Council house

Kimberley

On a slightly different note, the original poster seems to be implying that there is no violence in the relationship but the friend might say there is to get a council place?

She would need to show proof i think but people do try these things

Kimberley

black-saturn wrote:

Yeh, someone I know dragged up every reason possible and got letters from doctors, dentists, vets you name it stating why they had to have a council house.

Did they have proof? :eek:

Alleycat

Domestic violence is a tricky one to deal with. As a Homelessness Officer myself, I regularly interview and award priority where necessary to people who are homeless or facing homelessness. If a client comes in for an interview stating that they are fleeing domestic violence, we obviously can't barrel in there demanding proof etc. However, we are aware that unfortunately many people do lie and say they have been abused to try and get a property. Depending on the circumstances and what had happened, we would try and prevent homelessness where possible, so would suggest contacting hte domestic violence officer with the police, look at taking out injunctions against the offender, and get in contact with agencies that can assist victims with staying in their own property (providing emotional and practical support). It is hard when you have to decide if someone is telling you the truth or is lying in cases like this as you really don't want to believe that people can make such stuff up.

With regard to bedroom size, you should be able to apply for a two bedroom property if you have a toddler and are also pregnant. It would have to be a very harsh council who refused on those grounds. Bedroom criteria is difficult as there is no actual legislation surrounding it. It tends to just be good practice, like it would be preferable if mixed sex children over the age of ten had their own bedroom, but it is not law. If anyone is unsure, they should check their local council website. A lot are really good and publish their procedures.

elisebutt65

My ex and I managed to get a 3 bed(1 is a box room) house due to the fact tha my eldest (then 6) suffers from Aspergers and a whole host of other problems, which put my youngest(then 2) at risk from him. We caught him putting pillows over his face etc, so we had to get Social Services,the psych services and the local MP involved to get re-housed from the private place we were renting. It was in Warwick and the rent is extorionate there, the biggest we could afford was a tiny 2 bed with sliding doors and a spiral staircase as there was no room to open doors or normal stairs for £700/month.

It still took a long time to get a house though and a lot of letters and phonecalls every day. My freind over the road has got a flat in a 'yucky' block with 1 bed for herself and 2 boys 2 & 5. I think it depends, not only on council,) but also your personal persistance.

rammy007

i know a couple who have a 3 bed council house and have 4 kids and want a 4 bed council house would they get this they have 3 boys and 1 girl

Alleycat

rammy007 wrote:

i know a couple who have a 3 bed council house and have 4 kids and want a 4 bed council house would they get this they have 3 boys and 1 girl

Probably not. 4 beds tend to be pretty hard to come by and especially if you live in an area with large families, they often have a minimum occupancy of 6 but that would be older children i.e. teenagers who need more space or where you have two of one sex, one of another sex (where one of them is over the age of 10) and another relative who couldn't share like an uncle, grandmother etc or would be kept for families of 8.

If you could give an idea of the children's ages that would help.

Baby_A

Juni wrote:

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On a slightly different note, the original poster seems to be implying that there is no violence in the relationship but the friend might say there is to get a council place?

I hope I misunderstood that as that is stooping really low.

Sorry my fault for not wording it properley. She isnt in a violent relationship. What I meant to say was that Shelter had told her that if she leaves her current home (rented accomodation) for whatever reason then she is making herself homeless. This gives her very little priority.

The only exception where they would support her on walking out is if she is in a violent relationship, where they would give her high priority.

She has no intention on pretending that she is in a violent relationship.

Things are at a end from her point of view in the marriage due to various things that have occured, however her partner would never accept that so she has no choice but to leave as he wouldnt.

jcr16

i don't have any knowledge of how the council works. but i suppose their views is , if your desperate for a house , a 1 bed flat is better than being homeless. and if u had nothing then at least they are giving u a roof over your head. maybe once in a 1 bed u can then move to a bigger place later on.

rammy007

Alleycat wrote:

Probably not. 4 beds tend to be pretty hard to come by and especially if you live in an area with large families, they often have a minimum occupancy of 6 but that would be older children i.e. teenagers who need more space or where you have two of one sex, one of another sex (where one of them is over the age of 10) and another relative who couldn't share like an uncle, grandmother etc or would be kept for families of 8.

If you could give an idea of the children's ages that would help.

14,11,5,4 (the girl is 5)

Spendless

Baby_A wrote:

Things are at a end from her point of view in the marriage due to various things that have occured, however her partner would never accept that so she has no choice but to leave as he wouldnt.

Has she sought legal advice over this? My friends hubby was initially adamant he wouldn't leave the family home but did eventually. I've no idea where the law stands on this but worth looking into.