Can you apply for a council house if you already own your own home?

Okydoky25

Even if you didn't own your home you would struggle to get housed. And unless your children are of a certain age I think 12+ then you would only be entitled to a 2 bed anyway so would be in no better position than you are now.

csnann

If you can't afford a 3 bedroom house, have you considered a 3 bedroom flat? They are less commonly available but you might find one for the same price as a 2 bed house.

AliceBanned

I agree about shared ownership. I've struggled with housing issues for some time. I gave up my shorthold tenancy with a housing assoc (for life) to buy a shared ownership flat. It gave me the choice to afford an area and size of flat that I couldn't otherwise have afforded to move to, unless I had rented just a room in a flatshare, which is not a home of my own. I am on my own so not responsible for children but even so I feel more secure here than i did in housing assoc (same as council really). What you get offered by the council is not gold dust, believe me. I've been there and the problem is you get no choice (well one refusal usually). I ended up commuting a long way, which cost me a lot, and putting up with some extreme noise from neighbours, which they get away with, because the council, unlike private landlords, have very little power or inclination to do anything about. I'm not going to generalise as there must be some ok estates, but from my experience of three different flats on roughish parts of estates I would never recommend it for someone in your position, as you have a choice.

I can see why you think it would be a secure option, and I can see why people get envious of this "perk" of council housing, but in reality there are far better things to wish for, especially if you buy a place in a rising market. I look back and wish I'd moved out of the social housing trap a long time ago. I needed to be in other areas and have a different lifestyle but i couldn't, for fear of losing this lifetime tenancy, which was in fact holding me back at times. Shared ownership was the right choice for me and as I chose a very good area and apartment it has gone up considerably in value already. I thought I would feel terrified of losing that tenancy but it has actually set me free in many ways. One of my neighbours in the housing assoc place became quite horrible towards me as I was planning to move on. there is this saying that if you put a load of crabs into a bucket and one of them starts to crawl out, the others will drag it back in.:D.

There's much more to housing than having a lifetime tenancy - it isn't the pretty picture many outside that system think that it is. People become trapped, demoralised and disempowered by having too much help. Oh and that neighbour has been unemployed for two years - can't get a job as he can't afford transport. The council don't necessarily house people with any of this in mind.

SunReader

30 year waiting list in some areas in the South.

Generally the more train-wreck the lifestyle with loads of kids preferably a 'disability' ticks more boxes and bumps them up the list.

Council should say free durex or free triple tier bunk beds.




(referring here to those blagging it, not aimed at those with genuine disabilites.)

no_debt

you have about 13 years left on your morgage could you not remorgage had a bit more and spread it out over the years have a attic room done , dont woory about redundancy . i was nade redundent and found a job straight away be it half the pay i was on ,you may get working tax credits if on lower pay try and keep the morgage going you have paid twelve years into it halfway there good luck