AIBU to refuse temporary accommodation for external work to our home?

No one would be using my bathroom when I wasn’t there and having access to my house! I would have to empty the entire house or lock it all up for that and a deep clean. Hell no.

I mean you’d have thought a portaloo was cheaper than weeks of accommodation? A portaloo is £400 a month and that includes emptying and cleaning every week.

There is likely a multitude of reasons they would like you and your family not there while this is going that have no involvement with using your loo, wanting to rifle through your personal effects or just trying to be bloody awkward.

External masonry work can involve materials that need water to mix, such as mortar. There are health and safety risks with the removal of external masonry due to materials falling from height, erection of scaffolding to work at height and so on. If they're doing work on your roof, it may be exposed to the elements at times.

As for access, it's probably not about destroying your bathroom - if they're working on the roof they'll probably need internal access as well as external.

With funding as it is, it's not in their interest to pay for temporary accommodation if it isn't needed while they're also paying for several weeks work on your property. I understand that it's mighty inconvenient but don't assume it's being done just to throw a spanner at your life

They may be creating lots of dust you shouldn't be breathing or using chemical damp proofing that is hazardous, scaffolding that children might climb on, or they may be worried someone may get hurt, falling roof tiles or whatever, just easier to not have the public walking in and out of what is a building site. They may not have insurance for people being on site during the works.

Well the only I would do this would be if there was a court order and even then I would insist on a packing firm packing 100% of my belongings up and putting them in storage for the duration and then bringing them back. Plus a professional house clean. All paid for of course. OP, I’d email my MP if I was you. Or maybe contact citizens advice bureau.

BINGO I ask again what would have been your plan when the roofs of ALL the flats on my estate were being done at the SAME TIME Put your money where your mouth is and tell me what YOUR plan would have been.

So what would have been your plan for my estate when the roofs of all the flats were done. Utter stupidity

But she does not have to give permission for her facilities to be used
That is entirely her choice

'So unknown people have access to your property in your absence? That's ridiculous. As to using the facilities!!!!'

It isn't her property. The op will be getting free updates/renovations that require the rented property to be vacated.

There'll be a risk assessment that states residents to be vacated.

Just take the alternative accommodation.

You don’t have to accept temporary accommodation. But I have to admit it’s really rare for a HA to decant unless absolutely necessary. For example I’m in a HA property week 3 of no kitchen and they won’t decant us.
Ask the HA to put in writing exactly the need for decant. Also check their decants policy

When the contractors did our roof they accessed the loft through the roof

Access appears to be solely for the purposes of workforce using the toilet.
So they can save on renting a couple of portaloos

Is the council by any chance in debt or struggling for money.
Are council tax bills going up.

The cost of a portaloo for a few weeks must be so expensive if the cheaper alternative is moving a family out of their home and putting them up in a pub and paying for all their meals for the same amount of time.

I dont think your insurance company would either (contents insurance) there is no way they would pay out if something was nicked or damaged!! They would say you chose to leave your home and give access to strangers. Six years ago we had a complete roof renewal done. The hot summer of 2020 during Covid. All the FLATS on this estate did. Yes it was messy and noisy but its flats so more of us. We couldnt have moved out and we wernt asked to. There would have been nowhere to put us all. (half the estate) DH is disabled and uses a mobility scooter which has a shed with a charging point outside the flat The work took 13 weeks.

Note

They have no automatic right to use your facilities
It is entirely at your discretion
They have a responsibility to provide adequate welfare facilities for their workmen

check out info with The Housing Ombudsmen

It will probably be down to H&S, if people are working at height there is a risk of dropped objects, and if you are needing access/egress during the time they are working there is a risk. Which they are trying to eliminate. You are basically a member of the public on a building site and it will be a challenge to implement control measures to keep you and your children safe, away from tools etc.

under the CDM regs it is the responsibility of the principal contractor to provide welfare facilities for the workers. This isn’t just a toilet, but cooking, washing facilities and somewhere to rest /get changed, so your house is not suitable in any shape way or form.

Clearly they don’t want to pay for a portaloo
Clearly they haven’t asked you if that’s OK

Have they arranged for your possessions within the property to be protected

If the reasons are health and safety only then they don’t need access to your facilities

If they respond with H&S as an excuse then you may have to leave. You don’t have to give them your keys though

I am sure there is something in tenancy agreement that permits them to request that you vacate.
For health and safety reasons perhaps?

Echo other posters that the property will be deemed a building site for the duration of the work hence the family must vacate for safety reasons. LA have not done a good job in communicating the reasons to OP making it sound like they just want to use the toilet

Do you want the work done or not? Regardless of the rights and wrongs, if it needs doing then I’d be accommodating if I could. I don’t think that they can be sure that interior access would never be needed (plugging things in/ getting water/ turning the electricity off), and I don’t think I’d mind giving someone access to the loo. We’ve had major projects done, including moving out, and never had a portaloo. Is there even anywhere safe it could go?

I feel for the LA in these situations TBH. I also don’t much fancy paying for portaloos every time someone needs a wall
painting and think there are better things the LA could be spending money on.

There is no fucking way I would allow total strangers to have unfettered access to my house and contents.

So ungrateful. You have property that you rent below the market rate with a damn sight more security. They want to conduct maintenance and improvements at no cost to you at all, something that may cost an owner thousands if not tens of thousands to put right. Presumably you'd be screaming bloody murder if the damp issues got worse.

Stop being difficult and show a bit of gratitude.

I can’t believe the replies on here. The landlord wants to improve the property. Given the state of some houses that people have to live in I would be grateful. Putting that aside do you all send your children to play on building sites? If they are replacing harling every one on the site should be wearing hard hats and protective clothing. What happens if harling or a tool falls from height? It’s a health and safety issue

I didn’t think trespass was a police matter - you’re lucky they came out

‘Facilities’ could be access to water and electrics

Would assume that it’s health & safety / insurance related. Noise would only be one factor as guessing the work will need ladders / scaffolding which is why they don’t want anyone “on-site”

Have they provided a plan of work so what’s being done & when