I’m a self-confessed ‘bad mum’ raising my three kids in a two-bed council house – I’m desperate for a bigger pad
A SELF-confessed “bad mum” has revealed how she’s struggling amid the UK’s housing crisis – despite earning tens of thousands on social media.
Whitney Ainscough currently lives in a two-bedroom council house with her boyfriend, three children and two dogs.
But the 30-year-old is desperately hunting for somewhere new as the family have “no room to breathe” in their current home.
She viewed a four-bedroom house up for private rent earlier in the week that she described as “literally perfect”.
However, the landlord offered the property to somebody else.
This is something Whitney predicted would happen as she believes landlords would rather have doctors or mortgage advisors, over social media stars, for tenants.
“They’ve decided to give it to someone else,” she sombrely revealed on TikTok.
“Honestly, I’m gutted… But it clearly wasn’t meant to be.”
Whitney candidly shared that there’s “no room at all” in her two bedroom house, where she is raising three children – Cora, 11, son Addison six, and Adley, two – and two Miniature Dachshund puppies.
“No room to breathe, no room to sleep,” she said.
“We’re just desperate for a house.”
However, cruel trolls took to the comments of her video to ask Rotherham, South Yorks-based Whitney: “Why don’t you just buy a house?”
“At least you have a home,” another slammed.
As a social media star, Whitney boasts a staggering combined 361,000 followers on TikTok alone.
The platform came about after she started sharing her lifestyle claiming benefits back in 2022.
When putting on a livestream on TikTok, the mum-of-three clocks up hundreds of likes just by dancing around in her kitchen wearing a dressing gown.
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:
- are homeless
- live in cramped conditions
- have a medical condition made worse by your current home
- are seeking to escape domestic violence
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.
And when the likes and comments hit over 1,000, she knows she’s rolling in cash.
That’s because – thanks to the TikTok creators’ fund and associated advertising deals – each view means cash.
Whitney previously told Fabulous that she’s on track to make over £200,000 in 2024 – something he proudly says is “more than twice what the Prime Minister earns”.
“All I do is muck about on TikTok and social media for a couple of hours a day – it’s a total joke,” she added.
I used to be on Universal Credit and getting by on £1,200-a-month. Now, I can earn that in just a day while people watch me on social media
Whitney Ainscough
“I used to be on Universal Credit and getting by on £1,200-a-month.
“Now, I can earn that in just a day while people watch me on social media.
“I even make hundreds from posts about what I eat for dinner.
“It’s hilarious the Prime Minister has to work more than a 100 hours a week.
“I am set to earn double that on social media, winding up trolls and dancing in my kitchen.”