Gaining social housing when working.

JodyBPM

If you are in the lowest income earning bracket, why would you expect the house that you can afford to rent to be anything other than the lowest standard of accomodation?

If you want luxury accomodation, freshly decorated, newly carpeted with new kitchen, bathroom, white goods etc, then your priority should be upping your income so that you can afford to buy or rent for yourself accomodation of the standard that you feel you deserve.

Social housing, when allocated, tends to be bare walls and floorboards and in desperate need of work to make it into a comfortable home. It's also often (although not always) in the least desirable areas, with high crime levels and social issues. And despite all that is incredibly difficult to get.

PippaGirl_2

My local council has a waiting list scheme where 97% of all houses are allocated to those that have waited the longest. 3% are people who are deemed higher priority due to health/medical need (and nowadays this needs to be life threatening so rarely includes mental health needs) and domestic violence. They say that as so few houses become vacant at all it is not fair to accept many into the high priority band, in order to make it fairer to those waiting.

Homeless people are not offered social housing in the first instance, the council rents various privately owned properties and flats and they tend to try to house the homeless in those. The bonus of the tenant is any repairs are carried out by the council and no rents or deposits are needed so are ideal for lower income families, negatives are often property owners rent to the council if it is not a good time to sell and once the market picks up quite often then sell their properties so often tenancies are not that long term.

dandelionclock30

The reality of the situation is that you most likely will be waiting years for a council property. Its hard to get a property when you are awarded priority extra status here.
By all means get on the list and bid but you will be way way down the list.
As well look for a better private rented property, here in the north you can get something reasonable/nice for £500 per month. All you can really do is bid and at the same time look for a better private rented place.

princessdon

It does depend on where you live as per the availability and stock. Here unless you are priority you stand virtually zero chance (in an OK'ish area).

That said my Grandmothers home is classed as social housing (2 bedroom flats designed for the disabled). It is brand new - came with all carpets, blinds, brand new kitchen etc. She got that based on sever medical needs - the waiting list is large indeed.

Some homes are beautiful and newly built, but rarely given to workers on a low priority.

Also even when working people (like OP) bid on an item - how can they move when they have a 6 mos lease? What happens if the home comes to them at month 1 of a six month lease?

There are problems for all and buying isn't much more stable with house prices due to drop and interest rates rising.

Social Housing is the cheapest and safest option for most people - there just isn't enough of it.

I beleive that once you reach a certain income or your circumstances change from when you are given the home, you get 12 months notice to move from the house.

Eg a single parent gets the home, then marries and both earn good money, they should be asked to move to allow it for others.

skibadee

My husband myself and my 2 teenage sons.....all of us work......rented privately for quite a few years, whilst we were under one local council they told us we didn't qualify for family housing. When we had to move to another rented property under a different council we again put our names on the list...this council did a home visit and tod us we qualified for a 3 bedroomed house.....about 18mths later they nominated us for a new build housing association house, we were successful.....we recieve no benefits, pay our own rent etc.,.....it is in a small cul-de-sac..all new build, all tenants were thouroughly vetted including having home visits to see how they looked after the home they were currently in, yes probably about 3 tenants out of the 17 in the cul-de-sac are totally reliant on benefits, but all houses and gardens are well kept.

I think people should stop stereotyping people in social housing....we are not all benefit scroungers........unfortunately allthough we could probably afford a mortgage we are unable to get one.

OP put your name on this list and start bidding asap.....may take ages...but then you may get lucky.

Good luck.

Just to add the system regarding allocation etc., was very different years ago when we were accepted.

shellsuit

Get yourself on the waiting list.

I was on it for 12 years before we were offered the house we are in now and have been here for 2 and a half years now.

My husband works full time, I was a SAHM but have recently started part time work and we have 3 children, 2 teens and a pre schooler...and we have a car also.

If we didn't qualify for the house, we wouldn't be living in it, so I take no notice of people who say you shouldn't live in social housing if you work.


If people don't work, they get moaned at for having homes and benefits thrown at them, so you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

morganedge

If you were to lose your job and had money for a deposit on a new place, could one then move into a place they liked and apply for housing benefits to cover the rent?

gingergee

I was 134th on the list for my house, total fluke!! they do happen, so keep the faith xx

merlin68

I have a 1970's kitchen and boiler in my council house lol, they refuse to replace it. but i have done quiet well out of them i had two windows where the seal had gone and were more like fish bowls and a front door hanging of the hinges took six months of nagging though. i got permisssion to do the wet room myself knew that would be a no hoper. this whole house was full of mould when i moved in and stank of cannabis and dog pee. complete with peeling 1970s wallpaper. the garden was overgrown and full of rubbish. There was about 30 bottles of cooking oil used in the garden.

samwich1979

stallion4u wrote: »

Wouldn't you think that those with no one working and a few kids would deserve social housing before you?

At least you have a job and are able to rent privately. Those that live on benefits have no choice.

Just to let you know, where i live an employed person is in a higher priority band than someone who is unemployed.

I CAN live in a privately rented house but i CANT afford to move as the fees and deposit are too much for me to afford.

So no i dont have a choice at all really.