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.

Across my parents/siblings/in laws and ourselves from small flats to large detached houses from social housing, private renting, mortgaged and owned outright, planned by the occupants or by the owner when renting I can think of the following that have been done. New roof, extension, loft conversion, conservatory, internal reconfiguration, numerous kitchen or bathroom refits, new central heating, new hard floors, new carpets lot of decorating and no-one has moved out for any of these. It's not because the OP is in social housing it's because decorating and flooring don't need an unoccupied property.

No, it is very rarely allowed (hospital stays and that sort of thing are an exception). If you didn't reside in your flat for 3 months and got found out you'd face eviction. Neighbours, in my experience, would be only too ready to snitch. Especially with the housing shortage.

That's good to know. Some HAs and councils are real sticklers for rules. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

If you are planning on binning the furniture, do it before the redecorating, & order new stuff to be delivered when its finished
Camp in the mean time, keeping a bed or simply mattress & basic stuff at hand
You could also plan a short holiday to your family whilst the work is happening.
All your stuff goes in one room, which is the last to be decorated.
Find your tradesman & be sure their time estimate & diary are fixed.

Why don't you see if with your inheritance and the RTB discount whether you could get a mortgage? This would mean that the inheritance would give you long term financial security rather than improving a rented property.

Council properties are not subsidised! Why should she pay an inflated rent when she doesn't need to!

We are all entitled to affordable housing. It’s the government to blame not OP. And I say this as someone who is a single mum with a part time job with four kids paying £1700 a month in rent.

For goodness sake...

Having a council flat with a reduced rent is a privilege these days when so many families can't get a roof over their head.

So no, you can't just move out because you don't want the inconvenience of redecorating. That would be breaching the conditions of your tenancy.

I assume if there was something really wrong with your floors and doors, the council would deal with it, so what you are trying to do is simply replacing the carpet or whatever floor cover you have so it looks better. No need to move out for this, especially not for a small-ish flat.

I really think there has to be tighter rules on social housing and we should end tenancy for life. People who have jobs and have a decent salary don't need to rely on social housing when there is such a shortage.

People are absolutely right to say that if the OP can afford to spend money on redecoration, has a growing income from work and from inheritance she should not be relying on council tenancies.

You should use your inheritance to buy a property rather than waste it on a council owned flat. If you ever leave the flat, the council will tear up what you've put in anyway. Your idea is a waste of money when you could invest the money for your own future.

Invest the inheritance in premium bonds or a stocks & shares ISA for now. See if you can get a mortgage as you have a deposit (inheritance) & potential promotions. You're in a position to buy so I don't understand why you think you can't get a mortgage. Also, buying a property will mean your child will have a future inheritance.

https://www.landc.co.uk/

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/

With my HA (Stonewater), improvements that alter the structure in any way have to be approved by them. This means any alteration that would make the empty flat different from how it was when I moved in.

They usually permit them: they have this procedure to discourage terrible DIY jobs. You could get a quote for everything you want done, and submit it to your landlords.

If tenant alterations improve the theoretical value of the property, they reduce the price you have to pay if you exercise your right to buy. Don't ask me why, it seems a bit mad to me, but maybe it's part of the government's absurdly complicated restrictions on social landlords.

When you're decorating, keep either the name of the paint or some rolls of the wallpaper you're using as when they do the windows they will mess up the decor on that wall around the window so it's easier to touch up that area than having to do the whole room again.

My Dad had a flooring company OP.

As pp has said, carpeting a room takes an hour or two depending on the room size.
My entire ground floor (2 rooms and hall) were laminated in 1 day.

Declutter and throw out all the crap furniture, empty any remaining furniture so it can be easily moved around.

Do any decorating before the new flooring so no paint spillage.

Absolutely no need to move out!

If your getting all new furniture then I would say do a room at time. Living room 1st and live in the bedrooms. If your wfh could you go to a family members house in the day while the work is getting done. Also are you allowed to put new doors up? As I know our council doesn't allow that.

This. We recently had new flooring put in downstairs and lots of redecorating done. We just moved things from room to room as necessary. We lived in chaos! But had no choice.

That flooring can be done in a couple of days, max. We had the whole of our downstairs done in herringbone (which takes longer) including kitchen, hall, and 3 reception rooms and some fiddly areas like cupboard under the stairs, and it only took 4 days. We had a lot of large, heavy furniture that we couldn’t get upstairs and they just worked around it moved it room to room as they went.

Wooden flooring is perfectly soundproof as long as there's a proper underlay. Problems typically arise when people renovate and simply install a layer of hard flooring in place of carpet. So depends on whether OP can find professional installers and how much the inheritance will stretch.

OP contrary to some posters I wouldn't do floors one room at a time - that would be a PITA dealing with contractors and also raise costs. But floors is pretty much the last step anyway and should be a couple days max. So maybe get walls etc done piecemeal, then get your stuff out and vacate for a few days.

Good luck!

I wouldnt expect to move out. Just come up with a plan so for example if decorating throughout I'd get all the prep done skirting painted, walls stripped, lining paper up, ceiling painted. Throw stuff out recarpet/ refloor put colour on walls, new furniture. Go from room to room. If it's fairly minimalist anyway you shouldn't have big issues. Stay in a hotel for a night or two if paint is an issue

Surely you could completely declutter and get rid of as much as you possibly can, then work on one room at a time? Yes it wouldn't be ideal but surely it's possible?

spending money on moving out seems a waste. I’d see if you can organise staying with someone for the big works like floor etc.

but I think you’d be fine to be out for a bit to do works.

good luck, having a nice and relaxing home is a god send.

If the lace is that bad, they should be rehousing you or moving you out temporarily and doing the work. Have you complained about the condition?

I think that the best option would be to have plan for the order to do things, one room at a time, so you can live in the other rooms.

It’s very quick. I had a complete house recarpeted in an afternoon. It took longer to have Amtico laid in the kitchen than to carpet the whole of the rest of the house.

I agree with another poster do all the decorating room at a time and leave the flooring till last. Once you are ready for the flooring throw your old furniture out spend 1 night in a hotel while the flooring is done if that's even needed then get the new furniture in. If you get it organised properly you can get the new beds etc in as the flooring is being finished. We carpeted 2 rooms and 2 flights of stairs and it took half a day.

The flooring companies are used to doing it whilst you’re still living there, furniture etc is just moved around whilst doing it. Recently done a 5 bed house with a lot of stuff in all rooms and fully refloored in 3 days.

Its do-able and you don’t need to move out.

Decorators - this can be done whilst going on a holiday, your flat should only take max a week to decorate

i am guessing you have zero experience in

renovations
builders
design
possible planning permission
building regs
no contacts to draw upon or leccies, plumbers
and you’re in london

Good luck OP

what’s your budget ?