Council/ha/social housing tenants. I need advice on finding a swap...issues with washing machines/communal laundry storage/small flat etc

[mylovelyboycat]

Anyone who has ever been through the home swapping process, please can you give me your advice/opinions....

I'm a single person in a one bed flat in a city centre, looking to move to another one bed flat on the outskirts, in the suburbs, or even one of the nearby small towns. So I would be swapping one bed for one bed with a single person or childless couple.

The issue that has put people off....My flat does not have a washing machine, or any existing plumbing to install one. Instead we have a communal laundry room/laundrette. It is free to use. Each resident gets a 1.5 hour weekly slot to use the two very big washers and dryers.

So far 3 people have viewed my flat. The first two declined it solely because of the washing machine. The third just said it wasn't right for her.

The decor in my flat was also not great. So I stopped advertising and have spent a few months, and all of my spare money, doing it up. It's starting to look good. It's been hard work and expensive, but I want to get it right this time, so that someone will swap with me.

I'm worried that the washing machine issue will mean that all the work and money spent will be in vain.

Should I spend more money to get the plumbing done and a washing machine installed? I think the plumbing will cost around £200ish + . I'm also going to struggle to find a machine that fits....so will either need to spend £500 on a AEG 3kg compact machine, or pay for alterations to the kitchen units/airing cupboard so that I can fit a normal machine in. All in all I'm looking at £700-£900. I have minimal savings, but enough to pay for this. It just feels like a terrible waste of money.

I'm desperate to move! The area I live in is really popular and the flat itself is now looking really nice and modern. But it is small and lacks storage space (I can't change that), but should I pay all of that money for a washing machine for a flat I'm desperate to leave? Or do you think that this is something that people would be okay with....as in just the communal laundry facilities?

Sorry for the long post.... I don't know what to do!

If you're allowed, I'd definitely consider paying to get the plumbing. I'm HA and if I were to move and there was no washing machine it would definitely put me off. Good luck 😊

@Deargodddddd thank you. I think you are right. It's gutting to have to spend the money, but I really need to move.

Of all of the people that might be interested in my flat, I think it would be a very small percentage that would go ahead without an inflat washing machine.

It was a mistake to move into this flat. It's taken almost all of my savings to deal with some big problems that were making life difficult, but were outside of the council's legal obligations to deal with.

There have been some unsolvable problems which are impacting on my wellbeing.

I'm just going to have to suck it up, spend the cash, and hope it's worth it!

Is there anyone else here that would be okay with just the communal laundry? Or who has lived in a flat with the same laundry situation as me, and has managed to find a swap?

The council have given me permission to install the plumbing. I just have to fill out a form to inform them of exactly what will happen and use a registered tradesperson.

How fixed is the use of the laundry, could you go more often than the once a week if you needed to? Personally I'd rather do a bulk load with access to a dryer as I had a 5kg machine and was always a struggle not to over fill it, so imagine you'd need to do multiple loads with 3kg.

Sure you can still get those old style top load washers that don't need to be properly plumbed in which may help show there's a solution without spending all your money.

I would get quotations from a plumber and find the cost of the washing machine and I would tell anyone that is considering the exchange that you are happy with the onsite laundry but understand they may not be so they know what it would cost. If it is a deciding factor you can offer to have it done pre exchange.

I wouldn't buy a washing machine as they probably have their own.

@DobDobby

You are given a set time slot which is the same each week. You can ask for additional slots on an adhoc basis (.... apparently one of the other neighbours is in charge of this, and you have to go a knock on her door, to request this.....which feels very uncomfortable so I've never done that!).

I have seen the old style top loading machines for sale. The best one I've found is £165 . If it was just for me living here, I would definitely give it a go. But Im not sure that it would make things more appealing for a potential swapper. So it might be a wasted £165 that could have gone towards the cost of a proper set up. It's difficult to know what to do!

I would have thought the compromise is to install the plumbing so that people can add a washing machine if they want, not sure you need to actually leave them a washing machine. You can say (truthfully) that you have used the communal facilities and have been happy with that but of course if they want their own machine the plumbing is there for it. I don’t think you really need to go into “it needs to be a small one”.

@sashh thank you! That is a really good idea. I've still got some decorating to finish including a bit of painting and new flooring in the living room and hall, so maybe I could try and get the plumbing and washing machine quotes while I'm finishing up the decorating.

I really appreciate your advice :)

@Flatandhappy thank you....another good idea! I'm so glad that I asked here... didn't know who else to ask. Really appreciate your suggestions.

I assume whoever moves in will already have their own full size machine, so I could probably offer to buy it from them and then they could use the money towards a new machine for my flat.

I will have to sit down with a pen and paper and write down all the options. And then start getting some quotes.

I appreciate the suggestions. At least I have options. Thank you so much

@Flatandhappy but yes, having the plumbing already installed, even without a machine, would be a massively positive factor. Thank you

Glad to be useful.

Your best bet is to sort the plumbing - or maybe get a few quotes and tell any prospective tenants how much they’re looking at. 1.5h slot isn’t much at all, my machine takes longer than that to run!

If it makes you feel any better I’m also stuck in a flat that has been nothing but a headache ever since I moved here. Drug use has increased though and this week has been particularly bad so I’ll be trying to use that to put in for a transfer.

@Bingbopboomboomboombopbam yes drug use is also a big problem here. Especially in the last 6-12months. I'm not interested in drugs at all, but unfortunately I have found myself in some very difficult situations due to the activities of other people around me. I'm literally scared to say too much about it even on an anonymous forum like this! I've got a couple of other ongoing problems here. Just need to do everything I can to move house asap!

Good luck to you to @Bingbopboomboomboombopbam , I totally get how difficult it can be in that kind of environment.

@mylovelyboycat my DP’s sister thinks it might be relatively easy for me to find a swap because we’re close to everything but honestly right now whoever walks through the main door of the building immediately gets slapped with the worse stench imaginable. If you’re local you’ll know there’s a crack den in the building (I didn’t, which is why I said yes).

I also need to do my bathroom as it’s severely outdated but it feels pointless to drown money in a place I don’t want to stay at.

Honestly I'm presuming the obvious drug use and smell probably put more people off than the washing situation. You can get cheap washing machines and I have a camping one myself,
A couple of quotes would be useful though so they can see if that's suitable for them.
How secure is your flat door? With problems in communal areas I'd like a secure flat door, that may be an issue for future tenants?

@Bingbopboomboomboombopbam my situation is so similar to yours!

My flat is in a really popular central area, and everyone keeps telling me how easy it will be to swap. It really isn't that easy at all. Luckily the drug problems are not so glaringly obvious to visitors to the flat (most of the time). But I'm feeling quite scared living here because of....well I can't talk about it! But there are some glaringly obvious problems in the immediate vicinity of my flat that would completely put people off.

I have literally decided to throw myself into the decorating to give myself a chance of getting a swap. Maybe someone else won't be so concerned about the problems if the flat looks nice inside?? It's very stressful though, spending literally all of my time, energy and money on doing it up.....when things outside of our control stack the odds against us.

I have spent a lot of time feeling regretful about taking this flat. It feels so unjust. I have felt extremely hopeless. I am glad that you posted on my thread. It feels so isolating living in such a bad environment and it is rare to communicate with someone who understands. There are probably thousands of us all over the place experiencing similar. I hope you get to move soon. I hope your housing association are able to help you move .

@Ollybob there are drug issues where I live which have definitely affected me, but the drug issues where I live are not usually very obvious to people who don't live here. And there is no smell here, except for a bit of weed. There are other problems in the area (not criminal) that could be an issue for some people, but I'm hoping that a well decorated flat with a washing machine solution will help me get a swap.

It's @Bingbopboomboomboombopbam who was saying that she also wants to move. But unfortunately she has obvious drug use and smells where she lives, and that makes it even harder for her to find a swap, than it is for me.

@mylovelyboycat it’s so isolating isn’t it?? I always dread when people want to visit because on how earth do I explain what’s going on? My flat looks nice inside apart from the bathroom, but the communal areas definitely give off a bad impression.

Unfortunately my HA has very poor communication, multiple tenants have complained about the tenant who causes the issues but nothing gets done. We get a letter every now and then threatening to put on CCTV but it never gets done.

@Bingbopboomboomboombopbam hopefully the crack den will get busted and then you will need to get a swap asap before anything starts up again 🤞🤞🤞