Urgent help needed please

hel8itch

ok i am and have been a council tenant for approx 9 years in the same property.
i have 3 young children and a few problems i need advice with
firstly a couple of years ago my partner temporaly moved in with me,we told the council and my benefit stopped for that period of time,i couldnt afford to pay the rent and unfortunately my partner left and also left me with the debt.
the rent arrears and council tax added up to approx £900.
some of which was due to my local council having a backlog in their housing benefit claims etc.
i have had numerous problems with my property,including extreme damp which causes mildew to grow up my front walls and back bedrooms,this affected my youngest boys health quite considerably as he is an asthmatic,i told the council,then weeks later they sent someone round,they then put insulating stuff in the ceiling of the front bedroom,but still mildew rises up the walls,
All the windows of the property have gaps in ,they are meant to be double glazed.
my daughter who is 11 years old was recently caught up with a local trouble maker who threatened her amongst other things and lives just a few doors away,the police were called and everything is logged,i am desperate to move out of here now,my children cant play outside,im depressed myself,but all the council say is i cant move until my arrears are payed up.
I am on benefits and the arrears are being taken automatically from my income support each week,i have no say on that,so what difference would it make if they moved me??they would still get their money from my benefit?
surely i must have some rights,especially as its now a matter of my childrens safety?

can anyone offer any advice on this please??

MsFTB

Hello, I used to work at my local housing department for a short while and from what I can remember you can complain about state of repair of the property, no doubt if it is as bad as you say it is, then they will inspect the property and complete the work that needs to be done. I would ring your repairs helpline and say that the damp is still there. You will really need to pay off your rent arrears before they would even consider moving you is there no chance of finding the money to pay these off? As for the neighbour nuisance,when it gets to the stage where the police have to intervene then it is out of the councils hands im afraid. Also reading your message back as you said you are depressed, please go to your local GP and get this diagnosed, not only for you health but for also when it does come time once youve paid off the rent arrears and are able to put you name on the transfer list, this diagnosis will work in your favour.

Hope this helps.

hel8itch

i already have seen my gp and see a counsillor.i lost my mum recently which is why i am so low.and living here is certainly not helping.

lynzpower

hi love

Im a assistant social worker in inner london, Im not an expert in the legal side of housing but I have got 5 years experience in Childrens, and latterly older peoples social services. Housing probs like this come up for me almost every day.

The first thing I would do is get a housing adviser from Shelter. IN my experience, once they are on the scene, stuff gets done. You might want to do a websearch andfind out about the governments "decent homes" standards to arm yourself with some facts, and one thing that no one ever does when they are wanting to be rehoused is TAKE LOADS OF PHOTOS! beg or borrow a digital camera to do it, and thus these can be circulated by email to whoever needs them. Also dont hesitate to get onto your MP and coucillor for your ward, again, once they chuck thier weight in the situation, stuff gets done.

Also, ask your council environmental health officer to come in, and make a decision as to whether the property is fit fr habitation. If you are lucky (sorry, poor wording) it wont be, and thus they HAVE to move you immieidately, out of the property. All the better if your MP, shelter worker & councillor are in the loop at this stage. Be aware this could mean moving a bit further away from your kids schools etc and can end up being a right old hassle, but it sounds as if you are prepared to move, you have this positivity on your side.

Ive had quite a lot of experience where families have arrears but want/ need to move. Let me tell you, it certainly isnt impossible, but you wont get anywhere until efforts are seen to be made by you to get it resolved. For example, you might want to speak to the CAB to try and get arrears sorted, keep copies of letters and give them to your housing officer etc. If you could for example, make up a plan of how you are going to pay off your share of the arrears.

If you are skint ( as I am!!) then you might want to pop over to the Debt free wannabee board where we can take a look at your budget to see if there is any way we can find the money from anywhere for your share of the arrears.

Best of luck, I know how hard it is.
lynz
x

chugalug

Just wanted to agree with lynpower. Get Shelter involved if you can. They can help you deal with all these issues and will allocate you one caseworker for everything. They will help you get supporting evidence for you and your childrens health and will liase with the police. If the police support your need to move then that would be a great help.

In the meantime, keep logging any problems you have with the local 'troublemaker', keep paying what you can towards your arrears and keep your GP informed of all your and your childrens health problems.

It won't be easy but once you get someone on your side hopefully it won't seem such a slog.

Good Luck!

JennyB

Hi hel8itch

Just wanted to add the suggestion that you go to your local law centre for advice. You can find the nearest one on this website: http://www.lawcentres.org.uk/ (drop down box on the right). They will be able to give you free legal advice on housing law issues such as the ones you have and will do things like write to the council on your behalf. Good luck.