Housing advice needed urgently

Tucosalamanca

Johny86 said:

breaking_free said:

OP, is there a reason why you won't rent privately? 

I can't afford to pay privately as the cost will be much much higher. By going private I will lose my right to buy entitlement in the future 

You can't afford private rent but are worried about your right to buy entitlement in the future?
How do you intend to fund that purchase?
You also say that you've been waiting since 2016 - I'm afraid that your future is passing you by...

I'm guessing (by difficulty to fund rent and by living in one bedroom property) that you're not earning a great deal.
In which case, why stay in London?
Minimum wage will be £21,000 in April and there's no shortage of work outside London. With top-up benefits that's enough to get by in much of the country and you will be able to benefit from more living space.
Take control and move on with your life, the council will not be your saviour I'm afraid.

RhondaD

breaking_free said:

OP, is there a reason why you won't rent privately? 

Is there a reason he should? Perhaps he wants a secure tenancy rather than one a private landlord can end on a whim when they decide to pretend they need to sell it or move back in.

turnitround

How long are you prepared to wait? As others have said, if there are no available properties for the council to move you into        ( and every person using right to buy makes that worse) you could be waiting indefinitely. 
Your teenage children cant keep sleeping as they are now and you are worried about the effect your current property will have on your baby. Perhaps it would have been better to have secured a move before having a 3rd child.
Unfortunately its going to be a case of private renting or living in unacceptable conditions as the council will not be able to do more for you.

turnitround

RhondaD said:

breaking_free said:

OP, is there a reason why you won't rent privately? 

Is there a reason he should? Perhaps he wants a secure tenancy rather than one a private landlord can end on a whim when they decide to pretend they need to sell it or move back in.

The reason he should is because it is clearly not going to be possible to live as a family of 5 in a one bed flat. There are not enough council properties to meet the demand so many have to rent privately.  Would you suggest the family stay where they are?

plumb1_2

Maybe iam cynical 
but as others have said you have deliberately overcrowded your flat, maybe with the help from your MP force the council to give you a 2/3 bed property. Then using your right to buy purchase the property. Thus removing another property for other needy family’s.
There are loads of jobs and property to rent outside of London, I would be sleeping on the floor not my children, I find it strange for a parent to do this. 

cjdew

I'm sorry but I think I have to agree with many of the posters.

At one time I would love to have lived in London, but I cannot afford it. 

I live just 30 miles outside of London. Look beyond London and you will easily get a place with far better living standards for your family. Better air, better schools, better housing, closer to countryside and maybe even coast if you look at Essex or Kent.

It's a no brainer. For 6 years you have watched life pass you by bidding to no avail. 

The council don't have the properties. The council have long long waiting lists and don't want properties imo in London.
The council won't be helping you anytime soon and why should they do anymore right now when you have other options to take control and improve your situation. 

Use 2023 to make a big change, you can easily pick up a permanent job with most likely the same or more pay and have an amazing life for less than 30 miles away from London. 

gwynlas

Being creative with the space would allow you to manage to sleep in separate rooms. Foldable beds can go anywhere there is room to unfold them such as kitchen or hallway with a sofa bed in living room and  bedroom allowing you flexibility. It is not ideal but if you did not manage to gain a larger propert when three people you should not have increased the household to five. The overcrowding is unhealthy for you all but at least you have all basic amenities.

Johny86

Thank you all for your input

_Penny_Dreadful

I remember watching a programme on television where councils in London were offering council tenants and those in temporary accomodation properties outside of London as there simply isn’t enough social housing in London to go round. Ealing call it, “The Out of London Scheme.” I’m sure the other councils offer something similar. 

You’ve been bidding since 2016 with no joy and now you’ve added another two people to the household and by the sounds of things you can’t really afford to live in London. Why not see if your local authority offers something similar? 

https://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/201095/your_tenancy/313/moving_home/5

pinkshoes

Johny86 said:

Hi All

Hope you guys are well. Basically, I live in a one-bedroom council (London Borough) permanent flat with my two opposite gender children aged 14 and 15. I have been bidding since 2016 for a three-bedroom property with three reasonable preferences awarded for medical, overcrowding, and working resident category. My children have been sleeping on the floor and sofa in the living room. I had got my local MP involved, she had written to the council several times, but their response was the same each time. They are advising me to bid continuously or go private rented. Not seeing any solution, I than went to citizen advice bureau and got a housing lawyer involved. He had sent them a letter asking to rehouse us to a bigger property but the council gave exactly the same response as the MP. Recently my wife and a 1-year-old daughter have moved in to live with us. I have already included my youngest daughter on to the housing list but nothing changed no priority was given. The preference remains the same and council response is continue to bid. I have explained the entire situation that there are five of us living in one bedroom tiny flat. There isn't any room to put the cot for my daughter and the property has damp and mould everywhere which could be detrimental to our health, specially the toddler. I even included an article from a newspaper about a 2-year-old boy dying due to chronic exposure to the mould and I worry for my daughter. The relationship manager from the Council replied the same once again. I have got my local MP involved again to deal with this matter. She wrote to them and awaiting a response currently. As you see I have exhausted all the revenues I had at my disposal. My question is what other options do I have in order to secure a three-bedroom property ASAP? What is the best course of action in my situation? Any question please feel free to ask. Your expert advice will be highly appreciated. Many thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing from you.

If you have been bidding and in this property since at least 2016 (how long have you lived there?) due to overcrowding yet chose to have another baby and move two people, then this is likely to count as deliberate over crowding. 

A 1 bed flat with 3 of you is fine. You sleep on the sofa bed in the lounge, and the 14 & 15 year old get the bedroom. If it's boy/girl then put a divider up in the room as I'm assuming it is a double bedroom?

You are right about mould being detrimental to your health but if it had always been there, then why move in a wife and child? And if it is a recent thing, then the likely cause is lifestyle e.g. too many people living in a property which has come about by your own doing.

Another 4 years and both your older kids will count as an adult and can potentially move out. 

After 7 years bidding, you are clearly not a priority, and they cannot provide people with housing that they do not have. You need to either make do with what you have, find a suitable private rental, or if private rental in the area is too much, then how about moving to a different area or out of London?