Advice regarding council housing?

John_

wavefunction said:

Does it take a long time to get a council apartment or a house? I asked someone and was told he waited for 2 years to move into a council place that he liked - that’s ridiculous?

Are housing associations and council housing not the same?

Isn’t council accommodation equivalent to the projects in the US? Bad neighbourhoods for low income families... kind of like a ghetto, no? Some of the council houses that I’ve seen looked quite decent.

Thanks!

Some council estates are lovely, but many aren‘t, and it’s nearly all down to the people living there who have no respect for themselves, the property, or their neighbours. Sadly there seem to be a lot of people like that nowadays.
And yes, waiting lists can be long, and many people would never make it to the top. I’d never be offered one, for example.

Missy79

Very much depends on the area. My local housing association (took on all council housing stock) has been selling properties on the open market....

tunde10

It depends on the area. It took me just under 8 years to get a one bed flat (Maisonette) in Greenwich London. Greenwich is actually one of the few councils in London with an abundance of council and housing assoc properties so it can be longer in other areas.  
But you could also get it in 5 years here with no priority if you bidded for high rise or studio flats. But once you're near the top, it's worth waiting a year or so extra for a decent one as you will be living there for a long time due to secure tenure.

One thing you need to know. Income and savings are irrelevant. I am a single male with a decent income and good amount of savings. So once on the list, don't let others put you off taking a flat after you've waited fairly according to the rules. You never know when it'll be you in a bad situation and looking for help. These same people will not be around to help you then. Especially with the high rent and house prices in London! It just gives you the peace of mind in London knowing your rent will always be cheap and you can't get kicked out unless you constantly break rules.

AdrianC

caprikid1 said:

If you are a single working male...

Gender has nothing to do with eligibility.

Single parents are prioritised higher than single people without dependent kids living with them. Which is as it should be.

It just happens to be women who are more often single parents with dependent kids.

natasha22

Basically it all massively depends  council housing/housing association tends to be used interchangeably as the housing is now managed by other organisations (where you are will depend on what association). Council housing is a bit of a throwback name

Where I am council housing used to tend to be in massive clumps often referred to a council estates, however with the right to buy etc lots of those old "council estates" are a mix of council properties and privately owned. Where i lived used to be 90% council and now is predominantly privately owned (you used to be able to tell from identical front doors the council isssued) . Even in things like large tower blocks which has historically all been council housing, now there will be privately owned.
 
This has left a massive shortage of council housing so now new build estates etc must contain a portion of "affordable housing"/ council housing. Often the best way to get planning permission from the council is to have lots of these. Councils also buy suitable properties as they come up. 

This means you can be in a council property in the dingiest flat, or in a really pricey area in a new build. 

Usually what happens is to get a property you have to "bid". Where i am: You are given a banding of priority based on things like health conditions, kids, emergency need etc. The association puts up x amount of properties on its site, every 2 weeks Sometimes theres lots, sometimes theres 1. They also might be putting up 5 x 1 bed flats 6 miles away when your waiting to build on a house for a big family. When a suitable property comes up, people bid on it. Sometimes hundreds of people bid so those with the highest banding who have been waiting longest will get it. Sometimes no one bids and it goes back on the following week. 
You might also only be able to bid on certain properties eg a single person is unlikely to win any bidding for a family home. Some larger families wont be allowed to win on a property thats less bedrooms than they need

If you are a low banding, then often its difficult because you never get to the top of the queue. Especially if you are picky about area which working people tend to be. Single people also tend to be pushed towards studio flats, bedsits or shared accommodation 

Those in housing dire straits are considered first so if you arent immediately facing eviction etc and have currently housing it bumps you down the list. 

 Councils also house people including whole families in emergency accommodation eg in a hotel. This fufills their obligation and makes you less of a priority again so now that you are safely housed (even if its a whole family in 1 room with barely any cooking facilities) you become less urgent 

Some areas are much more competitive than others

natasha22

People with critical needs do tend to get housed quickly in emergency accommodation like hotels, bedsits etc. It can be a lengthy wait to get out of them though. I work with people with housing needs at times and due to be vulnerable the council proactively seeks housing for them so they dont have to bid etc. This is rare though.

However those that are looking for bigger properties eg. Because of over crowding can wait years and years

Anecdotally ive seen it move quickly for those becoming homeless however relatives in london were asked to move aproximately 2 hours a way in order to recieve housing (to an area with less demand). Once they were there  they were housed in a b and b for about 18 months despite having two school age children. They now have permanent housing

wavefunction

Ok, yeah, council accommodation doesn’t sound like a place I’d like to live in. Years of waiting to move into some less than good neighbourhood most likely? No, thank you.

Thanks for all the info, this forum is great!

Silvertabby

50 years ago, I lived with my mum, dad, sister and gran in a privately owned/mortgaged 2-up 2-down terraced house with an outside loo in the back yard.  No hot water on tap, and the only means of heating was the coal fire in the dining room (and the gas fire in gran's front room bedroom, but only she was allowed to use that).  

My best friend, however, lived round the corner in a 3 bed semi with central heating, fitted kitchen, full bathroom suite and a lovely garden.  Her dad worked with my dad, and her mum didn't work, whereas mine did, so the difference in our houses didn't seem fair to me.

So I asked my mum why we couldn't have a house like my friend's - and her answer was "don't be silly - it's a council house - they are only for poor people".

ElephantBoy57

wavefunction said:

Does it take a long time to get a council apartment or a house? I asked someone and was told he waited for 2 years to move into a council place that he liked - that’s ridiculous?

Isn’t council accommodation equivalent to the projects in the US? Bad neighbourhoods for low income families... kind of like a ghetto, no? Some of the council houses that I’ve seen looked quite decent

You seem to think council housing is equivalent to a "ghetto", yet you want one and in a short space of time. I waited around 5 years, it is a nice house.

You might get a flat that no one wants quicker than the popular housing.

Heres_the_deal

Social housing has changed beyond all recognition. The day of building social housing en-mass has long gone. New developments have to allocate 30% of its homes to the social sector. In reality that means these days housing associations have 4 and 5 bedroom detached houses with garages, massive gardens and high quality fittings on what used to be termed 'executive estates'. They certainly do around my area with rents in the region of between £110- £160 per week.

Allocation of these homes are piecemeal, and the potential tenant is very rarely scrutinised for previous behavioural issues. There is a bidding process to follow if you require housing, which means you could be waiting many years (a lot more than five around here). Regardless, they are allocated on basis of need, so the vast majority of the homes described above go to those in B&B, homeless or to a section of society that - once mentioned- will spark of another debate entirely, so well left alone!

Because of the allocation process, many of these dwellings are intermixed with the same house types bought and sold on the open market. You occasionally have a clue to which is social housing if the tenants are a problem family, but not often.