If you're going through foreclosure, or have recently lost your home to foreclosure, your primary concern is probably finding a place to live. As you know, it can be difficult to get your first new housing after your foreclosure. Even people who are sympathetic with your situation may not feel able to rent to you with a very fresh foreclosure on your credit report.
A good first idea is to talk to small, independent landlords. They may have small apartment buildings or own duplexes or town homes. If you explain your situation, are honest about the foreclosure, and can present a plan showing how you're going to meet your rent obligation, many of them will be willing to listen.
It is not worth your time to talk to large apartment complexes. They have very strict credit rules. Even a manager who likes you and believes you will pay the rent may not have the authority to rent to you. Just about the only thing you can get from these complexes is discouragement. But smaller landlords may be willing to work with you.
If you cannot get a lease, look for subleases in your area. Quite often you won't have to go through a credit check with the landlord, and if you can make the deposit with the person who leases the apartment, you can move in. When the sublease is up, you will have proven that you can and will meet your rent obligation, and you can use your landlord as a reference.
If you cannot lease or sublet an apartment, you may feel a little (or a lot) desperate. You cannot afford to live in a hotel, obviously, and living on the street is not an option if you can avoid it. You may feel you're out of alternatives, but one creative idea may save you from being completely homeless while you look for an apartment or house you can lease.
This idea may sound a little odd, and it's not something you would do by choice, but it can be a good short-term option while you shop for other opportunities.
You can rent a camping space for only a few dollars a night, and most cities have campgrounds nearby. In reasonably temperate areas, at least part of the year, you can purchase a tent for a few tens of dollars. You may not like the idea of living in a tent, but you'll have access to showers and a place to sleep at night.
Many people do actually live in campgrounds, and like it. You may be able to find an older camper trailer for a very affordable price, and actually have a small home while you work your way up to affording an apartment. Either of these campground options can work if you have no other choices.
Your goal, in finding somewhere (anywhere) to stay after your foreclosure is to have some sort of choice. You may not be able to live as you've been accustomed, but as long as you have somewhere to stay in the weeks after you lose your home, you have options. You're not homeless if you live somewhere, and just not being homeless lets you continue working, or look for a new job, or find other ways of qualifying for a rental. And you keep your self-respect, which is the most valuable thing you own.
Have you got a problem with a local authority or housing association landlord seeking possession of your home, but you don't know where to turn to? Have you applied for housing, but are being told that you are not entitled to council housing? Or have you paid a lot of rent to a private landlord who is now refusing to fix the roof or the plumbing? In other words do you need housing advice, but haven't yet found the right person to turn to? Why not let Duncan Lewis & Co help?
Duncan Lewis & Co was established in 1998, but has already grown to be one of the largest providers of legal advice to individuals in the country. It is committed to excellent quality of service services. It prides itself on the expertise of its lawyers who will advise you on the best solution for you in a completely confidential environment.
Our housing solicitors can advise you as to your legal rights and represent you in court proceedings to help you ensure that vital repairs are carried out to your home, to help you retain possession of your home or if you need to make a claim against the local authority who have refused to provide you with accommodation to which you are entitled. We will be in your corner seeking to ensure that you achieve the best possible outcome to your problem. If your rent arrears are related to a failure in relation to a claim for housing benefit, we will be able to investigate this on your behalf and seek to establish regular payments of rent from the local authority by way of housing benefit.
Duncan Lewis & Co also provides advice in relation to problems arising from mortgage arrears, service charge disputes, and disputes pertaining to unfair contract terms. We can help you defend claims against you for possession on the basis that you have caused damage to a property or nuisance to neighbours or we can help you bring claims against a landlord who is guilty of seeking to evict you unlawfully.
Duncan Lewis & Co has a franchise from the Legal Services Commission in work relating to housing and to welfare benefits matters. This means that we will often be able to provide assistance to you free of charge if you qualify for help under the legal aid scheme. We are experts in finding solutions to complex housing issues without compounding your problems by being faced with the possibility of open ended legal fees.
For any housing issues please contact us at any time via our website or on our free phone number to be connected to a specialist advisor. Visit us at duncanlewis.co.uk for more details.
Both Brian Higdon & Sridhar Duncanlewis are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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