Anyone Work For The Housing Department? Need Advice!

ceridwen

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

I think it's something to do with the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning as back boilers are more of a risk if there isn't adequate ventilation, or something like that.

Oh right... I see. Well .... I had a backboiler before now and my gas maintenance firm said about the ventilation at one point and put a ventilation grille in the floor and said that would be okay. Well - I've had guests sleeping in that room - and wouldnt expose anyone to health hazards in my place. I just regard my bedrooms and reception rooms as totally interchangeable with each other regardless - makes for a more adaptable house that way.

ceridwen

Penny-Pincher!! wrote: »

have been told already that the lounge is not accepted as a sleeping area each night.

How would they know if you were using the lounge as a sleeping area? Do they physically have an official coming into the lounge regularly? Would it be a very "bed" type bed in there? (or a divan that one could put a throw over in the daytime and use the pillows and assorted cushions as a backrest along the side of the bed by the wall).

(I tend to bear in mind that officials by and large just want to be "seen" to be "ticking the right boxes" to cover themselves for keeping their jobs - so it would take a particularly jobsworth type of official to see a divan bed arranged as I suggested to insist that that was a bed - even if they knew very well it was. The important thing to them is to be seen to be doing their job right by and large - and chances are you would get a reasonable one if one of them did get inside your lounge.)

I would have thought an independent little gasman putting in a ventilation grille in the floor (at your expense - so the Council didnt know about it) and a divan-type bed and/or not letting any Council official into the lounge if they visit would serve the purpose if you want to stay put?

~Chameleon~

Sorry, I assumed your bathroom was on the ground floor when I posted previously. Seems a strange set-up to have a bathrrom upstairs with no toilet and a toilet downstairs with no wash basin, or did they have to remove the toilet from upstiars when they turned the bathroom into a wet room?

Even so, you should still have a wash basin in the toilet. My downstairs loo is only 3' x 6' but it has room for a hand basin in it

I can certainly see now why you're struggling with the current set-up as even if you were allowed to sleep downstairs you'd still have to get upstairs to wash/shower!

Edit: Ahh just remembered you already have a stair-lift in so that wouldn't be a problem either

~Chameleon~

ceridwen wrote: »

Oh right... I see. Well .... I had a backboiler before now and my gas maintenance firm said about the ventilation at one point and put a ventilation grille in the floor and said that would be okay. Well - I've had guests sleeping in that room - and wouldnt expose anyone to health hazards in my place. I just regard my bedrooms and reception rooms as totally interchangeable with each other regardless - makes for a more adaptable house that way.

Yes, there is usually a ventilation grill somewhere in the room (on the outside wall in my nan's case) and as long as the boiler/fire is regularly serviced (legal requirement anywya by landlords) there shouldn't be a problem sleeping in there.

In fact I was looking up the info last night about this and found a website which stated that it is ok to sleep in the same room as a gas applaince with an open flue (gas fire/back boiler) as long as they put in a carbon monoxide detector and have the fire/boiler checked monthly instead of annually. I forget which site it was now but it was a council site which stated they do allow this in cases whereby a person may need to sleep downstairs due to incapacity/disability if that was the only option available.

Penny-Pincher - who said the living room isn't suitable for you to sleep in, and why? As ceridwen said, they wouldn't necessarily have to know anyway if it makes life easier for you. You could even put a sofa-bed in there so they would be none the wiser should they decide to visit

Anthillmob

i dont know if this has already been mentioned or your age im afraid so please dont take offence if you are below retirement age, but mr mobs nan and grandad were in a similar predicament and they got a lovely place, with the help of social services, in warden assisted flats. a ground floor 2 bed flat.

good luck

Hapless_2

The work was done via a DFG last year and cost approx 15k, we did not have to contribute

I believe that anything done by DFG has to adhere to the 5 yr rule. You have to certify that you are going to stay there. I checked with someone from our housing dept and the only exception is if other health problems arise and a move is needed, but the problems have to be completely unconnected with the condition that required the adaptions.

Penny-Pincher!!

Hi Guys!

Thanks for all the replies.

I didnt have to sign anything that stated a 5 year stay put rule when the adaptions were done apart from a financial asessment and after the work was completed stating that the adaptions had been done to a good standard.

I do have new problems unrelated to my original diagnosis now anyway so this shouldnt be a problem.

I am 33 and so is OH. DD is 13 next month.

My main reasons to state are then:

(1)Stairlift cant be used all the time because of new problems.
(2)Upstairs there is a wetroom/shower room but no toilet and no toilet has ever been there. No room for toilet due to health/safety as wheelchair needs to fit.
(3)Toilet downstairs with no wash facilities at all (apart from kitchen sink!)
(4)I use a pillow lift through the night that wakes up hubby-so really needs his own room. He is my FT carer and needs to sleep each night.

Will get the forms filled in over the weekend and will contact the council for advice for Monday as what to stipulate on the form.

Thanks

PP
xx

HariboJunkie

I hope you get what you're looking for PP.

I was going to suggest that maybe the time has come to get a commode upstairs but I didn't realise that your bed was also keeping OH awake so that wouldn't solve that problem either.

Like I say it will be very hard to leave that fabulous kitchen behind.It must have cost a fortune so I'd say the council were getting their money back on what they spent on your adaptations.

Sorry to hear you have developed new health problems.

Penny-Pincher!!

HariboJunkie wrote: »

I hope you get what you're looking for PP. Sorry to hear you have developed new health problems.

Thanks HJ:D ....TBH, we will probably end up staying where we are and putting up with it. I'll sleep downstairs if easier or OH can carry me to bed:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: Once DD finishes school we are thinking of moving away, so thats only 3.5yrs away...but we will see and time will tell. The kitchen was about £700...so not so bad.

Health problems have just become part of our lives since 3 years ago...its life and we just try to get on with it. Gutting at only 33, but I am not dead yet and there are so many more things I want to do and see.....and I will;)

Hugs

PP
xx

~Chameleon~

Sounds like you've really thought this through then and already made the decision you want to move so good luck with it and I hope you find a suitable property soon

Just one last thought, are you sure your health is up to all the stress of moving house? I don't just mean all the packing and stuff, which in itself will be bad enough, but I know how fastidious you are from reading some of your posts in the Daily and wonder how you (and even moreso your poor OH) would cope if you ended up being moved to somewhere that doesn't come up to your high standards of cleanliness and decor

Edit: you sneaked in a post before I hit send lol ... if you're planning to move anyway in a few years, you might be better off staying put as from what you've said about lack of suitable properties you might even be waiting that long for something to come up!

Anyway, whatever you decide to do I wish you well and good luck with it