help needed with local authority houses

Paul_Varjak

dragonfly02:

Can I ask what you would have thought 3-4 years ago, when you were homeless, jobless, 1 child and pregnant, and you learnt that the reason you did not get your hoped-for Council House was because someone with a job, two children and a one-bedroomed home got preference over you?

Spendless

dragonfly02 wrote:

we do qualify for 3 bed council housing as we have different sex children sleeping in 1 room where 1 child is 7 years old. I was just hoping tenancy assignment or similar were possible

My friend has a 14 year gap between her son and her daughter who have different fathers.

She lives in a 2 bedroomed council house and her husband is a contractor who spends part of each year out of work when they claim JSA/IS and housing benefit.

She put her name down for a 3 bed place in 2000 when her daughter was born but still missed out on a 3 bed place that came up in the same street as her in 2001 as well as another 3 bed place a 5 min walk away that came up in 2002.

In desperation and with the house prices soaring she decided to apply to buy(and has done) the 2 bed place with a view to building an extension, now the youngest is in full-time school and she has returned to work.

I was always appalled that my friend couldn't get a 3 bed place given her circumstances. Please don't assume the council will act any differently in your case.

m00nie

i know this wont help with what you are trying to do, but if you dont sort it you may be able to help your friend out in this matter.

as well as the right to buy where you buy the council house, i have known people who have left their council house to buy there own and they was given a grant from the council for it, as they are leaving a council property that is needed it was deemed as an insentive. they got £10,000 when they did it.

as i say sorry not what you was looking for but........

dragonfly02

paul varjak no i would not have been particually happy at that time but the same can be said for asylum seekers getting higher priority on the housing lists, I know your question is heading to diss me but please remember I simply was asking if it was legal for the home owner to pass on their tenancy, i am not trying to jump the list, it was just that this house came up now otherwise i will persue the housing list.
Also its just an observation but the owners could leave the house by assignment to any of their children after their 18th birthday regardless of their need for the house!

moonie thanx for you comment about the right to buy stuff but the people involved have a lottery winner parent who has provided the money for them to buy a larger house so they will not be with the council what so ever.

spendless, the housing register says loads of reason why they will rehouse you I am aware that actual allocation is not always possible, I was saying that accourding to the rules of my local council they would allocate a property eventually lol.
I've been renting for 10 years plus now so if they said i would have to be on the list for 3-4 years before i was allocated a house, then so be it. It's just another couple of years doing what we have so far i just feel guilty that my kids have to share a room and in 3-4 years my daughter will be 11 and still not have privacy which must be devestating at such a time in a girls developement

bamberbamboo

evening all, well I know that where I live if someone moved out and another family moved in everybody would be talking as when council/housing association houses come up people know who's next on list so for someone just to move in would be noticed and a stink caused,

mentaljessie

Also with the right of assignment i thouht this was for relatives only? 7 years ago I lived with my Grandfather who lived in a council flat, i as a consequence inherited his tenancy the right of succession is what its termed, but as I was a single person and resided in a 2 bedroomed flat I had to move to a smaller property a 1 bedroomed flat (this was a condition of me suceeding the tenancy) which i thought was only fair. Unfortunately in the area in which I live the only hope you have of being housed by my council is to live in a grotty B&B 20 miles away for months on end it happened to a work colleague of mine. Also asylum seekers are not eligable to join the housing needs register and therefore can not queue jump.

dragonfly02

well colour me happy but isn't it the responsibility of the council to house the homeless? i don't know any asylum seekers in this country that had a house before they got here

mentaljessie

That is true but whilst helping my work colleague fill in her application for housing it clearly states that asylum seekers do not a have a duty to be housed by the local authority in which they currently reside

chugalug

That's true! Contrary to what is generally believed asylum seekers, refugees, work seekers from the EU are excluded from all benefits and housing (including council and housing association). I blame The Sun!! But this is a bit off topic isnt it? OP it may be the duty of the council to house the homeless but first of all they have to be 'eligible' which most non-British arent (even if married to a British citizen they are excluded from the application) and have to fulfil 5 criteria. They can be found intentionally homeless at any point and not be housed. Yes, it does happen that families are homeless and I have known of families having to sleep in their car or rough. You cant always believe what you read in the papers. Please go to Shelter and take full advice on your situation. At least you would know where you stand. Take care.

Zoetoes

I lived in a 2 bed council flat with my little boy for 6 years with no hope of getting a council house as the flat was space enough etc then the points system came into effect & I managed to get enough points for the area I wanted, I was really lucky as we got a 3 bed house with big rooms etc in a lovely area.

I honestly think it depends on who's looking at your case & what sort of mood they're in that day, they seem to make the rules up as they go along & often tell porkies like 'that house has already been allocated' but another member of staff will say it's still available, so even when they say you can't have it still keep on at them.

I'm not sure if the points system is still in effect but if it is you get 100 points for putting your name down, 20 each year you stay on, from 50 to I think 150 for medical problems, 150 for harassment, not sure for overcrowding etc

You do have to push for it though, things like doctors notes, health visitors recommendations, local MP letters (especially right now) all help.

And as for 'queue jumping' etc, it's every man for himself when it comes to housing I'm afraid, I certainly wasn't going to turn it down & say give it to someone else.