Live in council house but rent out my home

Tottyshouse

leveller2911 wrote: »

Tottyshouse wrote: »

You can look at it as HA being lacklustre. Or you can look at it as they have say a million in the budget. They haven't even reached the third quarter and they are massively over budget. Do they use the money left to replace the windows in a street or do they spend it attempting (and I emphasise the word attempting) to get one tenant out?


We are all aware of the changes that HA had imposed on them by Central Government particularly how their funding has changed.I'm sure you are also aware that the Government were looking very closely at 7 HA who are on the verge of going bust.

Regarding the "massively over budget " comment this may well be true but our HA is still building new developments locally to us whilst at the same time putting on hold all the current maintenance programme on their existing housing stock.

If they can't afford to maintain their existing stock why build more?.We were due to have new windows and kitchens (the existing ones are 21 years old), 12 months ago and they were cancelled so where does the money go?.So the question your asking is a red herring.

I could go on about how the HA is massively inefficient but there is little point.

Well then you will be aware that the funding the HA bid for and receive for new builds is entirely separate to their planned maintenance "pot" or day to day repair "pot". My former employer were building new build supported properties like nobodies business. There was millions in the "pot" there - however we still had tenants living in properties without central heating.

It may look like your Housing Provider is "siphoning" money off to their new builds at the expense of allowing current properties to fall into disrepair - but that money would never have been awarded to be used on current homes.

But I am sure if you are dissatisfied with your Housing provider you ask for a copy of their financial report (if it isn't already sent to you every year). That will show you clearly where the money is going. Find out how many propeties have had refurbishments cancelled and ask them why and when they will be undertaken. You have every right to know.

If you feel your HA is massively inefficient get in touch with your tenant engagement officer (or whatever you HA calls them) give them your opinions and ask for answers. Inefficiency and bad practice is allowed to flourish because most people will complain on an annonymous forum - but they won't actually complain to the people involved. If every dissatisifed tenant made their views clear to their Director of Housing and/ or the old Housing Corp (can't recall the names of the two bodies it was split into as that was after my time) you may see changes.

They can't magic money out of thin air, but you can make them less complacent about the decisions they make.

Tottyshouse

pmlindyloo wrote: »

I would agree that it is extremely difficult to get council/social housing tenants out of their accommodation.

However this is mainly because eviction of these tenants makes them homeless and although this may well come under the heading of intentional homelessness it does put the landlord in a very difficult position.


This is why tenants who are socially abusive are often just moved around, much to the horror of other people.


If it was found that someone had defrauded the council by not declaring that they already had a house when they applied for council housing, unless there were extenuating circumstances the council could well evict the tenant.

But what are the grounds? Where in Housing Law (that over rides anything in any tenancy agreement) does it state you can't own another house? If everyone who had made a "fraudulent" claim on a housing application was evicted the streets would be filled with cardboard boxes.

The op's housing provider may attempt to get a possession order - I would be genuinely interested to see if any Judge would entertain it.

leveller2911

Tottyshouse wrote: »

leveller2911 wrote: »

If you feel your HA is massively inefficient get in touch with your tenant engagement officer (or whatever you HA calls them) give them your opinions and ask for answers. Inefficiency and bad practice is allowed to flourish because most people will complain on an annonymous forum - but they won't actually complain to the people involved. If every dissatisifed tenant made their views clear to their Director of Housing and/ or the old Housing Corp (can't recall the names of the two bodies it was split into as that was after my time) you may see changes.





We are digressing a bit but I will reply to your post.

I can only comment on our HA but as an example tenants complained regarding untaxed,unroadworthy,un insured cars being driven daily.The cars were parked on the drives (HA property) 23 hrs a day and they expected the Police to sit in a car and wait for them.It took the tenants 2 years to go through the complaints procedures (stage 1, 2 and 3). Then finally to the Housing Ombudsman so there really is no point whatsoever complaining.The HA blamed the Police for "not removing the vehicles from the highway". The cars were parked on HA property,clauses in the tenancy agreement etc and they still failed to act. What is the point of putting these clauses in tenancy agreements if they have no teeth to act, its rediculous.

I personally wrote to the SE director of my HA who phoned me twice asking me to put on hold our complaint to allow the HA to try and get the tenants to comply.

Nothing personal but your post could have been read from an autocue, its exactly what the tenants were fobbed off with and when they did complain it took 2yrs and still no action.In truth many tenants have no faith in HA,s and would rather take action themselves and who could blame them.

Stage 2 IIRC was a panel made up of tenants from Brighton who visited the site and made the decision that the HA should act and remove the vehicles.The HA spent money on getting the panel to the site, lunch out etc and then took absolutely no notcie of their decision. Total incompetance.

Appreciate your time ,thanks..

nannytone_2

im amazed that a social housing provider would allow someone in a 1 bed property to have a lodger... let alone one receiving housing benefit!
even on a shared accomodation basis, isnt there a condition that states there has to be 'living'room as well as bedrooms?

pmlindyloo

Tottyshouse wrote: »

But what are the grounds? Where in Housing Law (that over rides anything in any tenancy agreement) does it state you can't own another house? If everyone who had made a "fraudulent" claim on a housing application was evicted the streets would be filled with cardboard boxes.

The op's housing provider may attempt to get a possession order - I would be genuinely interested to see if any Judge would entertain it.

Let me give you an example.


If someone said that they were homeless and in fact had a property elsewhere then they would have obtained the tenancy by deception.


I can't post a link at the moment but if you search council house fraud then this would come up as an example of where councils might investigate and evict.

underling

No, my tenancy says I’m allowed one lodger. It does say that I’m not allowed to have more than 3 people living there, as that would be over crowded. My friend only gets hb at the shared room rate not for the whole flat, although there’s not much difference.
There is a lot wrong with benefits and housing in this country, at last from the experience I had, as it actively discouraged me from working when I was in receipt of benefits. I have never had a fulltime job since I dropped out of college in the first term, moved out of home and went on benefits. The longest I’ve ever worked since is one day per week (so the job centre didn’t hassle me but I still got full hb. Now I am at least looking and willing to work.
It was unfair on others how I got my flat as well, as I effectively ‘skipped’ the queue. I was living in temporary accommodation, but was in the second lowed council band for social housing, and was not bothering to bid on council houses or approach privet landlords as many of the people who I shared the accommodation with were doing. When it was time for me to leave the staff asked me my plans, and I said I was going to squat an empty property, They became concerned and phoned up a housing association who then offered me the choice of two flats.

nannytone_2

so you still receive housing benefit and income related JSA? and have a property that you rent out?

this is NOT allowed.
while you are on means tested benefit, you lose all entitlement once you have savings/assets over £16k.

underling

I don’t get any benefits. My lodger gets hb, that gets paid in to my bank account. I was pointing out that when I did receive benefits it discouraged me from finding a job.

Poppie68

underling wrote: »

I’m renting my house out and taking in lodgers to the flat i live in, so that’s creating more housing.

How can you have lodgers in a one bedroom flat?

HappyMJ

Poppie68 wrote: »

How can you have lodgers in a one bedroom flat?

Use the living room as a bedroom and don't have a living room.