Please help! Advice needed. Offered property and accepted, but not sure about it no

Lizzie-S

Sorry that should say not sure about it now in the title!

Oh I am in a proper quandary. Please be gentle.

Basically, 2 weeks ago, we were offered a property from a housing association - a 2 bed house, and it was advertised on the bidding website of our local council, and the pic showed a house up in the top of the cul de sac, with a 30 ft long drive, a gate and fence at the bottom, a wide garden, a garage, and fields behind. A lovely position. It didn't say the number. When the bidding closed, it said it was number 4.

We got an offer as soon as the bidding ended, as we were number one on the list. I was incredibly excited, even though they said that it wouldn't be ready for up to 2 months because it is a major void. Last week, we went to the housing association and handed the 'acceptance' slip in. I know it's not an 'official acceptance,' but it's just something for them to show their superiors at head office that it was accepted, should the tenant turn it down. We haven't been allowed to view it yet, and haven't been given a date to sign up either.

Anyway, we went to look at the area for the first time today, (we had looked at it on street view, and it looked nice. A nice quiet area, but only a mile from town.) And on further inspection, the house is not the same one we thought! The one in the photo, as I said, was one up a corner, with a long drive and gates and a field behind, and about 1000 feet from the main road.

The one it 'actually' is, is just as you enter the cul de sac, second on the right, with the main road at the side of it, and a tiny 15 ft back garden with a hedge between the garden and a road at the back that leads to a factory which is about 150 feet as the crow flies, from the back garden. The front garden is big (about 25 feet long,) and the side garden is wide too; about 30 feet wide; ) I think the side garden makes up for the lack of back garden. We realised when we saw someone in the house we thought it was, planting flowers, and so we looked at the numbers!

Well my husband has just gone mad, he said "we have been conned, and fooled as the picture showed a completely different property, (though the house is very similar: also a semi detached,) but he said "this one is too near the main road and dangerous for the cats" - although it is still about 75 feet from the main road. He then said "There is NO back garden to speak of, there is a road at the back making it vulnerable to break-ins," (although 20 other houses up there have that same path, and nobody goes up there except for factory traffic, and there is a small piece of green 'before' the road, that goes for about 30-35 feet.) He has basically said he doesn't want it!

I feel like crying: I didn't know it wasn't the one we thought. I am OK with it, but my husband is adamant that he's not having it. It's still OK, and to be honest, I don't think we will find one much better.

What if we turn it down, after bidding and getting to number one and getting it? And we put the 'acceptance' form in too. What reason can we give? Surely they will think (as many would) that we should be grateful to have anything? Its social housing, not a house we're renting privately or buying!

HELP! What can I do? If we had spotted this before, and my husband has said he doesn't want it, take off the bid etc, I wouldn't have minded, as I am fairly easy going and would have just waited til another one came up, but the bidding ended, we were number one, we were offered it, and we already said yes.

The small town where it is, is 20 miles from my husband's workplace, and is down winding country lanes, but we bid on it as we have been waiting 4 years on the list and have got nowhere yet, (we are in private let,) and now I am scared if we turn it down it will push us down the waiting list.

Like I said, please be gentle. I have a headache worrying about it...

[Deleted User]

Pictures being used on the housing association website that are of the wrong house seems quite unlikely, unless they are both housing association houses and there has been a merry mix-up. Have you confirmed that the house you visited today is in fact the housing association house that you have accepted, is it possible that you've made a mistake when visiting?

I found a house on rightmove that looked great, I investigated the area on streetview and found what I thought was the house. The address matched on streetview, the appearance was very similar and I couldn't find any other house that more closely resembled the pictures. I went to view the house: it was a completely different house, same area but the way the house appeared on streetview did not reflect how it looked at the time of viewing and the pictures on rightmove weren't accurate representations of the house's state at the time either.

If it is a mix-up on the housing associations part then it sounds as though your husband is more angry about the situation (being misled, his expectations not being met) than he is about the house. If the house is "vulnerable to break-ins" and "too dangerous for the cats" even if it's >75 feet from the main road it sounds like he might just be trying to validate his anger. If you can get him to separate the issues, 1. The house, 2. Housing association mess-up he may come around to the house.

I can't speak to the housing association process but I assume that paper work will have been started and you may cause problems for the housing association by cancelling, however if they had misled you then it's ultimately morally justifiable for you to refuse the property even after accepting.

Perhaps a place to start would be a phone call to the housing association, explain that you have been to visit the area and property and don't believe it to be the one that they advertised, see if they present any options to you or if they think you may have viewed the wrong property.

Ultimately you need to be happy, social housing is no good if it isn't fit for your needs. If you refuse the property now it'll just mean someone else gets it, the only cost to the housing association will be some wasted time, which isn't the end of the world.

Lizzie-S

Thank you C.A. It is definately not the house advertised though, (ie; the one that was in the photo,) as we have number 4 on the offer letter and they confirmed the tenant left 3 weeks ago, yet the house we thought it was is clearly occupied. The house that we thought it was is number 28 (about 14 houses down the road.)

Also the HA said yesterday, that the heating is being put in at the moment, and it was number 4 that had the plumbers this morning, and number 28 is occupied with people putting plants in the garden and cars on the drive, and number 4 is clearly empty.

I am actually OK with it, and 75 feet from the main road is not that close, it's a low population area, quiet roads, nice area. I think it's mad to turn it down, but my husband is fuming. As social housing goes, it's lovely: big, 1950s, roomy, (twice the size of some 2 beds,) big garden (side and front,) lots of distance between that and the houses opposite and the ones next to us. My husband said he wants to view it before he can 'make a final desicion' but we can't for 4 or 5 weeks, shortly before it's ready! I don't want to wait THAT long before saying no (if we do...)

I am reluctant to turn it down. My daughter says we would be fools to, as God knows when something else will come up, especially as nice as this! Will I get in trouble for refusing it though?

kelpie35

I personally feel that your husband is being very ungrateful.

Does he not know how difficult it is to be offered social housing?

There are thousands of people who wish they were in your shoes just now.

monty-doggy

The house you initially describe certainly doesn't sound like social housing! A private gated drive?

Maybe it was too good to be true?

Cissi

monty-doggy wrote: »

The house you initially describe certainly doesn't sound like social housing! A private gated drive?

Maybe it was too good to be true?

From the descriptions it definitely sounds like it was no 4 all along, and so the council must have made a very strange mistake. OP, do you have any record of the ad that you saw? Can you prove that they definitely advertised the wrong property? If so, then I don't think you could be blamed in the long term for turning it down, as long as everything is documented. Whether you'd be wise to do so is another matter...

I think your own and your daughter's instinct's are right and you may be a long time waiting for anything equally good to come up again. It sounds like your DH's pride has been wounded (understandably) but you may be able to bring him round. After all he hasn't rejected it outright yet. Maybe it's worth waiting until you've had a chance to view it before making your final decision as by then he'll have had a chance to cool down?

starbarboy

Hi there

I would give your husband a couple of days to mull it over before doing anything - he may yet change his mind.

Take a big breath and stay calm - I'm sure it will work itself out :cool:

Let us know what the outcome is.

Best wishes

Stephen

redskyatnight_2

I think hubby is being rather ungrateful too Lizzie. If the property is only a few yards down the road, and also has a big garden (small back one I know,) but big side and front, and it's the SAME as the other one: I wonder if you have got a case. It would come across as you being very ungrateful and could prejudice any further chances of social housing offer. You could wait a year before you get another offer. (Or more) I fear that it would do you more harm than good to turn it down. Does your husband know hard difficult it is to acquire social housing? Especially ones like you describe. You may come across as being very much 'not' in any kind of need at all, if you're being overly fussy.

It's a long way from the road by the looks of it, and is in a cul de sac. It sounds good to me. Any chance we could see both homes? or is that cheeky? Also, a field at the back isn't all that: also vulnerable to burglaries, and if you have cats: attacks from foxes and badgers etc. Sounds like the 'other' one may be better!

Leave hubby to calm down, but I think you'd be mad to say no at this point, and to wait a few weeks til you view it, and 'then' say it could be worse.

Lizzie-S

Thank you everyone.

So here is the property we FIRST thought we had been offered and the one that was on the property ad. It's the one on the right with the white doors (front and back)

http://oi41.tinypic.com/i6vvo1.jpg

And this is the one it ACTUALLY is. (on the left with a wooden garage...)

http://oi44.tinypic.com/2u4mwbo.jpg

The first one was about 1000 feet from the main road, and the one it actually is, is about 100 feet or maybe more, from the main road. The main road is beyond those newish private apartments on the left of the pic (with the cream and grey rooves.) So it's a fair distance away. The house is on the right by the way: with the big tree in the garden.

http://oi43.tinypic.com/2yzfriw.jpg

My husband hasn't mentioned it again all day now.

Bella73

To be honest I can't see what's wrong with it. If you want to be mega choosy then sorry to be harsh but you need to buy your home yourself. You should see some of the hovels down our way that are classed as social housing and you would jumping for joy.

Lizzie-S

It's not me Bella; it's my husband. He 'fell in love' with the first one and was chuffed it was 1000 feet from the main road (like 300 yards,) and it had a field at the back... and this one is closer to the main road, (about 50 yards or so,) and it hasn't got a field at the back blah blah. I think it's fine and almost identical to the other one! I want to throttle my husband right now, as he is refusing to discuss it!