have a chat to the housing department:)

[OJandMe]

I'm not a single parent, and can't imagine what you're going through..

But I do have 4 kids, and they all share rooms.

O and J have always shared a room. And G and J2 will share once J2 moves out of my room. I have had them sleep in the same room for a week, and J2's night wakings (4 times a night) didn't wake G in the slightest... and he is a LIGHT sleeper.

They do just learn to sleep through each other's noise...


Hope that at least helps to put your mind at ease is they do need to share a room.

And I second the people who have said to try private rentals.

[Benji]

Before I started work, I paid well over 50% of my income on rent.

I flat out refuse to live in a questionable area in a place with no room for DS to run about.

I'd rather have little money and live in a decent place than spend less on rent and live in a place I hate.

[our little treasures]

Before I started work, I paid well over 50% of my income on rent.

I flat out refuse to live in a questionable area in a place with no room for DS to run about.

I'd rather have little money and live in a decent place than spend less on rent and live in a place I hate.
Yes but they won't even put your application to the landlord. I am sure the op would be happy to pay more but unfortunately the Agents will not process the application if it is more than 30%.

[canberramomma]

It's the same with buying a home. They don't like you to spend more than 30% of your income on accommodation costs.

I know with the bank I worked with though, if you could show that you had good money management skills, they would often bend the rules.

Check it out with the property managers you are dealing with.

[OneBabyBoy]

When I was on SPP alone my rent was 70-something% of my total income. It really was a nightmare, pretty hard to live week to week. Luckily I was approved for this place when there were 2 of us working full time. Then the ex moved out and I went on maternity leave.
I've managed to stay here and have never once been late with my rent, which is something I'm proud of.

Have you got a parent/friend that earns quite a bit? They might agree to go on the lease with you but just not live there. It's worth a try. Good luck, i'll be thinking of you. I can only imagine how stressful it would be :hugs:

[ladybugblue84]

I don't really have any advice but I can sympathise. I'm in the same boat & I don't see myself moving out of my dads place any time soon. It's a bit depressing. I'm going to put my name down with housing commission and start looking for a job.

[Benji]

Yes but they won't even put your application to the landlord. I am sure the op would be happy to pay more but unfortunately the Agents will not process the application if it is more than 30%.

Keep trying different agents - I go through an agent :)

[HarvestMoon]

ladybugblue84 you should put your name down on community rent scheme waitlists too. Being under 25, low income and a single parent put you in a higher priority catergory. In Bris you have MATCH, Redback, INCH and Mangrove housing just to name a few. I've got a list of numbers if you are interested? Otherwise as i said before you can get a list of them from Department of houing.

I was on the waitlist for about 2 months before i got one. Rent is 25% of your income.. excluding you FTB part B

[CaitlinArai22]

Yep, i know the feeling, except dp is on a dsp and i'm on a carers.

Apparently while we qualify for gov housing (we are housed innapropriately for dps conditions, and have a bub on the way and no room), we only qualify for the wait turn list - that could be 5 to 10 yrs and dp is getting worse rapidly)

but the government say we could pay up to $600 a fortnight between us:confused: so we dont qualify for priority.

I've now applied for 42 properties and been turned down. agents have admitted their 30% income rule - that only qualifys us to pay $360 a forntnight - yeah, like we'll find somewhere suitable for $180 a week:confused:

So we're stuck between a rock and a hard place so to speak, watching dp get worse and worse....

i dont know what people in our situation are meant to do.
i'm on the verge of going to ACA or TT i swear!

[PinkTurtle]

CaitlinArai22 - $180 is what I think my 30% limit is too which is suckful because the rentals are about $250-255.. some of them are a little bit more - but I actually thought $255 was cheap! But I don't really know how much money i'd actually get paid on the SPP plus child support because they won't pay me until I no longer live in my Ex's house. I did that calculator thing on CSA website and with two bubbas apparently my Ex should pay a bit over $900 a fortnight... I don't know how accurate that thing is and I know there are other factors that influence the sum that they ultimately calculate.

My Ex has agreed to pay the bond and rent until Centrelink starts paying me etc. So that is something... He gets a fat pay cheque, so they shouldn't knock him back. But i'm just wondering if goes guarantor whether that will effect rent assistance for me?

Had four inspections booked for today, three cancelled on me last minute. Bit of a wasted trip because we actually live 45mins out of Toowoomba and I was a bit disappointed because they had cancelled due to them approving leases for the properties. I think it's going to be a bit of a hard feat trying to get a rental :gloomy:

As for moving to Brisbane, I don't think i'd like to live there anyway - rent would be much more expensive there. My solicitor said that since my Ex actually works 5 days on 5 days off (underground mining) where my parents happen to live... We could go to court and ask for permission to change postcodes on the basis that he 'lives' there for half of the year - he said we'd have more success applying for permission on that basis. Apparently the last 18 months the court has really tightned the belt on this one as it's in the best interest of the child to have regular access to both parents. He did say however, if the parent with custody had the consent of the other parent - it wouldn't be a problem. But my Ex does have a problem with it. I'm thankful I can atleast live in Toowoomba I suppose, not stuck out bush.

I really don't want my children to share bedrooms especially whilst the smallest is still a newborn. My first daughter started sleeping through at 8 weeks and if my 2nd daughter takes to sleeping through like my 1st - awesome! I'd certainly feel better about putting them into a room together. But whilst my first daughter wakes at the crack of the floor boards, I don't think it'd be such a good idea for them to be bunk buddies if I want to keep my sanity! After all... I won't have anyone for support... I won't have anyone to do just one night shift duty for me... I won't have anyone to help me with one screaming bub who has been woking by another screaming bub... I won't have anyone to look after my oldest bub whilst I have a nap whilst my nb daughter sleeps. I did do it all on my own with my first daughter... but I also slept when she slept during the day - I found it really easy because I actually got sleep. All those little luxuries like sleep I had with the first one will be lost with my second daughter. :sleeping: But we will find away to get thought it, just me and my girls!

I did try with my first daughter having her bassinette in our room as I was convinced that would be best during my pregnancy - but unfortunately I couldn't stand it! I couldn't sleep at all with her in there because I could hear every little murmur, grunt, breath that she took - despite being the heaviest sleeper known to man kind before I became a mother... Call me selfish, but I NEED sleep to function - especially if I'm going to be functioning with two children by myself.

Thanks for all of your advice and support... It helps to know that i'm not the only one that is going through this rigmarole! I will certainly contact Department of housing... although my pride has gotten in the way of me doing this earlier! I've always owned house/s, in 2008 he and I sold 2 of our own rental properties (plus a main dwelling)... unfortunately it all went into the farm or the bank (which only has his name on it). I've never needed help, not even when I left home. It's hard without it now though since I have children. I suppose all I can do is keep applying for rentals and hope eventually they will approve me. I need to find a property that is on the market long enough for me to actually apply for first! That thought keeps reoccuring in my head... It would be SO much easier to forfeit my quest for seperation and just wither away in the corner! Thanks ladies.:flowerz:

[BabyfacedMum]

Not to be a wet blanket BUT how did you arrive at the figure of $900 per fortnight?

I read in a previous thread that you said that your ex partner is self-employed and pays himself a pittance?

To get $900 a fortnight your ex-Dh will need to be on an income of in excess of $250,000 per year.....and unless he is in reciept of an income of this magnitude that is verifiable by the tax office as being HIS income (as opposed to business income) then he will not be assessed as having to pay you even close to $900 per fortnight. Business income is different to personal income and is not subject to CSA calculations unless in very specific circumstances.

Not trying to deflate your balloon but I don't want you to be relying on getting this huge child support windfall each fortnight just to have it not eventuate. And your ex DH sounds quite tricky when it comes to finances so be careful.

Also if you DO happen to recieve this much in child support then unfortunately you will not be eligible for public housing as they go on a set household budget which is in proportion to your household size and with that amount of CS and centrelink you will be well and truley over the limit. $900 is what a lot of sole parents have as their entire income - not just as the CS componant.

As for the "separated under one roof" deal. Appeal centrelinks decision as they CANNOT prevent your from recieving the payment because you are still co-habitating with your ex. My mum is an ARO for centrelink and her job revolves around legislation and policy and it is ILLEGAL for centrelink to withhold payment based on ONE factor - such as the fact that you are still living with ex. They can give you a time frame with which to ATTEMPT to find another place....however if you are unsuccessful they cannot stop payment.....you do need to be trying to find another place OR have a very good reason to still be co-habitating with him - such as illness, dire financial circumstances, cultural issues etc.

If you have time....try and find out the correct legislation (I will get it off mum sometime soon and post it for everyone dealing with this on bubhub).

Over 60% of decisions regarding cancellation/withholding of the SPP is overturned on ARO appeal...and a further 40% is eventually overturned after further appeals (Social Security Appeals Tribunal etc which is NOT part of centrelink but is independant of them).....unfortunately the vast majority of people given the wrong information do NOT appeal......which is why most centrelink workers remain completely uneducated on correct policy and social security law. I don't think they intentionally provide wrong information but they simply do not KNOW the correct procedure as most customer service reps are quite poorly trained in legislation and application (which is why you will often hear conflicting advice on the same question from 2 different centrelink workers)....they are just human beings who are taught how to use a computer and input data....with the case of marriage like relationships and living separated under the same roof they are simply told to use their own discretion but are not taught the finer details regarding social security law. Which is why ARO's exist....they are more trained in legislation and are the safety net for the client and are the "patch" that are there to fix holes in the application of the system.

As long as you are doing the right thing they cannot refuse to pay you.

YOu should gather up all your evidence of looking for alternative accomodation - such as rental applications, perhaps emails to REA asking about available properties etc. Take these into centrelink and use it as evidence of your trying to look for another place.....if you are still unsuccessful then tell the customer service officer to review his/her decision and if she either refused or comes back with the same decision tell her that you wish for the decision to be reviewed by an Authorised Review Officer and that you will also be considering applying for compensation due to an administration breach! This will quickly change his/her mind about your payment eligibility.

I would also advise that you speak to the "welfare rights" service....they are solicitors who are experts in welfare law and will help you write and file your appeal, they are also a free service.

Also check out their website to get some more info on "separated under one roof" and what centrelink can and cannot do regarding paying you.

Good luck!

[NibbleCurlynBub]

I did that calculator thing on CSA website and with two bubbas apparently my Ex should pay a bit over $900 a fortnight... I don't know how accurate that thing is and I know there are other factors that influence the sum that they ultimately calculate.
Is that including Centrelink, or not..

Because to get that from him would be near impossible. I did the calculator not long ago and for 2 kids I would only get $150 a week.