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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think the 'decent homes standard' is the joke of the decade?

233 replies

ladyfirenze · 02/03/2011 12:58

Has anyone had their council homes 'upgraded' lately? Mine was done over christmas. Me and dc's were strongly advised to de-camp to a property provided by the council. This meant entirely moving house/storing white goods etc. Six weekd later we moved back. During this time we had a new kitchen put in, and new radiators as well as a re-wire.

I knew that I'd have to redecorate the whole place (three bed flat) but was promised help with the cost.

We got £160.

Also, because of the building, we had to use 'trunking' for all of the re-wire.

It looks shite. The trunking is cheap nasty looking crap, badly done. They had to come back over a period of two weeks after I'd returned to do 'snagging' and there are still bits which are sub-standard work.

The kitchen is okay, but wasn't actually done to the agreed plan. They had a huge hoo ha when I asked them to, and due to an exposed meter it couldn't be left. Their customer care is rubbish, and I was accused of being responsible for the kitchen not being correct... wtf??

six weeks on and I'm slowly getting the house sorted. I'm quite cabaple, but there are many who aren't, and will be left in a worse position than before.

OP posts:
BaroqueAroundTheClock · 02/03/2011 13:25

My brother waited 14yrs for his already desperately needing replacing bathroom and kitchen to be sorted Shock1

Original poster
ladyfirenze · 02/03/2011 13:29

fabby chic - the kitchen is ok. The main issue there was that electric sockets (those big ones for cookers etc with the orange switch) had all been put in with the wrong length screws. This meant the first time I unplugged, the entire socket came out. Obviously they have been fixed.

chandellina - the whole point is, they have to fix the house, but what they have done won't actually last as long as the things they've replaced (the trunking is really bad) and they've had to remove all of the floor coverings before as the floors had to come up, so the house was in a reasonable state before, whereas now it's got no floorcoverings and the walls are in a dreadful state as the light switches have been chased into the walls.

And I'm a self-employed single mummy. I work very, very hard to make ends meet. I'll probably be able to afford a 7k new kitchen if I save for a few years Wink

OP posts:
ChippingInMistressSteamMop · 02/03/2011 13:36

sixlostmonkeys - I'm glad it makes you laugh. If it's not my/our tax money where is it coming from? Last I looked there wasn't a money tree.

Council tennants pay tax - and?
Council tennants pay rent - mostly a token amount.

Neither of those things cover the repairs/maintenance/replacement kitchens, bathrooms, windows, doors, wiring, radiators etc

People 'envy' the fact that council tennants get a lot of improvements to the house they live in FREE - it's an improvement to their environment that plenty of homeowners wish they could make - it doesn't matter if you own it or not, it's nice to have a new kitchen, bathroom, windows, doors...

Not all of the work is being done to a poor standard, there are plenty of council houses being 'done up' to a very good standard (as they should be if they are going to do it).

It just irks a bit that someone gets all of that work done FREE, gets ££ to decorate (admittedly not a lot, but still) and then complains it's not exactly how they would like it?? Plenty of people have trunking whether they own the house or not and plenty of people can't have the kitchen exactly how they want it due to boilers/gas supply. It's hardly the end of the world is it? I have exactly the same problems and have to pay for all of the work myself.

ChippingInMistressSteamMop · 02/03/2011 13:40

LadyFirenze - trust me - it's no worse than when you pay to have it done. I'm in pretty much the same situation as you, except I've had to pay for the work to be done.

You have now had the house rewired, lightswitches chased into the walls, new radiators, new kitchen etc - all you need to do is sand and re touch up the walls where the chasing is and few other small finishing touches - much cheaper than doing it all yourself :)

Sidge · 02/03/2011 13:41

belledechocchipcookie why wouldn't you clean your own windows and screw a door back on in a rented house? (genuine question, not meaning to sound sarky).

I understand a landlord should keep a property safe, structurally sound and of a habitable standard but surely minor repairs and cleaning would be your own responsibility even when renting?

miniwedge · 02/03/2011 13:44
  1. if the trunking is bad then it is unlikely to be safe and meet the IEE regs.
  1. The council is the ops landlord, the op is entitled to expect any works done to be safe and to a good standard.
  1. The money (£160) is only to cover a basic ie, magnolia paint job. Anything extra such as new blinds or carpet etc has to be funded by op.

YANBU and I think it is a bit shite for people to be coming up with the "pay for it yerself" bollocks.

sixlostmonkeys · 02/03/2011 13:49

chipping - CT's pay tax - and - perhaps it goes towards these cost? as well as the cost of all the other things tax pays for, that home owners use too.
Rent is not a token amount. Try and find a council officer who will tell you the amounts raised with rents - you may be in for a surprise.
It is not free to the tennant. It will never belong to them. They don't get to chose because the council are simply upkeeping their property. When the CT leaves they leave it all behind. They are not gaining any money due to the house being improved. A home owner owns their doors, fences, kitchens etc etc a CT doesn't.

lesley33 · 02/03/2011 13:52

Council tenants pay rents. Taxpayers money (from everyone including council house tenants) can't be used for day-to-day maintenance on council houses. This can only be paid for from tenants rents.

The cost of meeting the decent homes standard does come from taxpayers money.

sixlostmonkeys - People get envious of those renting council houses because the alternative - private renting or buying - is usually much much more expensive. I know years ago, I was paying as much in rent for a bedsit to a private landlord as my parents paid in rent for thier 3 bedroom council house. Also the worst housing in terms of state of repair, is owner occupied owned by elderly people on low incomes.

sixlostmonkeys · 02/03/2011 13:59

lesley33 - I agree that CT are much better off that those renting from private landlords.
It's the attitude of home owners towards CT that gets me. I could never be envious of someone who pays dead money all their life and have nothing to show for it, or are never in control of what happens to or in their house.

readinginsteadnow · 02/03/2011 14:30

Well, I have to admit to being jealous when I look at the roofs along our street; all the council ones are new and safe looking, all the private ones are falling to bits and really need replacing (excepting about 3 houses that have been done up for resale).

I agree though, poor op, if a job is going to be done it should be done properly and left tidy and sorted, not substandard and with plastering to do where the switches were chased in.

ChippingInMistressSteamMop · 02/03/2011 14:41

sixlostmonkeys - I pay tax, it doesn't go towards improvements on my house. Some CT's pay tax, but they don't pay more tax to pay towards these things.

The CT has the benefit of new things, it doesn't matter if they 'own' them or not. A new kitchen is a new kitchen to use whether you own it or not.

Rent - family I know pay £58 per month, another pays £110 per month. Nothing like market rent.

CT's often do get to choose and have a say in the planning (as the OP did).

When the CT leaves - yes when... they are often in the same house for years and have the benefit of all of those improvements. A 5 year old kitchen really doesn't add the cost of it to the value of a house, so you can't say a homeowner benefits more from it than a CT.

Sixmonkeys - you act like homeowners have been given their house whereas a CT is only allowed to rent one. If you don't want to be paying dead money and have nothing to show for it, then buy a house. But honest to god, people live in CH's, get load of stuff done for them FREE then complain that the trunking isn't perfect. FGS can you not see how frustrating that is to someone who has to pay for all of that themselves?

A roof over your head, free/cheap rent, improvements ... I don't see why people aren't grateful for it? Sorry, but I really don't.

RealityIsKnockedUp · 02/03/2011 14:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tethersend · 02/03/2011 14:58

Cycling Christ.

It's swings and roundabouts-

If you own a house, you don't get your kitchen done for free, but you do get to own a house and quite possibly make a profit from it. Sometimes the profit you make will be more than the cost of a new kitchen and bathroom.

If you're a council tenant, you get a free kitchen and bathroom refit but don't own the house or get to make any money from it.

So, if a new, free (possibly shoddy) kitchen and bathroom is more important to you than owning property, sell up and rent. If you'd rather have a council house, then give up your job and one will fall into your lap (because that's how they allocate them, right?)

If you would rather own a home and make a profit than have a new free kitchen and bathroom, get a mortgage and buy one (because it's that simple, right?)

BulletWithAName · 02/03/2011 15:03

Huh, we live in a council flat and we get fuck all with regards to home improvement. We're paying out to do it ourselves. I'd love to live in your local authority, OP. I'd be a bit more greatful tbh.

sixlostmonkeys · 02/03/2011 15:04

chipping - a CT pays tax that doesn't doesn't necessarily go on things that they benefit from too. Should they too envy those who reap the benefits from schools, libraries, parking services etc etc that they themselves never use?

rent £58 per month? are you sure?

I don't 'act' like homeowners have been given their house, I act like they own their house or will do one day Confused

I guess I can't make you understand how home improvements will increase the value of a home owner's house therefor is an investment that they will one day reap whereas home improvements to a CT have no monetry value at all - therefor nothing is 'given' to them.

who says CT aren't grateful for a roof over their head? Complaining that shoddy work which ultimately costs more in the long run is not being ungrateful.

RealityIsKnockedUp · 02/03/2011 15:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DerangedSibyl · 02/03/2011 15:13

if people receive housing benefit, they will be 'paying' less rent than if not but this does not make their rent 'free' or 'very reduced'

The rent is still the amount it is set at - the tenant's entitlement to housing benefit is the reason they pay less rent out of their income.

My rent is £80 per week for a 2 bedroom terrace. This is a local authority (housing association) house. But for my area, I am paying market rent. I don't experience a 'highly reduced rent' at all. My rent will be £80 per week whether I earn £0 or £30000.

Ignoranter and ignoranter, to coin Lewis Carroll

Mists · 02/03/2011 15:35

My grandparents paid full rent to the council for almost fifty years. They could have bought their house but they were very uneducated and scared of such things. They had come through a war, active service in fact.

They could have bought that house five times over and it is still standing, decent, still housing people in need even though it is twenty years since they died.

Many of the new tenants will have paid tax and rent too.

My grandparents had nothing to leave their children or grandchildren when many of their generation did. They also treasured the house and spent a lot of their own money on improvements.

All down the drain for them compared to someone whinging that they own a ridiculously over-priced house which sometimes needs improvements. And lets face it, nobody buys a house which is in the sort of state that social housing can be in unless for a massively reduced price. Then the mortgage is adjusted in order to deal with the repairs.

In terms of contribution to society in general, responsible council tenants are doing their bit too.

FanellaFudge · 02/03/2011 15:42

Beggars

Choosers

Would love someone to hand me £160 to put towards decorating....and we have trunking Hmm

FanellaFudge · 02/03/2011 15:45

"Me and dc's were strongly advised to de-camp to a property provided by the council. This meant entirely moving house/storing white goods etc. Six weekd later we moved back. During this time we had a new kitchen put in, and new radiators as well as a re-wire."

You say this as if it were an inconvienience to you? Quite frankly it sounds like you had a television makeover crew in.... 'here we'll put you up somewhere so you don't need to live on a building site, and will re-do your house, for free'.

Jeees

sixlostmonkeys · 02/03/2011 15:46

bang out of order fanellafudge

sixlostmonkeys · 02/03/2011 15:47

that was to your beggars remark btw.

the following post just shows your ignorance

FanellaFudge · 02/03/2011 15:49

Tis true though.... if you're given something for free, you've got a damn nerve moaning about, IME. Especially to a broad audience, of which there are probably quite a few who are crying out for a new kitchen etc.

PigValentine · 02/03/2011 15:52

"it's an improvement to their environment that plenty of homeowners wish they could make"

But most council tenants would rather be homeowners and have a shitty kitchen and crappy decor. I know I would.

Mists · 02/03/2011 15:52

But it isn't being done for the OP's benefit. It is not her house. It is being regenerated for the generations to come who will be paying rent and never owning the property or having any sort of security. Nothing to sell to pay for care in later life etc.

I suppose, OP that perhaps YABU (sadly) in that you expect the council to consider your family when in actual fact that are ensuring that they make a profit over the years.