why are some people entitled to a council house but others are not?

FatVonD

And totally off topic, you shouldn't remove trees if you have subsidence as then you will get heave, you should just keep them cut back to ensure they get no leafier than they currently are.

FatVonD

nottslass wrote: »

'Erm because believe it or not your neighbors are honest hard working people, who take pride in their homes and environment,their children are lovely polite members of socially,the homes are solidly built,near good schools,local facilities..................................

I'm sure many of them are but there are also a good percentage of troublesome families. You only have to read the problem neighbour threads on here to know that.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

FatVonD wrote: »

Serious question, if you are planning on staying there and security of tenure is important to you I assume you are, would you not pay for the work to be done yourself?

I know folk will say that in a private let you wouldn't expect to have to pay but, given your rent is very low and you intend on staying there until you die would you not even consider replacing some doors and bathroom fittings?

Where I lived, you couldn't get permission to replace any of those things. It was refused to everyone who requested permission in the block I lived in, for a start - and the one family who went ahead anyway were issued with a massive bill when the flats were upgraded, as they charged extra to remove everything and then replace it with the cheapest possible stuff.


However, there should be improvement works scheduled at some point in order to bring all social housing up to the Fit Homes Standard, as the law says they have to meet this in order to be let to a new tenant. Obviously, those who are already tenants don't come as high a priority, but it's certainly worth Rosie contacting the authority to find out. And reporting the mould/damp, as that's a health risk and they can install better ventilation/extractors or treat and even line the walls to reduce the hazard, depending upon whether it's a ventilation issue or damp.

pukkamum

FatVonD wrote: »

Serious question, if you are planning on staying there and security of tenure is important to you I assume you are, would you not pay for the work to be done yourself?

I know folk will say that in a private let you wouldn't expect to have to pay but, given your rent is very low and you intend on staying there until you die would you not even consider replacing some doors and bathroom fittings?

Many council tenants when moving out are told to return their house back to the way it was when thet originally moved in
I knew one woman who spent a fortune updating her kitchen, bathroom and living room, only to go back and see it all being ripped out and inferior replacements put in.
She was then sent a bill for the work.

ciderwithrosie_2

FatVonD wrote: »

Serious question, if you are planning on staying there and security of tenure is important to you I assume you are, would you not pay for the work to be done yourself?

I know folk will say that in a private let you wouldn't expect to have to pay but, given your rent is very low and you intend on staying there until you die would you not even consider replacing some doors and bathroom fittings?

Yes, we plan on replacing the doors upstairs when the hall, landing and stairs gets decorated. We were in an IVA until recently so not had much disposable income to put to redecoration, so apart from the kitchen which was updated less than 2 years ago, it all needs doing and I have a plan worked out. Only have one internal door downstairs and we replaced a solid one with a glass panelled one we found left outside someone's house (nothing wrong with it, so we crept out in the middle of the night and ran back home with it, giggling like little kids, well OH ran, I just got dragged along with the door!). If we do ever move all the doors would have to be put back to the sapele ones though.

As to the bathroom, no I think the HA should be updating it, seriously overdue. I still have a sink on wall brackets and it desperately needs an extractor fan in there. Really, I need to know when they plan to do the bathroom as when my neighbour moved out, they knocked the toilet and bathroom into one, and that would alter the number of doors I need to buy. They won't ever tell you though!

GwylimT

FatVonD wrote: »

Serious question, if you are planning on staying there and security of tenure is important to you I assume you are, would you not pay for the work to be done yourself?

I know folk will say that in a private let you wouldn't expect to have to pay but, given your rent is very low and you intend on staying there until you die would you not even consider replacing some doors and bathroom fittings?

Most councils require you to return your house/flat to the condition in which you found it, in my case when I moved into my council house there weren't any internal doors (including the bathroom), I bought doors which was quite expensive, started with the bathroom and slowly did the whole house.

When I moved out I had the choice of either removing the doors myself, or being charged for someone else to come in and remove them. I removed them myself and then when the new tenants were in drove the doors round so they could hang them. At the time I was living there a neighbour had fitted new kitchen worktops as like mine they were fully of cuts and cracks which meant they couldn't be adequately cleaned, when she moved out she had to pay to have the worktops 'restored'.

GwylimT

ciderwithrosie wrote: »

Yes, we plan on replacing the doors upstairs when the hall, landing and stairs gets decorated. We were in an IVA until recently so not had much disposable income to put to redecoration, so apart from the kitchen which was updated less than 2 years ago, it all needs doing and I have a plan worked out. Only have one internal door downstairs and we replaced a solid one with a glass panelled one we found left outside someone's house (nothing wrong with it, so we crept out in the middle of the night and ran back home with it, giggling like little kids, well OH ran, I just got dragged along with the door!). If we do ever move all the doors would have to be put back to the sapele ones though.

As to the bathroom, no I think the HA should be updating it, seriously overdue. I still have a sink on wall brackets and it desperately needs an extractor fan in there. Really, I need to know when they plan to do the bathroom as when my neighbour moved out, they knocked the toilet and bathroom into one, and that would alter the number of doors I need to buy. They won't ever tell you though!

No, they do tend to be bad at telling you, I had a new bathroom fitted, the bathroom I had didn't actually have a sink, the first I knew of it was a work van sitting on the driveway. Then they replaced the bath with a shower cubicle which leaked from day one to the day I moved out, also really handy when you have a toddler!

aliasojo

pukkamum wrote: »

Many council tenants when moving out are told to return their house back to the way it was when thet originally moved in
I knew one woman who spent a fortune updating her kitchen, bathroom and living room, only to go back and see it all being ripped out and inferior replacements put in.
She was then sent a bill for the work.

This makes my blood boil. What an incredible waste of money, it's about time some common sense was applied by whoever manipulates (and yes I choose that word specifically) the council budgets.

ciderwithrosie_2

aliasojo wrote: »

This makes my blood boil. What an incredible waste of money, it's about time some common sense was applied by whoever manipulates (and yes I choose that word specifically) the council budgets.

Seems they've changed the rules since we moved into our house, you just had to leave it clean and tidy. An old couple had lived in our house previously and so we inherited an 'interesting' selection of wallpapers, an overgrown garden, a gas fire in pieces on the lino floor of the living room and bare wires hanging out from the wall lights they'd taken with them. We were grateful however, for the hall, stairs and landing carpet which we kept for a few years til we could afford to replace it.

I guess if you do a houseswap with someone, you can negotiate what gets left but I agree, it's a huge waste of money, when a new family will probably come in and change it all again anyway.

FatVonD

ciderwithrosie wrote: »

Yes, we plan on replacing the doors upstairs when the hall, landing and stairs gets decorated. We were in an IVA until recently so not had much disposable income to put to redecoration, so apart from the kitchen which was updated less than 2 years ago, it all needs doing and I have a plan worked out. Only have one internal door downstairs and we replaced a solid one with a glass panelled one we found left outside someone's house (nothing wrong with it, so we crept out in the middle of the night and ran back home with it, giggling like little kids, well OH ran, I just got dragged along with the door!). If we do ever move all the doors would have to be put back to the sapele ones though.

As to the bathroom, no I think the HA should be updating it, seriously overdue. I still have a sink on wall brackets and it desperately needs an extractor fan in there. Really, I need to know when they plan to do the bathroom as when my neighbour moved out, they knocked the toilet and bathroom into one, and that would alter the number of doors I need to buy. They won't ever tell you though!

Ah, I see, so everything has to remain standard, I don't think I'd like that. That's not to say I wouldn't be grateful to be offered one if I needed it but I think I''d feel like I was permanently living at Butlins if I couldn't change anything!