Council Flat Problems with Walls - Advice Needed

chrisb1357

I have worked all my life from leaving school up until the end of last year when i lost my 9 year old job. I then was on job seekers if u want to know getting what i was Entitled To for the first 6 months and applying for jobs out my ears and then i decided to start my own company June this year and is what my low income is if you want to know that also so i am not a Scrounger and lets get back to talking about Plaster LOL

never_enough

It might be a good idea to take digital photos of the state of the walls before you do anything & keep a photo diary of any work you do. I don't know if it wd happen , but you don't want the council thinking that you've damaged the walls to get it re-decorated for free!

Errata

munkypuzzel wrote: »

Am i the only one that thinks this is just another person who wants everything handed on a plate to them??

Why dont you save up and decorate with your own money like the rest of have to??? Guess that would be like too much hard work...

I can't see anything that indicates the OP wants everything handed to them on a plate. What they want, and are entitled to expect, is a property in good order.
I'm sure you'll be horrified to learn that it's not unknown for an LA or HA to give a new tenant a decorating allowance if necessary.

chrisb1357

I think i will do just that. take phots tommrow of the place with the time and date on the photos

Chris

never_enough wrote: »

It might be a good idea to take digital photos of the state of the walls before you do anything & keep a photo diary of any work you do. I don't know if it wd happen , but you don't want the council thinking that you've damaged the walls to get it re-decorated for free!

chrisb1357

Council booked to visit on Tuesday to take a look

Chris

jonesjw

I've got to decorate my own damn house & don't see why council tenants shouldn't do the same, rather than expecting a decorating allowance.

Errata

jonesjw wrote: »

I've got to decorate my own damn house & don't see why council tenants shouldn't do the same, rather than expecting a decorating allowance.

Council tenants decorate their own damn houses, and don't expect a decorating allowance. However, some tenants are given one according to circumstances - eg having to decorate whether they like it or not after half the plaster has fallen off a wall.

blue_monkey_2

jonesjw wrote: »

I've got to decorate my own damn house & don't see why council tenants shouldn't do the same, rather than expecting a decorating allowance.

Well, first off, because it is YOUR house?? Council and HA Houses are maintained buy the landlord (just like any landlord has to maintain THEIR house). You could have rented privately so your landlord could do it but you chose to buy so you have to maintain your house. The difference is that his landlord offers affordable rents and assured tenancies.

Tenants only get a decorating allowance when they move in because it is usually in a state and needs to be decorated - there might be other circumstances such as in the OP's case or if there has been a flood or something. Ours even had light fittings and shelves removed it it needed doing. If it was a private landlord they would have to do this before the house could be rented to a tenant. By giving a decorating allowance and letting the tenants do it then a) the tenant can have the colour they like and b) they are saving money (taxpayers money if it is a council) because they are not having to pay decorators to paint houses to the required standard. We got £150 decorating allowance but we easily spent £700 on paints and wall prep materials. That is before starting on anything else. No private landlord would be able to rent a house in the condition we had it, but because we could not afford it we was happy to pay for decorating it.

Not all council house dwellers are all spongers, there are some, like the OP and us, that pay our way and pay full rents but do not earn enough money to rent or buy in this mad world of house prices and rental that we have.

Might it also surprise you to hear that they rip out all carpets, lino laminate flooring and all floor coverings. All furniture and furnishings left behind are removed and chucked. Even if new!! How many other landlords would be allowed to offer a house in such a state.

chrisb1357

We have been working on all the rooms so far under our own money and buying eerything ourselfs which we intend to do for all the work in the flat.

Its true when u say they rip everything out as ours was that way to.

Chris

blue_monkey_2

Ours had chip paper everywhere - even on the ceilings. When we took it down we could see why but we decorated everyhing ourselves. The bathroom and kitchen has not been done yet and we have been here 16 months now.

However, we was just relieved to have somewhere for the family to live.