Problems with council housing application!!

mrsiwannabefree

Hi
Can anyone advise on what to do next please...
I live with my husband in our own house, my son (28) his partner (25) and their 2 year old twins share one bedroom in our house.
They applied to Lewisham council to be placed on the housing register. They've had nothing but problems, from saying that they'd completed the wrong form (even though it was downloaded from their site!) saying that they needed more ID (even though they sent birth certificates for all 4 of them, National Insurance cards, benefit letters, the 2 years worth of bank statements that Lewisham asked for etc.)
After 9 months Lewisham finally wrote back that they had accepted their ID and application and were just waiting on a report from a home visit. This had happened the month previously so they thought they wouldn't have to wait long.
After 2 months my daughter-in-law rang the council and asked what was happening, she was told a housing officer would get back to her in 48 hours. No-one got back to her and after 4 lots of telephone calls where no-one called back, unanswered emails and an unanswered letter she got the local MP involved.
They finally received a letter last week from Lewisham to state that their application had been refused as they are not overcrowded!!
We live in a 3 bedroom house, they have the biggest room, we have the medium and the box room is used for my step-daughter as she stays every weekend and during holidays etc.
The council state that as we have a "spare" room they can use that and so they are not overcrowded.
I'm livid it's our house not a council house...who are they to say that they can use our 3rd bedroom, where's my step-daughter supposed to sleep?
We have the added problem in that my son suffers from extreme anxiety and panic attacks so I can't chuck them out for them to go homeless and go through the temporary accommodation route to get rehoused, as they could send them anywhere and my son will only go out locally.
This situation is causing problems at home between myself and my husband, as he wants our house back to ourselves.
I'd really appreciate any help in what we can do next.

thequant

mrsiwannabefree wrote: »

Hi
Can anyone advise on what to do next please...
I live with my husband in our own house, my son (28) his partner (25) and their 2 year old twins share one bedroom in our house.
They applied to Lewisham council to be placed on the housing register. They've had nothing but problems, from saying that they'd completed the wrong form (even though it was downloaded from their site!) saying that they needed more ID (even though they sent birth certificates for all 4 of them, National Insurance cards, benefit letters, the 2 years worth of bank statements that Lewisham asked for etc.)
After 9 months Lewisham finally wrote back that they had accepted their ID and application and were just waiting on a report from a home visit. This had happened the month previously so they thought they wouldn't have to wait long.
After 2 months my daughter-in-law rang the council and asked what was happening, she was told a housing officer would get back to her in 48 hours. No-one got back to her and after 4 lots of telephone calls where no-one called back, unanswered emails and an unanswered letter she got the local MP involved.
They finally received a letter last week from Lewisham to state that their application had been refused as they are not overcrowded!!
We live in a 3 bedroom house, they have the biggest room, we have the medium and the box room is used for my step-daughter as she stays every weekend and during holidays etc.
The council state that as we have a "spare" room they can use that and so they are not overcrowded.
I'm livid it's our house not a council house...who are they to say that they can use our 3rd bedroom, where's my step-daughter supposed to sleep?
We have the added problem in that my son suffers from extreme anxiety and panic attacks so I can't chuck them out for them to go homeless and go through the temporary accommodation route to get rehoused, as they could send them anywhere and my son will only go out locally.
This situation is causing problems at home between myself and my husband, as he wants our house back to ourselves.
I'd really appreciate any help in what we can do next.

You are not overcrowded. You have one room for yourself and husband, one room for son and partner and one room for two year olds twins.

There are people out there who are really genuinely overcrowded, your children have no right to jump the list.

BigAunty

Housing benefit, for example, will not include a room in its calculations where it isn't the primary residence of the person that's staying there.

See the allocation policy which will also provide guidance on how they class rooms as spare or occupied in the points/banding calculations. I imagine the council have legitimately excluded that, as per its rules.

mrsiwannabefree

thequant wrote: »

You are not overcrowded. You have one room for yourself and husband, one room for son and partner and one room for two year olds twins.

There are people out there who are really genuinely overcrowded, your children have no right to jump the list.

You obviously didn't read my post properly... the 3rd bedroom is my step-daughters she's staying more & more as she's a teenager and clashing with her mother. The boys cannot have that room.


Also I'm not asking to jump the queue at all just for them to actually be on the queue!!

Eejay

I can understand that it's frustrating, but surely if your son and his family are always at your house and your step-daughter is only there some of the time, it makes sense to let the children have the box room? Maybe even if it's just during the week, and they share with their parents at the weekend. It can't be doing them much good all sharing the same room constantly - no privacy for their parents and if one person has a cough, nobody would get any sleep.

It's not fair that you have to have them living with you seemingly permanently, but is there no way they can work towards moving into their own privately rented place? Council housing is in short supply and there are more needy people out there, unfortunately. My Mum got a council house in 1994, but we'd had to move suddenly to escape domestic abuse (if we hadn't got out, I suspect my Dad would have eventually killed her) and we spent several weeks in a dodgy B&B before getting a house. Even then, it wasn't an easy process.

k3lvc

So step-daughter is not actually resident with you ?

As for being 'in the queue' - what's the point if they're never likely to progress from being 'in the queue' - far rather the system was honest with them and didn't build the hopes up

princeofpounds

Have you thought about evicting them?

mrsiwannabefree

I can actually see her moving in soon as she's really not getting on with her mother, we're constantly getting calls to pick her up and bring her to us for a few days.
Our house is really not big enough for them all
Can they find their own private rented and get housing benefit paid?

Bantex_2

If they can find a landlord who will accept them. What is their income?

duchy

If your step daughter came to live with you permanently then you would be overcrowded but visitors don't count. The fact she stays often is not relevant unless she becomes resident and her child benefit is transferred to her father.

I am amazed you keep a room for one person when you have four squashed into one room - but hey as you've said your house -your decision how you treat each child or grandchild.

The best thing your son could do is visit housing in Lewisham at the council offices for housing advice - but really I can't believe all this wasn't done months ago instead of waiting for a pie in the sky council flat.

KMMT

Is there no way they can rent privately? I know lots of people in a similar position to then & they waited so long for a council house they ended up renting privately anyway. It's not ideal, but unfortunately the demand far outweighs the supply