council house improvements

viktory

Amazingly bad service - and so stupid. Any leak will not only damage your things but also the building itself - leading to further, more expensive repairs. It is in everyone's interest to get the leak stopped asap thus lessening the damage caused.

Oldernotwiser

viktory wrote:

Ant, that is dreadful. No one should have keys to your house, except you (and whomever you choose to give keys to). I would certainly be questioning this policy and if I had no decent explanation then I would be changing locks asap. Bloody hell, what if the keys fall into the wrong hands?

I think that's a daft thing to say; any landlord's going to have keys to his/her property and a letting agent will have a set as well. Everybody goes on about the council/HA being the landlord when they want repairs done but they forget that a landlord has rights as well as responsibilities.

SmileyHappyBeing

viktory wrote:

Glad I could help Keep us posted.

Well my new estate manger rang me today, and put me trhough to the inspectors and they are coming round on the 23rd of feb..


As for the council having your keys, slightly different if they do have keys as how do you know whos got them, if its a private landlord it'd either be them or someone acting on there behalf i.e a letting agent, but i know the people who do the repairs on council houses are contracted out by the council where i live so it could mean any tom, !!!!!! or harry having your keys, so slightly different than if you live in private accomadation, so not really that daft a thing to say.

viktory

Oldernotwiser wrote:

I think that's a daft thing to say; any landlord's going to have keys to his/her property and a letting agent will have a set as well. Everybody goes on about the council/HA being the landlord when they want repairs done but they forget that a landlord has rights as well as responsibilities.

Actually you are wrong. I work for a HA and I have worked for a local council and we NEVER hold keys to tenants front doors. I have also been a tenant of more than one social landlord and they never had front door keys either. Communal doors in blocks of flats, yes but not personal front doors.

How on earth can a person insure their contents if unknown persons have keys? What if they are burgled, without forced entry? Who would be blamed? What if they fall into the wrong hands? And more to the point, what happened to the privacy of the tenants?

Our contractors are not allowed on site (ie in someone's home) without an adult being present.

Not sure how is works for private letting, but then if I rented privately I would change the locks as soon as I moved in anyway. I could not sleep at night thinking unknown persons could have access to my home.

EthelBloggs

There is legislation being passed that all council homes must of "Decent Homes Standard" by 2010 for councils to get some kind of star ratings to do with the EU and that all kitchens and bathrooms over 20 years old have to be replaced. Our borough have allocated £147m for this project and have already replaced some kitchens and bathrooms, then the goalposts changed and its now 30 years for kitchens and 40 years for bathrooms (it might be vice versa as I don't have the paperwork in front of me) so we now have an awful lot of very disappointed tenants who are also p'ed off because they've seen all the people on other streets/estates having theirs done and now find that they won't get jack!

No advice I'm afraid, but that's the info that I've had. I'll try and get hold of the paperwork tomorrow and give you th full details, of course I'm not sure if it applies to every borough but it might

SmileyHappyBeing

Thanks EthelBloggs

Im under Exeter city council if it makes any difference ..

EthelBloggs

I dunno if it varies from borough to borough or not but I'm on the local TA management committee so I'll see if I can pop into the office tomorrow and get the full info for you.. and find out if its nationwide or just our borough.

I know how souldestroying it is not to have a decent kitchen and bathroom, it really gets you down and puts you off doing anything in the end *huggs*

Anthillmob

the key they have lets them into any home which i suppose is how they can help you out if you lock yourself out, costs them less i suspect than getting out a locksmith etc.

the borough i live in are a bunch of lying, sneaky !!!!!!s so it dont suprise me.

Morglin

Housing Benefits being paid or not makes no odds to any works - either way, the lettings section of the council get the rent from a property.

Housing Benefit is paid by the government (part of the benefits system), but it's administered by the local council.

In most areas the council have a schedule of works for things like kitchens and bathrooms - but they seem to be only refitting properties where they (the council surveyors) think they need to.

I'd contact whoever is in charge of the works at the council, and tell them it needs replacing, to come and look for themselves (and as someone said, if a few cupboards were broken etc., well.............;) )

Lin

SmileyHappyBeing

Thanks morglin, there coming out on the 23rd so fingers crossed