When is this flat likely to be emptied if family have not been to take furniture out?

[dwabmb]

My neighbour passed away in April, His family came and took a few of his things at the beginning of May and haven't been back since, Flat is still full of all neighbours things, Letters poking out of the letterbox, Based on this does anyone have any idea when they are likely to clear and void the flat?

The reason I am asking is about three months before my neighbour passed away I contacted my housing association regarding a management move due to both my doctor and my OT saying I need to move to a ground floor flat, I have just been sent an email by my housing officer saying he wants to come for a home visit so he can assess me for the management move into my neighbours flat because it is a 'direct match' to what I need (It's adapted with the adaptations I would need in a different flat and I already have here now)

Home visit isn't for another week and I was wondering on timelines because I have no idea if I should start packing etc now or if I have more time?

As it’s a HA flat I would start packing now. It’s always surprising how long it takes. There will be things you won’t need for a month+ e.g. winter clothes, Christmas decorations, most of your books etc.

Who owns the flat that is empty?

Is it a possibility that they’re not coming back and have taken what they want to already?

i don't think they are coming back, they only came out once and took his tv, a push bike from the back garden, locked up and drove away. Only reason I know this is because i work from home and hear if anyone parks on the drive, also no housing officers have been out either. it's housing association.

I always thought you only got about two weeks to empty a council property. Is it different for a HA?

They can move pretty quickly especially if they have someone for your flat too. I’d start packing non-essentials just now - if the flat is suitable they can have it cleared and sorted within the week.

i think it might be different if the family have left everything and are not coming back, i think the HA need to wait for a certain amount of time before they can empty it

It's usually two weeks for a housing association but some give you four it depends when the death was reported sad to say some people pay an extra month's rent and just dont report the death till the end of that time so they get 6 weeks instead of two saying that it doesn't sound like they are coming back if your neighbour had no estate to claim from the housing association cant do anything except clear it at their cost and put a tenant in again just my personal experience

I think it’s very likely that is what is going on here. The HA will have to clear the home and then move the OP in.

I know the council don’t give long and anything left goes to the tip and the estate is charged the fees. Obviously if there is any money left!
It happened to a family member, they had to get stuck in. Because the council were going to charge. My cousins house looked like hoarders lived there, for about a year as everything went to hers! And she really struggled with going through her Mam’s belongings!

I live in over 55’s flats some r left empty for 6 months plus

Are those the ones that are for sale? My DM lives somewhere like this and the rented ones change hands very quickly, before 2020 there was a five year waiting list. There is one though that’s for sale and has been for sale for 18 months now.

No over 55’s HA

You can complain to your local councillors about that because housing associations are supposed to not leave properties void, especially if there are people in temporary accommodation in the area

I complained about a house left void on my road within three weeks it was turned around and relet

Another housing association has gone from being over 60s only to over 55s because of void issues

Definitely don't start packing in anticipation of moving into that flat.
Until they've actually said it's yours.

I know that when my neighbour passed away it took them about a year before the place was cleared out, but they did a bunch of work on the interior as well. I keep seeing workmen but the new family are still yet to materialise. And this is only a one bedroom flat!

Other one, bigger house. Last month seemed like a new family were there pretty much overnight. But the house had been having extensive works while the old guy was still living there. In preparation clearly to kick him out. Kinda sad but it was a massive house and just him alone with LD/ cognition issues after his brother died last year so he's hopefully in a home now.

So council bureaucracy can mean it's not a quick and simple process. I don't think it would necessarily be expedited by the fact the potential new tenant lives very close by.

But I I hope you do get the place eventually! X

Yes my DN lives in a HA over 55s place but it’s a mix of shared ownership and rented.

You get a month.

It’s a question for the housing officer when you see them. We can’t estimate it.

I wouldn’t start packing until you have a formal offer of the property. There is no guarantee you’ll get it. I find housing officers over promise and don’t follow though

This, especially as you are currently housed, there may be others higher on the list, hope you do get the news you want though!