Council flat "unannounced home visit"

gettingready

bouicca21 wrote: »

I think Annie 01234 is correct. It has to be unannounced so that they can be sure your daughter really lives there and hasn't just come round for the purpose of fooling them.

Fooling them about what?

I repeat, I do not get any benefits at all.

paddedjohn

bouicca21 wrote: »

I think Annie 01234 is correct. It has to be unannounced so that they can be sure your daughter really lives there and hasn't just come round for the purpose of fooling them.

How does that work then? What if the daughter isn't home when they call?

gettingready

Thanks Paddedjohn.

Bugs me as when I had a lodger - they only asked me to email them the scan of lodger's ID.

Now my daughter (who always lived with me apart from a short time away) is back - they want to visit?

Really confused about why and frankly not happy about ANY unannounced "control visits".

sandsni

Is it possible your daughter has applied for benefits using your (and now her) address as her residence and they want to make sure she is actually living there?

AnnieO1234

I am willing to bet that a lot of council tenant's children "move back home" on paper in order to benefit from discounts in a right to buy situation or to succeed the tenancy. That said why the council should announce an unannounced visit is beyond me.

OP you should perhaps call them and find out what it is they need to visit for. Are you sure it hasn't been a misunderstanding and they've said someone is in the area in the next few weeks but they can't give an appointment time.

If there is an issue with OPs daughter, perhaps a domestic abuse issue, where it would be inadvisable for someone to turn up unannounced then OP should speak to the council about this.

The other reason could be that the council want to check out more details about the lodging situation, especially if the lodger or daughter is on HB.

In any event, the full story behind the councils reasons isn't being told. As a tenant OP has the right to peaceful enjoyment, if OP tells the council to make an appointment they must abide by that.

X

gettingready

My daughter is an adult (23) so no "domestic abuse" issue.

She was/is on tenancy for about 10 years, as long as we have been council tenants - previous and current flat, old tenancy.

No misunderstanding, I quoted the email from my first post.

Lodger moved out because daughter was moving back in - that is why I notified the Council as I like to play by the books so to speak.

Lodger was never claiming HB.

Daughter has applied for JSA last week (had proof of address here with her of course) but not entitled to HB or CTB as "living at home". Only entitled to under 25 JSA rate.

Again - I pay full rent/CT and I resent any "unannounced" visits from anyone - it is not just the Council, nobody is allowed into my flat unannounced.

As a tenant OP has the right to peaceful enjoyment, if OP tells the council to make an appointment they must abide by that.

Is this a rule? A law? Link to this being official guidance?

Thanks.

sandsni

gettingready wrote: »

My daughter is an adult (23) so no "domestic abuse" issue.

Thanks.

I think the poster meant if your daughter had been a victim of domestic abuse (not necessarily while she was living with you), then she and you would have a good reason for asking the council not to send anyone unannounced.

gettingready

She was not but thanks for posting.

elsien

I have to be honest, I think you're getting into a little bit of a tizz unneccessarily.
If you're not in, your daughter can choose not to answer the door - after all there must be occasional other unnannounced callers - the postman, gasman, canvassers at election time, whatever.
Or she can answer it but not let them over the threshold, tell them it's not convenient and you'll phone to arrange a more convenient time.
And if you're fretting about the purpose of the visit, just pick up the phone and ask them. Much easier than worrying yourself over something that might not be that big a deal anyway.

gettingready

Elsien - thanks, got the email after 5.30 pm today so could not call back.

I guess i am a bit over the edge with so many changes going on right now.

I like to have everything planned in my life and hate anything "unannounced".

Sigh