Council Flat - is this allowed or will I be breaking rules

[cakemiddletonedeaf]

I’m a council tenant in a two bedroom flat in a good area but extremely run down block and flat.

I don’t expect getting a mortgage and would ideally do a swap but no one wants high rise so I’m staying here.

This flat needs a make over - new floors, doors, wallpaper. I can keep the bathroom and kitchen cupboards but these would need some work too.

I’m expected to get inheritance (from family in another country) + I just got promoted on my job and on track to get promoted again by the end of the year which would then give me the experience and skills to go become an independent contractor and earn a lot more if I choose to + a boyfriend willing to chip in financially (he lives in his own house but has no dependants so some money to spare)

My idea is to:

• get rid of all my furniture - not a lot and everything old, battered and 2nd hand since I moved so many times
• move out to nearby rented accomodation with DD for a few months taking only clothes and devices and personal stuff (again, we dont have a lot of things at all, we are very frugal)
• get the work done in an empty flat at once
• move back in and slowly buy furniture again starting from fridge/cooker/ washing machine and maybe get some credit - pay in instalmments (I usually save and pay full amount outright but again I never bought brand new big ticket items)

My questions are:

1- Would this be allowed under council tenancy regulations? I know I have permission to redecorate the flat, but moving out temporarily while the work is being carried out, is this allowed?
I will not change my name on the utilities on the new address and will probably rent a room on a shared home.

2- Is this a good idea and has anyone done this before? I see on the swap groups, some council properties are so beautiful inside, how do ppl manage to do work and live at the same place is a mystery to me…maybe easier if it is DIY but I will need professionals. And my place is so small, there is no space to move furniture around and live a normal life with me, DD, workmen…plus I WFH too.

Also within the next 2 years, the council will redecorate the block communal areas/replace windows etc so the outside will look better too.

You do one room at a time and move stuff from room to the next. If you're getting people into do it, that's what they'll do.

Most people don't have the luxury of moving out whilst decorating.

how do ppl manage to do work and live at the same place is a mystery to me

Maybe you missed that part

I think you might have over estimated the length of time needed. If it was me I would get rid of anything you want to replace and can live without. Then you can decorate yourself. I did our kitchen recently and it took me 48 hours to do ceiling 3x coats on the walls and the woodwork. I will do the door later but if you are getting new doors that might not need doing. You will need someone to help move the bigger furniture eg fridge into the middle of the room. Then do the same in the bedrooms. Once all decoration is done the new floors can go in (assume you mean new carpet etc and not new actual floorboards). We had new lino in the kitchen and carpet in one large bedroom and it took about four hours including me helping him
move the washing machine back. We had taken the old flooring out already. Can you take some of the larger stuff to your partners for a few days while carpets are being fitted?

I didn’t miss that part dear. Try and figure it all out - most of us have - it’s really not rocket science 😜

It was for me, believe it or not.
Until some helpful poster re-assued me it is doable.

I wouldn't move out, as I would worry about it breaching the tenancy agreement with your council. Best advice would be to check it before doing anything. I would probably plan the renovations room by room and clear out the furniture bit by bit and stay living there.

Honestly, one of the perks of having a small property is that it doesn’t take long to redecorate. You can paint a 2 bed flat completely in 3 days. Flooring would be done in a day. Moving furniture out/in is a day. You’ll have a whole new home in a week!

Do you have any family/friends around you that could have your daughter for a week?

You would be better off renting a storage unit and/or a shared office space than renting a room/flat as trying to WfH could be tricky from a noise/ needing to shift stuff in the middle of the day perspective. The vast majority of people manage to decorate without moving out and if you are getting professionals in they are A) much quicker than you doing DIY job B) used to working around people and stuff as very few people move out of their home when they are having it redecorated or even having kitchen refits/extension etc.

Thank you all

I think I have my answers now and tried to smash that ‘thanks’ buttom to all of you.

Re: windows - the council said it is kn the pipeline for 2025 but obviously not sure will happen anymore - something to think about

Re: inheritance x benefits - something to look into, I had no idea. Anyway, since I’m doing well on my career now I want to get off benefits asap - I believe I can be promoted again even before the end of the year. We will see. To be clear - I have not received any funds yet

Re: DIY - not happening - fills me with dread - hence I’ve never done anything in this flat at all. I know it is expensive but I’d rather pay someone who can do it quicker and BETTER. DIY would bring me a lot of stress and unhappiness.

Re: moving out - maybe I can do it while staying in. I honestly had no idea it could be so quick. Maybe is the thought of living in chaos that freezes my thinking. Thanks for everyone who re-assured me and shared experiences.

Take furniture out of lounge, use bedroom for TV and relaxing, get lounge floor done and new furniture.

Then do the same for the bedrooms. Move stuff out, stack in lounge if keeping or chuck, sleep on mattress on lounge floor whilst bedrooms being done.

Small kitchen/bathroom floors wine done in a day

Why are so many people getting outraged at the suggestion OP moves out of her flat to make the refurb as easy as possible? Is it because people in social housing are supposed to live with the maximum discomfort at all times?

I think the only thing to check is how long you're allowed to be away from your flat for, and make sure you don't breach that. If you can afford to clear out and have the work done professionally then go for it, it will be so much less painful.

Don't get wooden/laminate flooring in an upper flat. So unfair to the tenants below. I don't move furniture out when getting new carpets. I just pay a bit extra for the carpet fitters to move it all.

.... no its because its pointless and expensive? And those of us that have done it know its not particularly "uncomfortable " at all. It's nothing to do with being a council tenant.

I've lived in 3 top to bottom renos. A new carpet and some paint is nothing, op can spend her money on making her flat lovely rather than paying to live elsewhere unnecessarily.

This 😃

So if you live in a council flat you cannot go “on holidays and visit your partner” for a couple months? you left a couple of builders to decorate it, so what? It’s not like you’re leaving and subletting it.

No you can’t according to all of our local council houses, you cannot be living elsewhere for more than 28 consecutive days x

Even my owned by me apartment says it can't be unoccupied for more than 90 days

Oh sorry, I didn’t know there was a 28 day rule, sounds a bit ridiculous TBH, I may understand 3 months.

You could compromise by staying in hotels or holiday rentals for short periods whilst the most noisy/messy/inconvenient bits are done, but not moving out completely.

As others have suggested, do your daughter's room first so you have somewhere nice to retreat to. She can share with you for a few days while her room gets done. Then do your room and you camp out in hers.

You'd have to register for council tax and utilities in a short term tenancy. I wouldn't risk it.

It does seem a bit restrictive but I think the intention is to prevent council properties ever sitting empty for months on end because especially in our area there are literally hundreds of people and families who are desperately waiting for one x

Honestly, people just move stuff. You pile everything at one end of the room while the other end is being done. If you’re having hardwood put down, a team of two professionals will easily do a room in day.

What does your tenancy say?
You are potentially putting a secure tenancy at home moving out for any length of time.

Your neighbours may well report you as abandoning the property if you move out.

The costa saved on renting storage and moving out means you can eat out/have take away a lot.

Visit your partner for long weekends to give yourself a break from it.

The decorators will probably be very quick. You could decorate half then move to decorate the other half then book to have the flooring put down the same way half then half.

They will be happy to discuss the how with you.

When you refloor if it's deeper than the current then you may have your doors to readjust at the bottom.

I can imagine it seems overwhelming especially if you don't cope well with chaos.

I'm currently renovating a house.

I had people in doing the bathrooms. To be honest if you wfh I'd arrange to go to the office or work in a coffee shop because it can be loud and dusty.

At the end of each day they'd left it so that the toilet could be used. Because they were doing two bathrooms they did the en-suite first and I showered there but you can usually shower at a swimming pool or gym for a few days.

It took a week per bathroom.

Kitchens - much easier in the summer because you can live off cold food and don't need to cook at all. Think cereal for breakfast, sandwiches and packed lunch stuff for lunch and pot noodles or similar for dinner. You can make pasta by pouring boiling water on it in a bowl if necessary 😀.

Furniture: yes people just pile it all up in one room. If you don't need it afterwards you could get rid of a lot which will help. Beds are tougher but yes, sleeping on mattress on the floor means it is easy to move each day.

If you think of it as camping in a house and think of the money you are saving each time it is inconvenient it does help.

Yep. We were surprisingly fine without a kitchen just used the air fryer and microwave really and kettle obv!

Bathroom is harder but we Are lucky enough to have 2 (awful) bathrooms so we just did one and used the other and then we'll swap when we can afford to do the 2nd!