I lived in council homeless accommodation with my family for a year – we paid £200 a month just to get kids to school

A MUM has spilled the beans on the costs of her temporary council housing after being evicted from the previous property.

Mum-of-four Beth Owen was forced to seek help after her family was evicted from their private rented house.

The brood, from the UK, found themselves ''homeless'' for a whopping 12 months and were placed into temporary housing until they were offered a new council house.

After landing themselves a temporary accommodation, Beth managed to get the family ''into the highest bond'' - which meant they were a bigger priority - after receiving a doctor's note.

At the start of the journey, ''the homeless officer was struggling'' to find a B&B or a hotel for the Beth, her fiancé and the four kids.

This meant the brood had to live at her dad's house for some time before they were finally offered their temporary home.

The mum - who claimed to have ''no idea how the temporary housing thing worked'' until they found themselves in the situation - said they didn't need to fork out for a deposit.

They saw it as a huge bonus which was quite ''handy because it was really short notice''.

In the video, Beth also revealed that their ''temporary home was through a private sector'', which meant ''there was the council and then there was a private landlord above the council''.

The rent that the family was paying would then go directly to the landlord, who was living abroad in Romania, she explained.

If there were any issues with the accommodation, Beth would have to go and contact the council - but if they required any permission, they needed to get it from the landlord owning the property.

''The only thing I did find a little bit difficult was if we had any issues, a phone call would be that little bit quicker than sending an email.''

She noted that when she tried to contact the people working for the council, they often ''had no idea which department to me through''.

In total, Beth was paying around £480 a month for rent of the two-floor house - although there were some months where they did get financial help towards to the expenses.

''We still had to pay full council tax and all household bills, and obviously still food, gas and electric.''

Another expense they had to tackle was an eye-watering sum of £200 every month to take the children to the school on the bus, as Beth doesn't drive and the cost of petrol for her partner was even higher.

According to Beth, who has since managed to move out of the temporary home, ''the waiting time to have a council house is different to everyone''.

How can I get a council house?

To apply for a council home, you need to fill out and hand in an application to your local authority.

To find your local authority, simply use the Government's council locator tool on its website.

Once you have access to your local council's website, it should offer you guidelines on how to complete your application.

After applying, you'll most likely have to join a waiting list.

Bear in mind, even if you are put on a waiting list, this doesn't guarantee you a council house offer.

Your council should also offer you advice on how to stay in your current home and solve any issues you might have, such as problems with a private landlord or mortgage.

You are eligible to apply for council housing if you are a British citizen living in the UK providing have not lived abroad recently.

Each council has its own local rules about who qualifies to go on the housing register in its area, but it is based on "points" or a "banding" system.

For example, you’re likely to be offered housing first if you:

Once you are high enough on a council's waiting list, it will contact you when a property is available.

Some councils let people apply at the age of 18, while others let you apply even sooner at 16-year-olds.

EU workers and their families and refugees may also be eligible.

A council house is reached through a points system, so depending on your housing needs, you may be considered low priority.

The council will contact you about any available property once you are high enough on the waiting list.

There is no limit on how long you can expect to be on the waiting list.

In some cases, the working mum said this can be ''weeks, months'' - or even years.

The mum, who was criticised for ''having another kid'' whilst being homeless, hit back and explained that she fell pregnant ''before receiving the eviction''.

Beth's TikTok page, where she shares her journey, has won her more than 18k followers, with dozens bravely opening up about their struggles.

One said: ''Literally in temporary house tbh and this property is horrible.''

Another chimed in: ''Still waiting been in 7 temp accommodations in 13 years, been bidding since 12 years.''

A third penned: ''I waited 8 years for my council house.''