Eviction notice served

skintscotslass

italian-tony wrote: »

Hi skintscotslass. I'm the bf of MOT. Hertfordshire is a long way from Liverpool; its the first County north of London. MOT & I are looking forward to the wedding this weekend. Time to let her hair down, forget her troubles if she can and just have a good time. Boy does she need it.

Further away than Edinburgh is to Liverpool then? I've read the diary and wondered about you and MOT until she confessed a few pages back. And I thought your post was absolutely lovely. Its nice to know that there are some decent blokes out there

Hope you both have a lovely time at the WOTY

Floss

Ooh, yes, forgot to ask I-T, have you got your outfit? Does it compliment MoT's?!

mumoftwins

Floss, he's online but not on MSE so I've just text him to come on!

He did say he would be 'complimenting' me but I'm not sure how!

He has a really good sense of style and will no doubt look just like he's walked off a catwalk (for the mature models )

Floss

Thank goodness it's not off a knitting pattern then! :rotfl:

It must be his inherent italian-ness, italian men always look good (as she tries to redeem herself!)

italian-tony

Hi Floss, yes I will be dressed to kill - you know, combats, camo jacket, kalashnikov - stop off at LL then run for the hills. No, seriously, when I was in better times I had to go to Bangkok on business so I have a few suits. My favourite is a black cashmere number, may wear that or an olive green lightweight. The latter is more in line with what MOT will wear but I don't want us to look like Howard & Hilda (for those of you that cn remember that TV programme. Anyway, whatever I wear will be put into the shade by the stunning beauty of MOT; so - maybe I'll go for the sling back wellies and the purple string number after all.

skintscotslass

italian-tony wrote: »

Hi Floss, yes I will be dressed to kill - you know, combats, camo jacket, kalashnikov - stop off at LL then run for the hills. No, seriously, when I was in better times I had to go to Bangkok on business so I have a few suits. My favourite is a black cashmere number, may wear that or an olive green lightweight. The latter is more in line with what MOT will wear but I don't want us to look like Howard & Hilda (for those of you that cn remember that TV programme. Anyway, whatever I wear will be put into the shade by the stunning beauty of MOT; so - maybe I'll go for the sling back wellies and the purple string number after all.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Floss

I think maybe the black cashmere number with the sling-back wellies, while it's a formal function....but take the kalashnikov, just in case it all kicks off!

mumoftwins

Hi,

I was upstairs tidying preparing for the visit of Mum:eek: and all I could hear was 'ping' as messages kept appearing on computer - I thought I bet thats T leaving some amusing message on MSE - and I was right but he didn't mention the fish nets to go with the sling back wellies did he? Maybe he's keeping that as a surprise for LL when he visits armed with his kalashnikov:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: LL probably wouldn't the services of firearms he'd drop dead at the sight I-T dressed like that :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

mumoftwins

Hi all,

For those of you who 'pop in now and then' I wanted to let you know that my frivolous nature today is due to feeling enormous relief that the HLO now has the Medical form from the Dr. Yes, its not nice waiting but there is nothing more I can do now, just wait for the HLO's decision.

Its like a weight being lifted off my shoulders knowing that I shall soon know one way or the other. But knowing my luck that weight will soon be back as I dread a negative decision and the appeal that will follow.

But hey, I'm listening to some good music on Heart FM and they do say music is good for the soul - so today I am going to enjoy myself:T

wherediditallgo

I've been reading this thread most days, & I've been so moved by the way MOT is coping, especially with all the support she's been getting here. Well done to you all. :A

DisillusionedAnna wrote: »

My local council is swapping over to this "Choices" form of letting empty properties, and it looks like the more persistant your are the better your chances.

You're right. My council has been using the bidding system for the last couple of years - I'll tell you how it works with my council for those that aren't familiar with it. The council issues a list every fortnight of vacant properties in the borough & in the neighbouring boroughs it has housing agreements with. They don't give the full address of the property, but they tell you the name of the road, how many bedrooms it has, what floor it's on & other details like a garden, close to shops etc, & the closing date by which bids have to be received. They also tell you which ones you're eligible to apply for - e.g. if you're a single person with no children, it doesn't matter how many 3-bedroom houses are available, you won't be able to apply for one. Also, some properties are only for elderly or disabled people, some are sheltered accommodation. The listing can be obtained in brochure form from the housing office or you can have it posted to you, or you can download it. You can bid for up to 3 properties from each listing by phone, by post, by going to the housing office & giving the details to the staff or via the internet. When I did it, I downloaded the listing & bid using the internet, as it's the quickest way to get the listing as soon as it comes out, & put your bids in before the deadline passes.

If you're invited to view a property (sometimes hundreds bid for one property, so you're not guaranteed a viewing just because you've put in a bid), you'll usually see it with some other people at the same time. The person with the highest priority in the group with you will decide whether they want the property or not - if they say they want it, that's the end of the viewings as they usually have to sign up that same day, but if they turn it down, the person with the next priority gets to decide & so on. As you have to make a decision on the spot, think of questions to ask before you get there, & carry a pen & notepad & a tape measure with you, so that you can measure up, make a note of any repairs that need doing, note how many electrical points there are in each room, ask the housing officer questions & note their answers etc. Don't let the fact that other people are around you intimidate you - there's no point agreeing to take something that isn't suitable for you, but there's no sense in going along not prepared to make a decision because if you & someone else viewing it have equal priority & that person can make a decision there & then, they could get the property instead of you. Also, don't feel rushed at the viewing, especially if you have the highest priority in your group (the housing officer can tell you that) - I had the highest priority in my group, & though I knew within seconds that I wanted the place (it had that 'feel' about it ), I took a good 20 minutes to look around it properly, measure up, ask all the questions I wanted etc before giving my decision. If you have the highest priority, you have the upper hand, so ask as much as you want to no matter who's waiting, because once you've signed up it's much harder to get hold of your housing officer then.

A lot of people are on the housing list who don't need the accommodation any more, but have never taken themselves off the list. The choice/bidding system means that those who need housing put in their bid & then they get invited to viewings on the basis of need. I personally think it's a fairer system - I was on the housing list for over 9 years before I got my first flat, & when I wanted to be re-housed I was on it for another 7 years or so with no sign of anything happening before the bidding system came in. Once that started, I bid like a demon online every fortnight, & I made sure I used all 3 of my bids every time. I saw my first property within 6 weeks, saw other properties in the following months & was finally rehoused 6 months after first seeing the info on the new system. Someone like MOT would get housed far more quickly than on the old system, where you had to wait for your name to get to the top of the list before you got an offer, but there's no two ways about it, you've got to put in the work to get your bids in as without that the council won't know you're interested in the property & they won't chase you up to find out either.

Best of luck, MOT - I've had my fair share of arguments with officialdom (won every one so far ), & it's not easy, but you feel great at the end & your faith in yourself is restored.