Housing Association Moving Problems - advice needed

Lizzieb151

Hi there,

I am at my wits end now I really need some advice regarding housing:
Last December my MIL & FIL took in their cousin. The cousin is 54 but has mental problems (mental age of 12) and since the death of his parents has not been able to cope on his own.
They currently live in a housing association 2 bed house, there is my MIL, FIL and their 2 sons who are 16 & 17 and now the cousin. The cousin currently sleeps in the living room.

I contacted their housing association and was told that the best way of getting them moved was to join the homeswapper website and Bucks Home Choice.
So I applied to Bucks Home Choice who awarded them a band C and able to apply to 3 bed houses but weren't eligable for a 4 bed until the eldest son turned 18 (in Dec). They are not high enough of a priority to be rehoused at the moment.

We have now found a 3 bed house on Homeswapper but their application has been rejected because a 3 bedroom house will still class them to be overcrowded and the housing association will only allow them to be rehoused to a 4 bed.

There is now a catch 22 situation as the housing assocation won't accept any applications to transfer to a 3 bed house but the council who run Bucks Home Choice won't transfer them to anything other than a 3 bed!!!!

Where do I go now or who should I contact? Even the soical services haven't been able to help us as since the cousin moved in, he isn't eligable for any help as he under the MIL's care.

Sorry to ramble but having just spent 9 months trying to find a place then it getting rejected is upsetting for us all. Please any suggestions would be welcome.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Try the MP. It's surprising how a person who the council says 'won't make a single bit of difference' can send one or two emails and you are inundated with suitable properties...

Lizzieb151

Oh thanks - I will try that but how do I find out who it is??

LittleMrsThrifty

It's great that you're being so helpful but I wonder whether you'd have more success if your Mil/Fil enquired directly?

Lizzieb151

Oh they have enquired themselves but come to me when they can't get any further. My MIL gets very flustered (she's in her late fifties) and doesn't know her way round the offices and people sogets upset quite easily - that's why I usually step in and make contact.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Look at local council website, there should be a link to finding the MP via the postcode.

mumOf2wonderfulkids

is the cousins mental health being made worse by not having a bedroom? if so have you made the council aware of this fact? Dr's letter can sometimes help (this can sometimes help with a higher banding)

as a previous poster has said it may be worth contacting your local mp, they may be able to get the council to re band you with the consideration of the eldest turning 18 in a couple of months, it seems pointless with only a couple of months to go to move you to a 3 bed when in dec you will be classed as overcrowding again, i don't know what it's like in your area but where i live, 4 beds don't come up that often - maybe the mp can pursuade them (if you do lack 4 beds in your area) that with 4 beds coming up less often than 3 beds, that they should class you as requiring a 4 bed as it may take longer to get rehoused.

failing that, it may just be a case of having to wait until he turns 18 to be classed as a 4 bed need, you may then be classed as lacking 2 bedrooms which may push your banding up higher, enabling you to be closer (if not top) to the top of the list of the properties you bid for.

I work for a housing association & have a lot of dealings with Home Choice but i am in a different town than you so am giving the advice as of what i would give to someone in my town, but i hope this is of some help to you.

Savvy_Sue

round here (also not Bucks) the suggestion would be to look for a 'parlour house', ie one with two separate rooms for dining room / lounge. That way one of those could be used as a bedroom, and there would still be a lounge / dining room.

ooobedoo

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/ just pop your postcode or the postcode applicable

Lizzieb151

Hi there,
Thanks for the suggestions - the day has been busy to say the least.
We have been looking for homes where we could convert a downstairs room but none have been avaliable.

My MIL has spent 2 hours in the council offices and they have changed her from a 3 bed to a 4 bed but have not changed the priority so we are still bottom of the list.

I have spoken to the council about the cousin's mental health but it hasn't helped so far. Obviously the family aren't happy as they have lost their living space.
The council implied that it was our fault we were in that situation because we took the cousin in.

Trying to work out if there is a way of increasing our banding as we feel that the last 9 months have been wasted!

hngrymummy

Surely it's cheaper for your family to have care of the cousin than for him to be the council's responsibility? Yet they seem to be stalling in helping out with the housing issues that will save them money in the long run by not having care of the cousin. It makes me a bit cross when councils do this.