application for re-housing rejected - would appreciate some advice

squinty

To be blunt here - an MP cannot overule a decision by a local council. Neither can a councillor - the council must allocate properties following thier own published allocations policy.

If I understand this correctly, you have applied for a priorty as you have medical needs and this was turned down, your appeal was also rejected. In this case I doubt there will be any further appeals allowed.

It might help if you understand how and why medical points are awarded. The council will take into account three things - the medical condition - the current accommodation - and if a move to alternative council accomodation will make a significant difference to the applicant. In some cases this is simple - someone with severe mobiility problems living in a flat with external stair access would benefit from a move to ground floor accommodation. In cases with mental health issues it is more complicated, no-one can prove that your mental health wold be improved by a move into another area. This is particularly difficult for you as you are already adequately housed, albeit in a diferent area.

Loking at the Councils policy it looks like they would have referred your case to thier medical advisor who has rejected your case.

I cannot see that the council would change thier mind - so rather than hoping for something that is not going to happen look for other options.

Firstly, someone earlier suggested a mutual exchange that you rejected. For someone in your situation this could be a real option.

Secondly, someone suggested looking for privately rented flats, you did not want to consider this as you thought it would be too expensive and cost at least £1500. I'm not sure where you got that figure from it does seem high - but as your original post was nearly 8 months ago you could have saved towards this in the interim.

Thirdly, you could try to resolve some of the problems where you currently live. If your neighbours are so bad then speak to your housing officer. Thurrock council have a section on thier site about dealing with Anti-Social behaviour.

gemini24

Good advice from Squinty.

If you are not prepared to give up your secure tenancy, your only option is to stay put and sort out the issues with the neighbours or investigate a mutual exchange. As previously posted www.homeswapper.co.uk will be very useful to you. If you swap with someone, they cannot ask to return to their former property.

Unfortunately your medical problems are shared by so many in social housing. The problems you have described as reasons to move no longer carry much weight. Sorry.

jasonwatkins

Can't reply properly at the moment, but just wanted to thank everyone for their replies so far and really no need to apologise. Be as blunt as you like

Running_Horse

Is it worth applying directly to housing associations? Think there is one called Churches HA in Gravesend. I got a place yonks ago in South Darenth with another HA by answering an advert in the paper. It was in the middle of nowhere, but dead cheap.

clutton_2

if you are to work with Environmental Health about your neighbours, you need to start keeping a noise/nuisande diary immediately to provide the evidence they need to get things moving...

Jowo_2

Shelter offer free expert advice to tenants. They may have a drop-in office local to you, otherwise contact them on their helpline.

jasonwatkins

Ok, i can reply now

Thanks again for the replies.

The situation with my neighbour has improved somewhat due to her supposedly receiving a number of complaints about noise (not from me incidentally..) and also apparently a threat of "further action" if the situation continued - meaning eviction.

But, you still cannot escape the laminate flooring and for me, that will always be the issue that will prevent any kind of mutual exchange.

I know that once an exchange has been completed, you can't ask for the flat back but my argument has always been that if I withheld information and did not tell any interested parties about the laminate flooring above me then I would be exchanging under false pretences.

The possibility of potential reprisals would be enough to put me off in that respect - and I don't necessarily mean physical reprisals, but also potential legal action for something like compensation.

That's why I would always be 100% open with the information, and I would inform anyone that the laminate flooring is upstairs and that she has had a long history of noisy behaviour - regardless of whether or not she's currently making an active attempt to resolve it.

And that, IMO, would mean that no person in their right mind would even entertain swapping with me.

To the best of my knowledge, the housing associations i'm aware of in Kent are associated in some way with the Council so they take their applicants off the waiting list based on the points they have - of which I have none.

Although i will certainly revisit that idea to see if anything has changed.

I did have a chat with Shelter, but since I have 'adequate' accomodation there wasn't a lot they could do for me either.

I think my only real chance of moving across to kent is a local exchange and then look to swap that for something in kent.

With a local exchange, there's no 2nd party involved - you look at the empty flats available and make a bid. If your bid ends up top of the pile then you're offered it. If you're successful, then you basically just move in - leaving the current flat empty for whoever they decide to put in.

Running_Horse

I think it's safe to assume the people you swap with won't tell you about the family from hell next door, or the damp they've just painted over, or the gangs of kids hanging round the local shops. It's one thing to be noble or honest, another to be a mug who ends up with nothing.

BitterAndTwisted

Jason, I'm not certain but I think you might be confusing your own situation and a potential swap with vendors having to be candid about neighbour disputes to their buyers. Please double-check this.
Also, in my own tenancy agreement with my Local Authority there is a clause precluding replacing any floor-coverings with laminate-flooring without the express permission of the LA for precisely the reason you're having all these problems with your upstairs neighbours so please read your own tenancy agreement very closely.

mumcoll

Does the area you want to move to have Social or Welfare points? We have a Medical panel and a Social panel. Social panel is for people needing to be nearer to family to give or receive support. This is different to medical. Say for example a person had mobility issues within his current accommodation but that accommodation was miles away from family who would support them. They could apply for both sets of points. Or someone, like yourself, who only needed to move for the support, you would apply only for social. Hope this makes sense!