Refusing a council house offer

[Crystal1970]

Hi, I have been in temporary housing for 4 years now during that time I was allowed to bid on 4 bed houses and advised when asked I wasn’t allowed to bid on 3 bed ones, the council have now visited and said we have found a suitable property for you it is a 3 bed house 🤔 one bedroom being a box room, I have 3 sons who are not small kids now I don’t mind 2 sharing a room but someone i know has said all you will get in the box room is a single bed . Now can I refuse this as jot being suitable I think it was under section 8 so if I refused they wouldn’t help me anymore.

The number of bedrooms you’re being considered for will have changed as the age of your offspring has changed.

Some of them will no longer be classed as children and this will change your entitlement.

You will need to understand who they class as the household for housing purposes. It’s unlikely to be two adult men and their mother and her one under 18 child. Council housing considerations won’t factor in working from home space.

With two adults it may be worth looking at what you can get through private rent with their income properly factored in to the household budget.

(Also, no one is too old
for bunk beds. Some people become too immobile for them but that’s different).

My mum’s’ owned home had a box room, built the bed upon a cupboard which housed part of the stairway from below.
That was my brother’s room, and my sister and I shared.

Our owned home now has a tiny room, which can fit a bed and the wardrobe is in the hallway.

I think you are being rather ridiculous.

Your boys are all adults - why aren't they in places of their own??

Unbelievable - can't believe what I am reading here. I work for the NHS too and have 2 adult DC please can I get a bigger council house?

It’s fair enough if you were happy to move area but not allowed. I’m quite surprised though that you’ve had temporary accommodation when you’re adults. Around here you get it until the youngest is 16 then you’re out.

Yes this. As adults they would not be expected to share bedrooms which is why the OP was assessed as needing a 4 bed house.

I do think @Crystal1970it’s worth exploring why you were told that if it’s not the case and that there could have been more suitable 3 bed properties over the years that you could have bid on. If it’s a council error then maybe there’d be more flexibility about waiting for another offer or changing what you’re allowed to bid on.

Ok this must be a wind up, 4 adults in the house 🤨

Your children are adults.

I would take the 3 bed house and see if you can go back into private renting if you want more space. With 3-4 adults earning a ft wage, there should be enough money for this.
Long term, you need to make provisions for yourself and your own housing needs.

PS: I raised my DC in a 3 bed house: 1x double bedroom, 1x single bedroom (enough space for a bed and a wardrobe OR desk) and a box room - just enough space for a bed. We all survived!

If you don't like what's being offered then decline it and rent. I want a 4 bed but we can't afford it so we have a 3 bed and that's just one of those things. If your grown up children don't like what's being offered then they can rent or buy their own place.

Yeah or a reverse

Is it a 1950s house? If it's like any I've seen the third bedroom is a box room so if there's 5 adults/young people including the OPs DH I can see why she might be hesitant especially if there's any special needs, or if there's little chance of any of the boys leaving home anytime soon.

But, does the council/ HA have much 4 bed stock? Has OP asked her family what they want?

Once again, this thread like many others is full of judgment, reactionary bullshit and fucking internet bullies who enjoy making other people feel shit and ‘less than’.
The attitudes here are cruel and dehumanising and I’m so sick of seeing it.

Some actual facts and reality if anyone is interested.

It’s ok that the OP’s young adult children still live at home. That’s normal development and especially now when housing is so expensive. Would you rather 3 young adults who are potentially on lower incomes whilst building their careers or even still studying all live independently and possibly having to claim your ‘hard earned taxpayers money’ to help them pay their extortionate rent?

Young adults should be leaving home when they are ready and they want to not being forced out and separated because someone else decides they shouldn’t still want to live with their parent and siblings.

Council/HA housing is not funded or subsidised by the council. Residents pay rent, council tax etc
The rent is affordable and not victim to the ridiculous situation in the housing market. This is a good thing and to be celebrated.

You don’t have to be on benefits to be eligible for an LA property and it should not be a requirement to get one. So don’t assume your ‘hard earned taxes’ are funding LA tenants. More bullshit.

i wish that every single person in the UK/World had access to a safe comfortable home at an affordable rate which didn’t plunge them into poverty. What a lovely ideal to hope for rather than mocking and attacking.

Temporary housing is not necessarily a hotel, it could be another house or shared property that is not designated as available for long term letting.

On the subject of hotels, don’t for a minute imagine the Radisson or even a Travelodge. The ones I’ve seen are horrible places I wouldn’t spend an hour in myself. Awful conditions, no access to proper cooking facilities, not even allowed a kettle in their room, a shared fridge for 15 people where your food is stolen. I have left these places and cried for the families living there.

I would question why your bedroom need has been amended to 3 bedrooms- in our LA you would need 4 bedrooms due to the ages of your sons, and you would not be able to be offered a smaller house due to then being overcrowded.
dependant on allocation policy you would be able to refuse the property on the grounds of being overcrowded without being taken off the register.
You need to check the policy carefully and ask the right questions though before refuse.

There must have been medical reasons for your sons being assessed as not able to share?

It was probably because your children were dependent age that you were previously advised. At over 18 they are now non dependent adults so accept the 3 bed!

Where's all the mocking and attacking? It's mostly just people observing that a 3 bedroom house is fine for a family of 4. You must be reading a different thread than I am...

So a room for you

2 sons share

1 son has his own room

on what grounds can you refuse? That’s a perfectly reasonable arrangement

Most of the posts are dripping with judgment and sarcasm. It’s interesting to note that’s your takeaway from my long and detailed post.

I’ve just seen your sons are ADULTS! In which case they’re independent and should be supporting themselves - they’re not children so not your dependents.

Your post was long but not particularly detailed. It would be lovely for everyone to have affordable housing that is true. But giving a 4 bedroom council house to a family of adults wouldn't achieve that. In reality OPs kids would move out and that large home, which are in desperate shortage would be half empty and out of contention for decades. Or forever if OP bought it. Same goes for the 3 bed really.
It's a nice idea but it's not at all practical in today's reality.
A 3 bed is just fine for 4 people. It's fair to respond with a little to sarcasm to any claims that it isn't.

This. Over dramatic hyperbole of 'dehumanising' is ridiculous. @whatasillygoose what's dehumanising about saying people should pay for what they want?

My middle (only girl) is in the box room. She has a bed with drawers and cupboards underneath. It’s quite high off the ground.

I know it’s frustrating but if you refuse this then you’ll likely go to the bottom of the list. Meaning you’ll never get offered anywhere else.

I would take the house, get a storage bed. And figure out what could be stored in different rooms. Sorry but all sons don’t need a room each. So the fact that they’ve got them is pretty good!

Actually I live in a 3 bed house with 3 boys- it is absolutely fine!

19, 21 and 23?! For fucks sake, the eldest was an adult even when you first went on the waiting list! Unless there’s SEN at play, and surely you’d have mentioned that, how can you not make ends meet with four adults working and paying their way?

You'll just need to think creatively about the box room.

Underbed storage for clothes will work - either pull out boxes or drawers or an ottoman style bed that is essentially one big box for storing things.

You can maximise space elsewhere in the bedroom by having a light that clips yo the bed or a wall light rather than a bedside lamp etc.

Instagram is a good source of inspo for small space hacks