Council house and moving in date

ohkohkohk

Hello I'm new here and this is my first post. I've just been offered a council house and I'm awaiting a viewing not sure when that will be but I have intentions to take it on from the outside view it does look like it needs basic decorating and new carpets etc. I work as well as my partner so only really have the weekend to straighten things out. How long can a council house remain unoccupied but full rent being paid whilst you do modifications before moving in? Thanks 

FtbDreaming

When i got mine they charged rent from day one when i got the keys. Doesn't matter that it was weeks before i moved in. I had a council tax summons too before I had even moved in. 

[Deleted User]

You can do decorating and live there, you know.  I've never really had the choice, if I needed a council home, I needed a home asap and couldn't afford to wait.  I just moved in and started decorating.  Then you can do it evenings etc.  Are you totally sure you need this council house if you are able to support two homes for long enough for this to be a concern and decor rather than living in it is the initial priority? 

Look at the council's website and see if they have any clauses about how long a council property can be left empty.  It will vary according to the LA.

Perhaps a smarter private rental would be easier for you?    

WednesdayAdams

Hi, I got my keys to my council flat on a Thursday and I was so desperate to move in, I literally started staying there that afternoon. The official tenancy didn’t start until the following Monday, but they didn’t mind me staying there even before the tenancy officially began. It seemed like they were quite used to people being desperate to move in asap and it wasn’t a problem for them. However, I did have to continue paying the rent on my old home for one month, aswell as paying the rent on my new council tenancy and that was quite tough. 

Even if you are in a position to stay in your old home while you decorate your new council home, you will still have to pay rent on your new council home immediately. It happened very fast for me! I viewed my flat, accepted it, got the keys and became liable for rent within a week. The council will not be interested in wether you plan to decorate before moving in so you won’t move in for a couple of weeks. They won’t care wether you have to give a months notice to your old place. They will except you to start paying rent immediately within a few days. They probably won’t compromise on that.

if you find yourself in financial difficulties because you have to pay rent on your old home and your new home during the first month of your council tenancy, you can apply to your Local Authority for a discretionary housing payment.

In my experience you can decorate and move in whenever you want, but they will expect rent to be paid from the Monday after you view/get keys. And there will be no compromising on that!

good luck with your viewing:)

WednesdayAdams

....sorry I also just realised you were saying that you are happy to pay the rent even though you might not actually move in until you finish decorating. I think that will be fine and they are probably quite used to that also. They do understand that people have different circumstances....and also some of the properties can be in quite a bad state, so they will understand sometimes a bit more of decorating might happen before new tenant physically moves in. As long as you are paying rent and council tax I don’t think it would be a problem. Just keep them updated an let them know what you are doing.

My council do a home visit after a few weeks, just to make sure the person on the tenancy has actually moved in. They take a photo of you at the point of handing over the key, to reduce the risk of tenancy fraud. They also said that sometimes people accept the property and keys, but never actually move in! So the property can end up empty with no rent being paid, while people are desperately waiting on the list.

So as long as you pay the rent and keep them updated you should be fine.

macman

If you are renting, then surely 'basic decorating' will be done by the LA before you can move in?

WednesdayAdams

Basic decorating isn’t done by LAs. That’s the responsibility of the tenant. A lot of LAs will also rip out carpets and flooring before the new tenant moves in. It is very different to private renting in that way.

HampshireH

macman said:

If you are renting, then surely 'basic decorating' will be done by the LA before you can move in?

Nope this is down the tenant. As is flooring.

 OP carpet places are shut at the moment so you may wish to get some rugs temporarily.

The council wont mind you doing the place up before you move in. Most state 4 weeks is reasonable as the tenancy will say  it needs to be your main and principlw home