Furniture and household goods

Freecycle and Freegle are sites that people use to give things away for free, but you can also post a request for particular items. You normally have to collect them yourself and you need to have an email address so you can create an account. Nextdoor is designed to provide local news and information but can be used in the same way.

Many people use websites like Gumtree and eBay to buy second-hand furniture. There are scams on these sites so you need to be careful about who you buy from.  Watch out for sellers who ask you to pay in advance or only take payments by money transfer using Western Union, MoneyGram or Ukash. If you pay online using Paypal your purchase may be covered by their buyer protection policy.

You can find information about charity shops that sell furniture and household good below.

Benefit advances

If you’re claiming benefits you may be able to get an advance on your payments. You have to pay this money back but you can do this over time and won’t pay any interest. You can only ask for an advance to pay for specific expenses, including furniture and household goods.

• if you’re claiming income-based JSA, income-based ESA, Income Support or Pension Credit this is called a budgeting loan.
• if you’re claiming Universal Credit this is called a budgeting advance.

Find out more about asking for a budgeting loan or budgeting advance.

Discretionary grants from the council

If you can’t get a benefits advance you may be able to get a Discretionary Community Care Grant or Discretionary Crisis Payment from Wandsworth Council. These can be used to pay for furniture and household goods but to get one you have to show that you can’t get money elsewhere. You should get a decision about your application within 5 days.

Find out more about applying for a Discretionary Community Care Grant or Discretionary Crisis Payment.

The Turn2Us grant search can help you find organisations that may help you with one-off expenses.

Grants are often limited to £300, you may have to meet particular criteria and it can take weeks or months to get a decision about an application. You usually have to apply through a charity, social worker, health visitor or local councillor.

A credit union is a non-profit organisation that provides loans and savings accounts. They can be cheaper to borrow from, especially as you only pay interest on the balance you owe. If you have a poor credit history or low income a credit union may still lend you money. Credit unions are usually happy to lend small amounts of money for sensible reasons.

Our local credit union is Wandsworth Plus.