My DH woke up this morning to a text message from a consultant saying we either buy our rented property or it's going on the open market. 11 weeks before Christmas.
We had him come over about 14 weeks ago to survey our rented house. It needs work doing to it, we've lived here for over 10 years and the Landlord hasn't spent a penny on it. We need a new kitchen, a new bathroom, the boiler needs replacing and the front door...this idiot who sent the text works as a consultant/advisor for our private housing association.
The association was recently taken over by new people, the original lady retired and this idiot works for them on historical properties (tenants over three years) because he was this orignal lady's right hand man and has a very good repport with the person who owns our home. We were told they were sending this idiot in because he can get things fixed quicker because of his good relationship with our landlord.
Idiot man brought up the topic of us possibly buying the property to my DH, he obviously said yes to this but told idiot man that he thinks we would struggle considering next month will be his 7th year out of bankrutpcy, the idiot man then agreed that he could probably talk the landlord on our behalf and assured us that it wouldn't cause problems in the sense that if we couldn't get a mortgage, we would have the issues with the property fixed and then carry on renting.
Wrong.
Idiot man sent the most off hand text that went along the lines of 'Can you get in touch with blah blah blah so we can try and arrange a mortgage for you, if you decide not to continue then it will be going on the open market'
I'm shocked. Angry. Furious. WE HAVE BUILT A LIFE HERE.
My DD started at the local school in September, she has started an after school club and made some really good friends. She went to nursery round here. We have lived here for over 10 years. Surely we have rights? They can't just turf us out?
Not a penny has been spent on this property since we have lived here. The first time we ask for some repairs and this happens? I'm scared.
Between me and DH we earn over £40k a year, if he does overtime it can reach anywhere up to £48k, but his credit history is atrocious. We have pets so will struggle to get a property on the private market. I have no idea what to do.
My husband called our private housing assosication who claimed they had no idea what this idiot man had proposed. They claimed he just helps them out with historic cases and isn't actually employed by them. They're angry because they think he is basically doing things under the table with the landlord without consulting them. They claim if the property was sold it would be them we would be dealing with not this idiot man. The person my DH was speaking too heard my crying in the background (I know I'm an idiot) and said that the legal implications was serious and it could leave them (the private housing association with serious legal recourse issues)
They want us to send pictures of everything that needs doing in the house along with screen shots of the idiot man's text messages, they want to send out their own surveyor. They said that the options was they fix the property's problems themselves and so the Landlord won't sell (not sure how that works), second is we buy the house without the problems fixed at a cut price using a percentage of what we have paid rent wise over the 10 years we have been here....or the house is sold on the open market and we get 6 months notice with an obligation from them to rehome us elsewhere.
I honestly have no idea what is going on. I'm so confused and astounded. I put my DH to bed this evening and I'm looking around thinking this isn't my home anymore. I don't think I'd ever want to rent a property off these people ever again.
But alas this is the renting market, nothing is truly ours and it doesn't matter if we build a life or not. It's all about bloody money. I'm devastated. I've been living in this bubble of imaginary security and it was popped this morning by reality.
I'm terrified I will have to rehome our pets if we go for another private let. I can't bare thinking about it. I wish we were in a position to buy but I doubt very much we would get the okay for mortgage...