Council flat questions.

Keeping

I have just been offered a council flat which will be granted to me for life but I have a few questions that I hope someone can help me with.

If I end up getting a job later down the line, do I get to keep the flat and will my rent change? Can I redecorate, as in paint the walls, put down flooring / carpet or even buy a new kitchen if I wanted to?

Thanks.

CrazyRed

Keeping wrote: »

I have just been offered a council flat which will be granted to me for life but I have a few questions that I hope someone can help me with.

If I end up getting a job later down the line, do I get to keep the flat and will my rent change? Can I redecorate, as in paint the walls, put down flooring / carpet or even buy a new kitchen if I wanted to?

Thanks.

Hi,

I didn't think Council properties were offered 'for life' any more - my understanding was a 12 month probation period, then a 5-year contract.

However, to answer your questions:

If you get a job, then you can still keep the flat, subject to obeying the terms of your tenancy. Rent won't change, but of course, you'll be paying it yourself once working.

Redecoration : Yes, you can paint the walls and put down carpet.

All fixtures and fittings in the property (kitchen, bathroom, boiler, toilet, etc.) belong to the landlord and cannot be changed by the tenant - however, many Councils have a rolling replacement scheme that means that your kitchen/bathroom/boiler will be upgraded every so often - I think with my local Council the interval for kitchens and bathrooms is 25-30 years and the boilers are 20 years.

It does vary, though from Council to Council. Best thing to do is ask your Housing Officer or look on your Council's website.

HTH

Keeping

CrazyRed wrote: »

Hi,

I didn't think Council properties were offered 'for life' any more - my understanding was a 12 month probation period, then a 5-year contract.

However, to answer your questions:

If you get a job, then you can still keep the flat, subject to obeying the terms of your tenancy. Rent won't change, but of course, you'll be paying it yourself once working.

Redecoration : Yes, you can paint the walls and put down carpet.

All fixtures and fittings in the property (kitchen, bathroom, boiler, toilet, etc.) belong to the landlord and cannot be changed by the tenant - however, many Councils have a rolling replacement scheme that means that your kitchen/bathroom/boiler will be upgraded every so often - I think with my local Council the interval for kitchens and bathrooms is 25-30 years and the boilers are 20 years.

It does vary, though from Council to Council. Best thing to do is ask your Housing Officer or look on your Council's website.

HTH

Thanks. If I ask the landlords permission to fit a new kitchen, surely he would not have any problems with that?

With regards to the lifelong thing, the .gov website still says lifelong.

https://www.gov.uk/council-housing/types-of-tenancy

As a secure tenant, you can normally live in the property for the rest of your life, as long as you don’t break the conditions of the tenancy.

CrazyRed

Hi,

You'd need to ask the question of your housing provider once you're all moved in and settled. Under normal circumstances, as I understand it, you would not be permitted to change the kitchen - most housing providers have a "standard" kitchen and would not normally take kindly to people changing them - in fact, this may be grounds for your tenancy to be withdrawn, especially during the probation period.

Besides, why would you want to spend your hard-earned money on changing the kitchen when, chances are if it is old, the Council will be doing that for you anyway - either before you move in (if your Council has a set standard for new rentals) or afterwards as part of their planned upgrades/replacements?

The .gov website speaks of a "secure" tenancy. As far as I am aware, Council Tenancies offered nowadays are not "secure" - they are a fixed-term tenancy.

Check with your housing provider - they'll have to give you a copy of the tenancy agreement for you to sign before you move in, anyway, and the terms and conditions will be listed in the same.

nannytone_2

i changed my kitchen inn my old house in london, but i asked permission from the council before i did it.
the existing 'kitchen was just a sink on legs and a stone larder though, so they had no standards!

in my current property, i have added extra cypboards and replaced the worktops but again, i asked permission first

Errata

Some - many? most? - councils and housing associations include in the tenancy pack a list of things which tenants can have/change with the council's written permission and inspection eg satellite dish, garage, conservatory, kitchen units, bathroom sanitary ware. Tenants are also required to keep the gardens tidy and the property in good decorative order, which for some is painting the walls purple and the celings black - but that's another thread;)

baza52

Wish I could het my kitchen replaced.
My current kitchen is 30 years old and was there when I moved in 22 years ago.
They wont change it because they say it looks like the tenant fitted it....

Nick_C

I used to work in the housing department of a London council many years ago. One of the thing which surprised me initially is that when a tenant moved out, any luxury improvements (such as gold taps) were removed by the council prior to re-letting, otherwise the new tenant would have expected them to be maintained and replaced like for like where necessary.

You certainly can and should decorate, put down carpet etc. It is usually a standard condition of the tenancy that you keep the flat in good decorative order.

You rent will go up when you start work, assuming you are on housing benefit.

Council flats always used to be granted for life. I was not aware that this had changed (except where the council explicitly offers you temporary accommodation while waiting for a suitable permanent home to become available). Ask the council officer about this when you meet them to sign up for the tenancy. Of course, you can be evicted if you break the terms of the tenancy agreement or don't pay the rent.

Norman_Castle

You rent will go up when you start work, assuming you are on housing benefit.

I expect you know what you are saying what you've said is unclear

OP. The rent will stay the same, but the responsibility for paying it will move to the tenant. Depending on your income there may still be help in paying the rent and council tax.

Nick_C

Norman_Castle wrote: »

I expect you know what you are saying what you've said is unclear

OP. The rent will stay the same, but the responsibility for paying it will move to the tenant. Depending on your income there may still be help in paying the rent and council tax.

Having worked for many years in Housing Benefits, I was speaking colloquially using language that I would expect most tenants to understand.

Obviously the underlying rent doesn't change, but the net rent, or rebated rent, changes as your circumstances change if you are getting a rent rebate.

Tenants often used to come to the office to ask why their rent had gone up, when what had really happened was their rebate had gone down.

Most tenants, in my experience, think of "rent" as the amount they have to pay, even if it includes other things such as charges for heating and hot water, community alarm systems, general service charges, and water charges.

Morlock

Nick_C wrote: »

Obviously the underlying rent doesn't change...

Why doesn't the underlying rent change?

Council housing rents increase virtually every April.