help required with annual council prperty inspection

housequestions2010

hi i need advice my mum and dad live in a rented council 4 bed house with my 3 siblings now they have created what i can only describe as a hoarders house.
every room is full of furniature not nice furniature either the scale of the problem culminates in my mothers bedroom which you can only just get into and that is probably a 50cm quare of space she still sleeps in here..
there is 11 wardrobes full of stuff king size bed in the middle ....5 dressing tables and god knows what else piled up ontop of every available surface.
now the thing thats bothering me is its a council rented property an they are having an annual check done...something thats never been done up until now they have lived there for 7 years. im just wondering whats going to be said by the council?? i can try and clear the stuff but i hate to think whats going to be found as its been in this state for at least 5 years the check is in 14 days time what do i need to do im stuck and really could do with advice

Mrs_Imp

At the very least write down a plan of action for tackling the problem, and get your family to agree to it. If you're able to attend, and show that you have an idea of the scale of the problem and that you're willing to help out, that may help. Get quotes for skips, pest control, details of carboot sales and second hand furniture shops and have those to hand. It may even be that the council can recommend some help.

Did you ever watch 'Life of Grime'? When their housing officers visited someone who was trying to solve the problem, they were much more understanding.

Failing that, call in Kim and Aggie!

You might need to be very firm with your family over this. Once it's all sorted they will have a far better quality of life.

27col

You already know what the answer is. A damn good clear out!

Basil1234

suppose if the cat isnt welded to the carpet you got a fighting chance:rotfl:
basically you is looking at tip run tip run and more tip run
my advice hire a van for the day make sure you get paperwork from van hire says rubbish dump on it and hit the tip enjoy

WestonDave

Stick all the best pieces of unwanted furniture out on the drive the next dry day you get with £10 price tags on it and see how much you can flog. If you make some money great - if it gets nicked well at least you don't have to bother carting it to the dump. Whatever is left get the local furniture project (cancer research are also opening a network of second hand furniture stores - see if there is one near you) to pick over and take away what they will take. By this point you should have cleared at least part of the problem and it will then be a question of indicating on inspection that you will be taking the rest to the dump.

rachbc

Freegle/ free cycle, ebay and local charities that collect and sell on furniture are you best bets - then other people in need will get the stuff and it won't wasted. I expect the bigger battle will be getting your family onboard with the need to sort out...

Jue_xx

I'm not sure that the above posts totally answer the OP's question. I think he/she was asking what the council are actually looking for on these inspections. I'm sure they're not just doing an inspection to see if people keep their houses tidy enough!

If they ARE doing a clutter inspection, can they make OP's mum dispose of all the excess furniture?

Sorry I can't answer these questions myself, but someone else on this forum might be more knowledgeable on this subject.

macman

If the hoarding does not create a potential health hazard (i.e. vermin) or pose a threat to the structure of the house (i.e. floors collapse due to weight of furniture), then I can't see that the council will be concerned. Tenants are required to keep their gardens tidy, the interior is up to them.

Mrs_Imp

Unless the OP's parents regularly move everything so that they can clean, hoover and dust properly then it IS a health hazard already. Maybe not vermin, and therefore not a council problem, but full of harmful bacteria, mould spores, insect droppings, dust mites and all manner of other nasties that can cause respiratory problems, skin problems, eye problems etc etc etc. Nor can it be good for someone's mental wellbeing to live amongst such overwhelming clutter.

Far better that the upcoming inspection is used as motivation to get things sorted out. OP, don't be afraid of asking the Council for help.

Basil1234

macman wrote: »

If the hoarding does not create a potential health hazard (i.e. vermin) or pose a threat to the structure of the house (i.e. floors collapse due to weight of furniture), then I can't see that the council will be concerned. Tenants are required to keep their gardens tidy, the interior is up to them.

sorry have to disagree here but i remember watching life of grime and this chaps house was clean just full of stuff he was a massive hoarder rooms full of furniture and stuff he collected barely path from door to his bed or path from door to an arm chair to watch tv basically the council came in said it was a huge fire risk they even had the fire bridge in to have a look and said if a fire started it would take his house out and at least next door. so the council gave him a period of time i think was 2-4 weeks to sort if not done he would be kicked out. anyway he did nothing so was kicked out into reitrement home in his case.
so basically the councils do have control in this instance!

ddoris

Maybe the op could ask the neighbours about these visits- that is if they haven't got stuck in one of the wardrobes ,as not sighted for several days.