Been offered a council house advice needed

wherediditallgo

margaretclare wrote: »

Re the kitchen, the council may well have a programme of replacing/renewing old kitchens. My eldest GD has recently had her kitchen and bathroom replaced courtesy of the council's 'Better Homes' programme - she moved into a 30-year old flat from homelessness last March. Ask them!

HTH

Margaret

That's definitely a good suggestion. A friend moved into a flat that had only 2 cupboards in the kitchen, manky wallpaper on the kitchen walls & draughty windows. She'd been in a B&B for ages with her two children after leaving her violent husband, & was glad to be offered anything. After signing up, she asked her housing officer whether there were any plans for the property to be refurbished, & was told it was on the list under the 'Decent Homes' scheme & should be done within the year. She decided to live with what was there rather than spend money on decorating - just as well, because the council started work after about 6 months. Now she has great windows, & a stunning bathroom & kitchen - she spoke to the guys doing the electrical work, & they put in some extra sockets for her in return for home-cooked food for their lunch.

While the work was going on, she asked her housing officer why they hadn't publicised the fact that the flat was going to get such work done (she lives in a borough where you have to bid for properties). She was told that they'd previously had people on the waiting list who were deliberately selecting properties due for refurbishment under previous schemes, & a pattern had developed of a significant proportion of those properties being lost under 'Right to Buy' two years later. So now they don't reveal the plans for the property until after the person has accepted the tenancy & has actually moved in & is paying the rent, to make it more likely that the person is taking the home because they want to live in it rather than because there's more chance to profit from buying it & then selling it later.

As for the garden, I got my garden done for free ages ago by someone I contacted through movethat.com. They couldn't get their daughter to come to their allotment with them (according to the child, the allotments were full of old people :eek: ), so he thought being in a garden might be easier for her to deal with. They worked on my garden over two weekends in return for snacks & soft drinks, & loads of the weeds went in her little basket as her "crops".

MrsE_2

travelchick wrote: »

HOW DARE YOU BE SO PRESUMPTIVE AND BLOODY RUDE YOU CLEARLY HAVE LITTLE MAN COMPLEX.
Im not sure what job you do but im pretty sure your a failure at it.
Words cant exspress my anger towards such a self centred !!!!! (that you clearly are)
My ex husband has to pay a massive amount of tax and Nat insurance every month, the only time the army dont pay tax is when you are fighting in a war zone, we pay more council tax than anyone else who is in civilian street.
I have worked all my bloody life and prob pay more tax that you earn I dont get any benefits and my ex and I both support our children between us.

i think the best thing you can do is keep your pathetic no-it-all- nothing, month shut, you are clearly a silly little troll who is upset that someone else cut a break.
So stay out of this thread your not welcome.

(sorry to everyone else who had to read my outburst)

You go girl.:T

ally67_2

hello travel chick well done on being offered a council house the council should put a new kitchen for you and you should be able to get a decorating grant as well speak to your housing officer
as your ex hubbys in the army have you tried ssafa for beds washing mashines ect and carpets i know someone who got money from them she got the lot good luck and enjoy your new home:T heres ssafa link www.ssafa.org.uk its for familys in the army.ect

gingin_2

Sounds like a really exciting opportunity to put your own stamp on a place as and when you can.

I can also remember my parents buying a house with a jungle at the back and it was a total adventure. It will be hard work for you but a good story to tell the grandkids (in time) when they come to play in your 120ft garden.

With regards to the decor, I would send out a plea on your local freecycle for ANYTHING and you might be amazed at what people have to offer, costs nowt, you just have to pick it up. You can also get laminate to cover the units, try freecycle again or ebay might do cheapies.

Good luck

squinty

Hi

Many councils have a published 'relet standard' which may include something about the condition of the garden. Somtimes thay do not bring garden up to standard until the tenancy has started. Worth asking.

Also ask about the kitchen. All council properties need to meet the Decent Homes Standard by 2010 - and although the age of the kitchen will not be a failure itself there may be other 'elements' that need replacing (bathroom, windows, kitchen layout etc). Ask the council if they have any 'capital works' planned.

Good luck

seven-day-weekend

Congratulations on your Council House and I too think the 'burly blokes' party is a good idea (and you get to meet the Burly Blokes!).

Also as someone else has suggested, be friendly and reasonable with any workmen that come (tea, biscuits, smile etc) and they will probably do you a bit more work - my son got a CO detector that we had bought ourselves fitted by the bloke from British Gas when he came to service the boiler.

If it is not on the list for refurbishment, just paint the doors in the kitchen and give it a lick of paint and it will look fine.

Enjoy your new house.

christabell

Congratulations on getting your new home.

Why don't you ask the council/your case worker can you get help with the garden?

DUKE

Congrats on your new home :j I'm not sure but sometimes they show the property first and once it's accepted then they get to work - this happened with my Mom's council bungalow. You will probably get a grant to spend at a DIY store to do up the inside too - my bro got £100 for his one bed flat, not a lot but it all helps. You can ask the council as you have nothing to lose - good luck

jezmyers

hello hello.

just some friendly advice with regards to the property.

There should be a lettings officer and/or housing officer dealing with the property. The things to ask them are as follows;

Do you have gardeners? could you organise for them to trim the back garden down on the day of the move in. Most councils/RSL do this.

Do you have a schedule of works for planned maintenance in the area? You could be scheduled to have a new kitchen fitted in the near future.

Do you offer decorating vouchers? Again, most places do.

Is the property in a low demand area? don't ask this but it might be. If so, that'll strengthen your hand when asking for decs vouchers.

Depending on the area, i'd recommend taking the property and getting it up to speed over a period of time. Remember to harrass the council/HA about repairs that need to be done.

Good luck!

Trollfever

Bear in mind that the councils new financial year starts in April and that they will be flush with cash to spend.