Council housing: Down sizing

gazter

tim123456789 wrote: »

Oh, so perfectly habitable then, just in need of decoration

tim

What is fascinating is just how well the social tenant is actually being treat by her landlord. Much more accommodating than what you would get via a private landlord.

oxfordmark

gazter wrote: »

What is fascinating is just how well the social tenant is actually being treat by her landlord. Much more accommodating than what you would get via a private landlord.

The house isnt ideal (yet) for a 64 year old woman to live in.

Meadows

oxfordmark wrote: »

The house is not habitable!

In whose eyes? A relative of a family member recently moved and she was told quite clearly that the property had to be empty and clean otherwise she would be charged.
So unless different councils have different rules it is more likely that the new property does not have a decor your mum likes.

oxfordmark wrote: »

We asked about a possible extension (if myself and my partner's house move slows down)

As for the move don't expect the house to go through in a planned time, even without hitch they seldom go through as quick as you like and can take around three months!

HarryBarry

oxfordmark wrote: »

SO, she in in the progress of downsizing. We feel very annoyed though.

We went to view the property 2 weeks ago. Our understanding was that once she signs the "notice to quit" on her current property. She would have 4 weeks until she would need to move out of the old house into the new one. We asked about a possible extension (if myself and my partner's house move slows down) and he said that all we would need to pay rent on two property's. Fair enough. A few days later she was given the keys to get painting etc...

Friday, her mum gets a letter through the door saying that the council are paying rent for her 1st week (1st July) and her rent liability would be from Monday 8th!

This totally shocked us as we thought she wouldn't need to pay rent on the new place until she moves in. We are STILL Waiting for the council to give information about removal help, carpeting and for an inspection of our current house.

Are the council in the wrong?

The house is not habitable!

No, the council are not in the wrong. The house sounds habitable, brand new carpets and fresh paint on the walls are not mandatory. It's not like it is missing a toilet or damp with wires hanging out everywhere.

I think you are just annoyed your plan of getting into your new house before she moves isn't going to work out. To be honest it is a bit of a cheek to even think that they might work with your plans - at their expense to save you money.

Errata

oxfordmark wrote: »

The house isnt ideal (yet) for a 64 year old woman to live in.

Neither is mine and I've lived in it for ten years.

carefullycautious

We were rewarded for leaving a property in such good condition that the LA had nothing to do to it. We were given a property and offered 35 pound for decorating it. We were downsizing.

I have never yet moved into anywhere that did not take many hours of cleaning and elbow grease plus full decorating and filling in of many holes some worse than other.

We also have paid rent on 2 properties to allow us enough time to get rid of unwanted furniture and get carpets laid plus decorate.

Unless you are moving into a brand new property it's par for the course I'm afraid no matter what age you are

ladymagpie

oxfordmark wrote: »

Hey

The house isn't habitable yet because she has only just received the paint to do the walls. Also, she is yet to get any information about how she can get carpet fitted (costs covered by the council) and the council's removal service and for our current house to get inspected.

So she has to pay rent for a property that she cannot live in.

Personally I think if you're not having to pay for it, or paying very little, you have little moral ground to complain when they don't do as you want them to when you want them to.

Shelldean

We viewed our current property on a Friday, and was only called the day before as someone else had turned it down.
We was given the wkend to decide if we wanted it.
So on Monday we accepted, and told we HAD to be out of the old property by the following Monday.
So four days earlier we had no idea we'd be moving.
we had three young children, DD 4 and twins of 18mths, and we had nothing prepared.
This house was DISGUSTING, nicotine stains, dirty paw prints everywhere and in two rooms between the gripper rods and the walls was matted dogs hairs, that had to pried out with a screwdriver. We was given a small amount to help us with redecoration.

As we'd had no warning OH couldn't take time off work. So he cleaned the two kids rooms and decorated them in the evenings, while I bathed and put the kids to bed, then packed.
The rest of the house was done as and when we could once we was moved in. (some parts took years and years)
Luckily we was only moving down the road so lots of things were carried down, and some things we used the twins pushchair for. The biggest bits we had to borrow a van for.

We ended up having to pay rent on both places, as despite our best efforts we couldn't be out of the old place in 7 days. We handed the keys back the following Monday, so only one weeks overlap.


edited to add we had to live with manky lino tiles for about two mths until we'd decorated living room and could afford carpet. Poor twins knees really suffered, as did their trousers

[Deleted User]

I rented council property for some years (decades). At first, you'd move into a council house that had already been freshly decorated by their team of decorators. Then fpr many years, you received a decorating allowance that was generous and included money for repairing things. Later on you'd get enough to allow you to do 3/4 of the decorating if you were careful. Then the decorating allowance became derisory.., enough to do one room even though all rooms were pretty manky (wallpaper hanging off the walls etc).

Nothing you could do. I was getting a house that was larger than private rental (generally) at half the rent. Swings and roundabouts. In most cases you were given two weeks to move in from one property to another, regardless of what the new property needed doing to it, regardless of the ages of your children.

At the end of the day, if you don't like the circumstances, you can move into private rental (where you may or may not get newer flooring/decorating done for you) and pay twice the rent.., or not move at all.

Quite frankly, I am stuck in private rental now (nothing to do with decorating) and I'd give the earth for the opportunity to move into a manky council property.

jojo1964

How do people who own their own property and buy another property cope with a move like this? Oh yes they have to arrange it and pay for it themselves