Rental help and advice

djh77

HappyMJ wrote: »

Yes £7.99 and also 180cm in length. http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-gear-flock-single-sized-sleeping-airbed-p142437

!!!!!! it, I'm cutting my legs off and gonna sell em on ebay.

19lottie82

djh77 wrote: »

My wife's step-cousin (long story) got preganant at 18. She got a 2 bed HA property. A couple of years later with still one child they exchanged into a three bed house. They have lived there for about 7 years, her, her boyfriend/fiance and daughter. In all that time she claimed she was living their alone nad got rent, CT etc all paid for her, whilst he was working. They got found out about 3 months ago. Not sure what happened with regards to having to pay back the money etc, but they are now moving into another 3 bedroom house with a different HA. How on earth is that fair, on anyone?

Guess that is why I feel a bit bitter at the whole situation at the moment. Sorry.

That is understandable. I was living in a horrid shared house at the age of 27 (I had been sharing since I was 17), the LL was awful and the boiler (hence heating and hot water) only worked about 50% of the time. I had never claimed benefits and had taxes since leaving education, but there was no way I earnt enough to buy a place or rent my own flat privately.

I applied to my local HA and was told I didn't even have enough points to be put on the list. I found this really unjust as I would be a good tennant and would always pay my rent on time. Why should single people who consistantly work FT on a mediocre salary, and pay theri taxes, not be able to see any further than a single rented room to call their own?
Not really fair, was it?

I still don't think it's fair that honest, hard working people get sweet FA while those who won't lift a finger seem to get everything, but I have come to learn that that's just life in this current day and age. The benefits / social housing system is just a joke in my eyes, and it makes me sick.

djh77

We are lucky that I do earn quite a decent wage and that renting privately, if I had to, would not really be an issue.

I have just spoke to our HA, and actually spoke to someone quite helpful. She suggested intermediate (I think) rental. Anyone got any idea what that is?

t0rt0ise

Here's the rules about overcrowding so you can work out whether you will be overcrowded eventually officially. It depends on the size of the rooms.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/home_safety/overcrowding

It is worth keeping your details on the http://www.homeswapper.co.uk/ site as there are going to be people looking to downsize when the bedroom tax for those on benefit comes into play.

Also aren't the last tenants at your old address so you can ask about the window key?

Intermediate rental is where HAs rent out properties at higher rents. See their website for it or do a google search for them.

LittleMax

djh77 wrote: »

Yeah I think you are right.

Here we go with a bit of a rant, and this is probably why we feel hard done by. I appreciate there are people in far, far worse conditions and circumstance than us, and my heart goes out to them. I am also a work based TU rep and have been in and involved in lots of campaigns and marches for better and more adequate housing, but anyway I am babling.

My wife's step-cousin (long story) got preganant at 18. She got a 2 bed HA property. A couple of years later with still one child they exchanged into a three bed house. They have lived there for about 7 years, her, her boyfriend/fiance and daughter. In all that time she claimed she was living their alone nad got rent, CT etc all paid for her, whilst he was working. They got found out about 3 months ago. Not sure what happened with regards to having to pay back the money etc, but they are now moving into another 3 bedroom house with a different HA. How on earth is that fair, on anyone?

Guess that is why I feel a bit bitter at the whole situation at the moment. Sorry.

But in all fairness you also had a 3 bed house and chose (albeit for a whole heap of good reasons) to swap it for a 2 bed flat.

djh77

t0rt0ise wrote: »

Here's the rules about overcrowding so you can work out whether you will be overcrowded eventually officially. It depends on the size of the rooms.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/home_safety/overcrowding

It is worth keeping your details on the http://www.homeswapper.co.uk/ site as there are going to be people looking to downsize when the bedroom tax for those on benefit comes into play.

Also aren't the last tenants at your old address so you can ask about the window key?

Intermediate rental is where HAs rent out properties at higher rents. See their website for it or do a google search for them.

Thanks for that. No, we did a 4 way (never again) mutual exchange, and the people that were in ours moved to Devon somewhere. When I asked the HA for their contact details they couldn't give me them, but they were the ones who told me to contact them.

Anyway, the HA have said there should be no issue with bars, but I have to fill in a form to ask for permission and I have to get someone 'qualified', whatever that means, to fit them.

djh77

LittleMax wrote: »

But in all fairness you also had a 3 bed house and chose (albeit for a whole heap of good reasons) to swap it for a 2 bed flat.

Yes, but how is it fair that someone who blatantly, and has been caught, de-frauding the benefits system, is still allowed a social housing property, and on top of that a three bed one with only one child. The rules and laws seem all messed up to me.

LittleMax

t0rt0ise wrote: »

It is worth keeping your details on the http://www.homeswapper.co.uk/ site as there are going to be people looking to downsize when the bedroom tax for those on benefit comes into play.

That is a good point, people moving to a 2 bed from a 3 bed is not unheard of - after all you yourself did. But I am sure will become more common after April ... however HAs are going to have to think carefully about their arrears policies. At the moment they won't allow a swap if any party is in arrears, yet if they block a move they will be compounding the arrears.

t0rt0ise

djh77 wrote: »

Thanks for that. No, we did a 4 way (never again) mutual exchange, and the people that were in ours moved to Devon somewhere. When I asked the HA for their contact details they couldn't give me them, but they were the ones who told me to contact them.

Ah right. I'd forgotten about multi way swaps. I did a swap too and got involved in some of those although none came off and eventually I just did a plain swap. HA rules are that you can have one spare bedroom and that's what I've got. Makes me laugh that people on benefit are now going to be charged for what was official policy for years and years.

Anyway, the HA have said there should be no issue with bars, but I have to fill in a form to ask for permission and I have to get someone 'qualified', whatever that means, to fit them.

They just don't want a really botched job done that they would then have to put right before reletting. I'm sure you could do it yourself quite adequately.

djh77

You aint seen my DIY, lol.

I will probably get my Dad to do it, he is quite handy with a drill, as long as they don't want a registered builder or something.

We are on the homeswapper site, and on bedfordshire homefinder, and have been contacting people for months now. I think the issue, at the moment, is that people don't want to swap a 3 bed house for a 2 bed flat, which is quite understandable, but hopefully when the benefits system kicks in that will change.

On the 'spare bedroom' point, that is a bit of a minefield in the first place. We found, when we had our house, a 4 bed in the same area that we are in now who wanted to do a swap. He lived on his own, and they would not let either of us swap as we would under occupy. When I pointed out we had two children so effectivley the fourth would be the spare room, that doesn't count cause they have to share.

Anyway my point is that the guy who was in a 4 bed house needed to find a 1 or 2 bed property with 8 people living in it. How on earth was that ever going to happen, so their own rules trapped him in the property.