housing benefit, family of 5 are we entitled to a 3 bedroom please?

Anubis_2

bestpud wrote: »

Last time I'm going to say this: it is nigh on impossible to get a family sized council property!

What areas have these homes available then? I don't know of any!

It may not be impossible (I didn't say it was) but it is a fact that the OP would need a miracle to ever get a council house again! I don't know why you are trying to convince them otherwise!!!

Even if they got one, they would have no real choice as priority applicants have to bid and accept unless they have a very, very good reason for refusing or not bidding on suitable sized homes.

If you don't believe me, do some googling!

You do not have to bid and accept, you can retract your bid at any time before the listing ends!

My friend was housed within 6 weeks as stated, and, if you care to read through my posts, i never once stated they should go and get private now, infact I have encouraged them to bid on social housing!

My only issue was with the " you can kiss goodbye forever to council housing" this is not true! Yes, it may take time, but staying in a bad area is not good for health or children! Moving into privately rented is not a lost cause for everyone.

Put it this way - lets say, regardless if you are in council housing or private housing, you are in an extremely bad area ( gangs, violence,drugs etc)

Now, lets say you are going to need to bid for 3 years to get the house you want. Would it not be better to find a better area in the meantime through the private sector and who knows it might work out for many years - or would it be better to try and live in a complete warzone knowing the effect it is having on your family for three years?

IMHO there is no contest! It would be worth the risk to move if anything but for the safety of my children - BUT FIRST it is essential do your homework on potential landlords! The homework can help eradicate any shortcomings. You make it sound as though every landlord is a ******* and will throw you out or sell up after a year. This is simply not the case. There are many many happy and settled people
living in privately rented accommodation, some landlords are brilliant, you just have to make sure you do substantial homework.

Nothing is easy, and nothing in life is "secure" there really is no such thing as " secure housing" - you have to do your best with what you have, and, for the last time, I advised the OP to stay in social housing FIRST ( it is obvious my posts are being read selectively)

DX2

I would be looking for mutual exchanges, you might find some old dear knocking about in a three bed house that she really doesn't need any longer as the family have flown the nest.

Oldernotwiser

Anubis wrote: »

If I had let such fears stop me 15 years ago, then I would be in a much worse position than now as the house we moved from has gone downhill fast and let's just say there are many unsavoury characters on the estate, including a !!!!!phile at one stage..

Child molesters often live in the private sector as well!

Marisco

Maybe if they moved people from 3/4 bed houses that they don't need, there would be more available for families!

C_Mababejive

Sorry to jump in..A friend of mine lives in a two up two down terraced which he bought 8 years ago as a family home. They now have three kids and its a terrible squeeze especially with having only one bathroom. Can they get any help?

dcems

Anubis wrote: »

My friend was housed within 6 weeks

Yes, because she clearly had priority as a homeless family.

Normally it works on banding. One of the highest bandings is if you are an approved homeless family/person.

That doesnt mean everyone on a waiting list, whether CBL or direct offers,will be as lucky.

So, someone in tempoary accommodation,normally,would be housed with 4-8 weeks, depending on bedroom size and medical factors etc. And local housing policy (for example, you get 4 weeks as a homeless person to bid and be successful, if not you get a one offer direct match in my local area)

No one is being selective with what you are posting, but you are being misleading.

dcems

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Sorry to jump in..A friend of mine lives in a two up two down terraced which he bought 8 years ago as a family home. They now have three kids and its a terrible squeeze especially with having only one bathroom. Can they get any help?

Not normally no, as home owners.

Lots of people live in over crowded conditions, a lot worse than that. Also have to remember that if people choose to increase their family, they have to learn to adapt to the changes that inevitably happen

C_Mababejive

dcems wrote: »

Not normally no, as home owners.

Lots of people live in over crowded conditions, a lot worse than that. Also have to remember that if people choose to increase their family, they have to learn to adapt to the changes that inevitably happen

That seems a little unfair. Whats the difference between my friends kids and those of other people? Also surely everyone should take responsibility for limiting their reproductive output to match their ability to support it?

Their house is damp,cold and draughty and the windows need replacing as they are rotten.

bestpud

Anubis wrote: »

You do not have to bid and accept, you can retract your bid at any time before the listing ends!

In these parts, anyone given priority banding is expected to be desperate enough to bid and accept a suitable house. If they are selectively bidding, or looking at houses and turning them down, they will have their priority status removed as they are clearly not in need. Three bed houses don't come up every week and if they do, there is hundreds of applicants so only those in priority banding have a hope in hell of ever getting one.

My friend was housed within 6 weeks as stated, and, if you care to read through my posts, i never once stated they should go and get private now, infact I have encouraged them to bid on social housing!

I did say in one of my posts, a massive change on circumstances may make a difference and it sounds as though she had just that.

My only issue was with the " you can kiss goodbye forever to council housing" this is not true! Yes, it may take time, but staying in a bad area is not good for health or children! Moving into privately rented is not a lost cause for everyone.

I actually said 'you may as well kiss goodbye to a council house' meaning they will be drastically reducing their chances of ever getting another, and that is true! I then said it is hard enough for anyone, let alone those who have given up on a secure tenancy. I also said a big change in circumstances may help. I did not say it was impossible.

Put it this way - lets say, regardless if you are in council housing or private housing, you are in an extremely bad area ( gangs, violence,drugs etc)

Now, lets say you are going to need to bid for 3 years to get the house you want. Would it not be better to find a better area in the meantime through the private sector and who knows it might work out for many years - or would it be better to try and live in a complete warzone knowing the effect it is having on your family for three years?

It is not a case of bidding for three years, until you get to the top of the list! You could bid for twenty years and get nowhere unless you are placed as a priority! Length of time on the list means nothing and one council has actually taken people like yourself off the list as they think it distorts the figures, given you have no chance of getting one! (It was on the TV a while ago - I think it may have been Plymouth...)

IMHO there is no contest! It would be worth the risk to move if anything but for the safety of my children - BUT FIRST it is essential do your homework on potential landlords! The homework can help eradicate any shortcomings. You make it sound as though every landlord is a ******* and will throw you out or sell up after a year. This is simply not the case. There are many many happy and settled people
living in privately rented accommodation, some landlords are brilliant, you just have to make sure you do substantial homework.

Fine, but don't expect to place a few bids and be back in a social tenancy, as it doesn't happen like that!

Nothing is easy, and nothing in life is "secure" there really is no such thing as " secure housing" - you have to do your best with what you have, and, for the last time, I advised the OP to stay in social housing FIRST ( it is obvious my posts are being read selectively)

I haven't said every LL is rubbish at all! I said I know a few people who have had to move several times through no fault of theirs or their LL. It happens.

Social housing is as secure a tenancy as you can get, so yes I would say it is 'secure'. In what way isn't it, out of interest?

dcems

C_Mababejive wrote: »

That seems a little unfair. Whats the difference between my friends kids and those of other people? Also surely everyone should take responsibility for limiting their reproductive output to match their ability to support it?

Their house is damp,cold and draughty and the windows need replacing as they are rotten.

Yes, your first comment is fair enough-it goes the same for those in social housing as well. if you already know you are overcrowded then accept the consequences of increasing your family.

However, as a home owner the sole responsibilty for the condition of their home is down to them! As they own it! If you rent from a l/l, social or private, that responsibilty is down to them as the owners,as they have a duty of care towards their tenants.

I'm sorry, but if we had to house every single family who owned a property in the UK because they were overcrowded then the impact would be catastrophic.

Totally ridiculous to expect this country to fund homeowners every time there's an issue with their own property!