Overcrowding???

steph.x_2

Hi,

Im currently on the housing register to get a council house in the lowest priority :mad: Buttt... my boyfriend brother has just moved back in so im wondering if this would be classed as overcrowding?

3 bedroom house- 1 shared living room.

Boyfriends mum and dad- 1 bedroom
Boyfriends sister (aged 13)- 1 bedroom
Boyfriends brother (aged 24)- Box room

Weve been bumped to sleeping in the living room

Oh and im currently 31 weeks pregnant so there will also be a baby living there in 9 weeks time!! :eek:

Any advice?

xx

Wee_Willy_Harris

Are you both claiming benefits?

ILW

Seems like boyfriends brother should be sorting out his own place.
You and boyfriend could get a private rental.

Wee_Willy_Harris

ILW wrote: »

Seems like boyfriends brother should be sorting out his own place.
You and boyfriend could get a private rental.

They could. But she is asking about social housing and having her needs reflected in her priority. Seems fair enough to me.

steph.x_2

My bf works part time (not through choice, his hours have been cut alot) and ill be going onto just SMP so we cant afford a private rental really

And yes... he should be sorting out his own place, but hes not in a great place right now and its not really an option unfortunatly

Wee_Willy_Harris

Overcrowding is covered by Section X of the 1985 housing act. This defines room sizes and use. I'll warn you now, it's pretty brutal. However, your Local Authority will have its own rules and regulations regarding priority and overcrowding. They will want to check EVERYTHING before they award any priority as, I'm sure you will appreciate, social housing is a finite resource.

Check out your local council website, they should have the details there.

Wee_Willy_Harris

wrangler5 wrote: »

Our local authority are really tight on this. Our friends were in a bedsit as a couple with a new baby but the Housing officer told them the baby was classed as a 'minus' so they were not overcrowded & wouldn't be until the baby was over a certain age.

The section X space standard makes no account of children under 1 and counts those between 1 and 10 as "half a unit" ie half a person!

In the room standard, under 10s don't count at all!

But, as I say, each authority has their own criteria and few are as tight as SX

steph.x_2

Thank you! Ive checked my councils website and it just says, if you are overcrowded by a certain number of rooms you will go under a different priority levels- It gives no details of what actually defines overcrowding and by how many rooms you are entitled to though!!

I guess its not as simply as I originally thought

xx

Wee_Willy_Harris

steph.x wrote: »

Thank you! Ive checked my councils website and it just says, if you are overcrowded by a certain number of rooms you will go under a different priority levels- It gives no details of what actually defines overcrowding and by how many rooms you are entitled to though!!

I guess its not as simply as I originally thought

xx

They should publish the details. May I ask who your local authority is? PM me if you prefer.

steph.x_2

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

They should publish the details. May I ask who your local authority is? PM me if you prefer.

Yes its North Somerset

xx

Wee_Willy_Harris

In with BANES? They have something of a reputation.