Getting a council house! is it possible anymore?

mishmash

Phantasm wrote: »

she said that she is going to exaggerate her situation to the council like everyone does when they apply an the council even expect this.

Sorry, have read this thread and really did not want to get involved, but when I saw this bit I wanted to say that is so not true.

I have posted elsewhere, but I found myself as a single Mum of 3 very little ones and homeless. I went to my parents where we had to share a bedroom (my childrhood one) my Mum was very poorly yet it took nearly 2 years for me to get a council house. I went back to college and did waking night shifts to give us a better life and not be dependant on the state, but could not afford a mortgage.

Long story but I did not lie, I was in real need and I know I waited for so long for a house because others embroided thier own circumstances to get priority. An example was that while I was at my parents I became aware of a 3 bed council house that was available near my Nana's bungalow, I asked the council but was told it was to go to someone in higher need ( I was at the top of the list). Basically it was a woman with 1 daughter who lied that her other children lived with her (they lived with their fathers). Nothing I could do, it added another year to my situation.

only my 2p

Mish

neverdespairgirl

Phantasm wrote: »

like most of us are nowadays she wants a council house which is a right which everyone is entitled to in this country

We are all entitled to want something, but there is no general right to council housing.

margaretclare

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

We are all entitled to want something, but there is no general right to council housing.

I agree. I was not aware that there was any such right, or that there ever has been or is ever likely to be.

poppysarah

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans]- The revised Charter invites states to reduce homelessness and to provide everyone with access to decent housing at a reasonable price.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans]http://www.humanrights.coe.int/cseweb/GB/GB1/GB11.htm[/FONT]
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margaretclare

poppysarah wrote: »

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans]- The revised Charter invites states to reduce homelessness and to provide everyone with access to decent housing at a reasonable price.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans]http://www.humanrights.coe.int/cseweb/GB/GB1/GB11.htm[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans]
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The operative word is 'invites' (member) states...

The OP is not homeless.

avinabacca

Phantasm wrote: »

YOU ARE HIDEOUS

No need for personal abuse there, chick.

Although I can see that you might get a bit lippy, being caught out saying you'd happily defraud the council and all that.

Can the board admin bar you from here, for advocating a criminal act? Just a thought, like.....

blue_monkey_2

Well, was not sure whether to post on this thread, or whether my comments were wanted but I thought I wuld give my experiences....

I rented my mums house off her for 10 years, she lived elsewhere, we paid for the entire upkeep on the house as she could not afford to, anyway last November, despite signing a new 10 year fixed rate 4 months earlier, she dropped a bombshell that she wanted to sell the house.

We tried all the EA to get something private but there were strict controls over who rents. You had to be bringing home 3 times the rent, no bad debts... we failed on both counts there. We were low income earners, my son has a disability, because my husband does a job where he has to be on call I could not work, I had my own business, when the house went that had to too as I had no base to work from. He was on 20k pa so that was all we got. I could not leave my son with anyone due to his disability, not even friends would look after him.

We had been on the council list for 8 years and so I thought they would help. They told me to stay put and not to move out, if she wanted us out there were strict rules she had to follow. Mum had to evict us with through the courts if she wanted us out. That took 7 months. We had to fight to get entitlement points all the time. The council doctor specified my son need his own room due to his disability. So we was entitled to 3 bed instead of 2 (I have a girl and boy).

One court case down and the council told us not to leave the house - we would be making ourselves homeless if so, so mum has to apply to the court again and get a court appointed bailiff to remove us, in the end we was 1 week from the bailiff coming to remove us from the house and we got offered somewhere. However, we did not just get offered it, we had to apply for it with our points on the points system. However, our 'emergency situation' overode everything else and we got it on a need basis - however, had we not of applied for it we would not have got it. If that makes sense.

This took over 7 months from mum asking us to leave.

We got a Housing Association house but it had been stripped bare, light fittings and shelving had been taken down, cupboards on the wall had gone, carpets ripped out. We had to start from scratch, for 4 months we had to sit on deckchairs. We still have rooms not painted or with anything other than a square bit of carpet on the floor to wipe our feet. 5 months on they have only just fixed the hot and cold water tank - when we ran the taps bits of flies and wasps were coming out. Heads of wasps!! We had to have nets over our taps so we could have a bath free of stuff.

We pay full rent and council tax, we are not on anything except DLA for my son and I get Carers because he gets DLA.

If we was in private accomodation we'd have a washing machine, fridge, freezer, carpets, etc... anything that broke the landlord would have to fix, the same as in council. Our rent is £500 a month, half the price of what other rents are in this area.

It was really stressful, the council was unhelpful all the way and even though my son has this disability and I was having stress with doctors, hospitals, etc... I still had to fight day in day out. The council/HA publish a list of properties available to apply for each fortnight - but there was hardly anything available for us. There isn't anything. The houses are all gone. I can see this now. We got very lucky that this one came up the week we was due to be evicted. We got it on a priority as they stated that temporary accomodation was unsuitable for my son. But I had to have a disabled son to get lucky. I guess. Otherwise we would not have had enough points. We was packed to go into a hostel but we got offered the house on the Wednesday, the bailiff was due on the Friday.

In that time of waiting my son was diagnosed and now get DLA. I now get carers allowance and extra benefits for him. Does that make us better off? I'd much prefer to have a child free of the problems he has and to have a 'normal' life if I am honest, but life is what it is. You should be thankful for what you have, not what you do not have.

Life is still tight, we don't do anything really as we canot go out places because of my son. People take for granted a trip to the park, zoo or a theme park, things that are a rare occurance for us really. I cannot take my other daughter swimming as my son screams, so she misses out. She can't really have friends over as he attacks them and they do not come back. But we do get extra money for him. It pays for the nappies he still has to have as well. Want to swap??

But yes, some people do seem to get it all, I have 2 family member who have 'mobility cars' - however, if they lost some weight -or was given help to lose some weight - then they might not have disability problems. Neither here nor there, I am not in charge of the system, people play the system, it is the way it is always going to be.

My husband says the same as you about people getting it all but I say to him that at least we have self respect, we can hold our heads up high and say we have it because we earned it or put the work in to get it. I just started my business up again, now my son goes to school it will give me something else to do. If I earn more than £95 a week the carers allowance will stop. I still have to look after my son though while he is here

TotallyBroke

Grimbo_Green wrote: »

Phantasm IS MY SISTER! why is that so hard to comprehend? in fact if you must know she is actually my identical twin sister - never mind, you probably wont believe that, but at least we know the truth.
'TotallySkint' sorry you weren't included in her message so consider yourself included from me.
Oh and just because Im not as [FONT=&quot]articulate as some of you are or I have misspelt a few words does not make me a chav.
Im going to see if I can close this thread down now because like a previous post said, no one is going to change their views now. and 'Avinabacca' cant let it lye and is sat there watching, waiting to pounce on everything I say, so dont want to give her the satisfaction.

And thanks again to those who gave advice, as I said I will be taking it on.:p
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My name is TotallyBroke, so now you have two apologies to make. 1 to TotallySkint and the other to welshwoofs

neas

poppysarah wrote: »

Now is the time to write to your MP and councillors asking why provate rented accomodation is so expensive!

Maybe if we didnt pay such large taxes to put up people in subsidised accomoadtion private accomodation wouldn't seem so expensive?

Good answer? :P

blue_monkey_2

What IS going on with MSE today??

Double post!!