Overcrowding laws?

chocs2010

hi everyone,nothing much has changed we are still in our 1 bedroom flat with our boys now aged 9 and 3 and our little girl nearly 1.we have been to see local mp,wrote a letter to david cameron,wrote to housing minister but he cant help as were not living in his area,spoke to citizens advice and shelter who both said nothing much can be done as overcrowding laws have not been updated since whenever,have letters of support from health visitor and childs headteacher and have looked at our local authority overcrowding policy and still nothing.my housing officer still belives to this day we would get moved a lot quicker if my partner gives up his job,i would like to add we are not taking her advice by doing that.

pmlindyloo

Just re-reading this thread from the beginning.

Unfortunately the law on overcrowding is seriously outdated. However, if there is overcrowding in law , in my opinion, it doesn't make much difference. If there are no properties available then there are no properties available!

This is very similar to the needs of homeless people and here I'm thinking of single (particularly male) people. From what I've read councils do have a duty to house them but if the accommodation isn't available then, again, they can't be 'housed'.

To return to this particular thread. Have you tried to do a swap? I know this is easier said than done but there may be someone who is in a house too big for them and could downsize.

Just to 'stir things up' - I wish that it was compulsory (OK, the norm!) for council house tenants to downsize when appropriate.

elvis86

pmlindyloo wrote: »

Just to 'stir things up' - I wish that it was compulsory (OK, the norm!) for council house tenants to downsize when appropriate.

Totally agree.

Whilst I'm not a fan of people having children based on the assumption that the state will house them (or for that matter, pay for them), I also object to council houses for life.

For whatever reason, we have a limited stock of council/housing association housing, and like any state resource, this should be used to benefit the optimum number of people. IMO, it wouldn't be at all unreasonable for council/HA tenants to have the same rights as I do as a private tenant.

If Mr and Mrs Smith's 3 kids leave home, they should be served notice on their 3 bed semi (which they should be required to leave in a decent state when they leave, with penalties for failing to do so), and rehoused in a one bedroom flat, freeing up the aforementioned semi for Mr and Mrs Jones and their young family (okay, these days they probably wouldn't be married!:D).

If you want the stability of knowing you have a home for life, save up and buy one. Like I'll have to. Simples. It should be a lot easier to save a deposit when you're paying £70 a week rent on a council/HA property.:cool:

chocs2010

hi,we have really have tried everything,i have posted leaflets through doors and look on homeswapper everyday and we have put our names on other local authority housing lists,we have also offerd single people we know to be living in a 3 bedroom house the little savings we have but noone wants to downsize to a 1 bedroom flat.

Wee_Willy_Harris

It may help to know what area you live in?

sock-knitter

if you live in wakefield, west yorkshire, i may be prepared to swap.
i live in a 3 bed semi, and as soon as my 16 year old sons move out, i would love a flat, this house will be too big for me on its own

oldtractor

My 2 adult sons share a single bedroom,it is 2 metres wide an 4 metres long. We live in a 2 bed terraced and myself and my husband have the other bedroom,which,admittedly,is larger. We own our home. it is what we can afford. We are grateful to have a roof over our heads to be honest, and non of us whinge about the lack of space or privacy. We just get on with it.

Wee_Willy_Harris

That might be because you have no lack of space! The issue discussed is a family of 5 in a 1 bedroom flat. A bit different to 3 people in a 2 bed house.

TeamLowe

forgive me if I'm remembering incorrectly, but i'm sure i've seen in other threads as well that the HA has no duty under the law to rehouse you if it can be argued that you've made yourself intentionally overcrowded?
Is there a difference between a 5 person family being put into a 1 bedroom flat and so HA have willingly made it overcrowded, rather than a case of it was perfectly fine for a couple/3 people so that's what the HA gave but the couple decided themselves to have more people living there, which is a very callous way of looking at children, i realise!
Not meant to be judgemental of anyone's situation, just something to consider if I'm right. which i doubt cos it hasn't been mentioned so far! lol x x

Wee_Willy_Harris

TeamLowe wrote: »

forgive me if I'm remembering incorrectly, but i'm sure i've seen in other threads as well that the HA has no duty under the law to rehouse you if it can be argued that you've made yourself intentionally overcrowded?
Is there a difference between a 5 person family being put into a 1 bedroom flat and so HA have willingly made it overcrowded, rather than a case of it was perfectly fine for a couple/3 people so that's what the HA gave but the couple decided themselves to have more people living there, which is a very callous way of looking at children, i realise!
Not meant to be judgemental of anyone's situation, just something to consider if I'm right. which i doubt cos it hasn't been mentioned so far! lol x x

You are spot on. The legal aspect to overcrowding only takes account of the size of household at the point of let, not the natural expansion of a family over time. However, individual LA/HA policies may well differ from this.