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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be pissed off with being offered a council FLAT instead of a HOUSE?

999 replies

OMFFG · 16/02/2012 10:46

We have 4 DCs, youngest 16 months and they think this is suitable!! The flat is 3 bedrooms and on the 2nd floor of a small tower block and has balconies which I would be pretty worried one of the DCs may fall out of.

This is my worst frigging nightmare. We have been 'homeless' for almost 2 years and the council have housed us in temporary accommodation (private rented) which we have to pay market value for (£875 per month) even though we did not choose it and it's a complete shit hole. We could not leave as we would lose our priority on the council bidding list. We lost our house when DH was made redundant and could not afford to pay £1200+ to privately rent.

Now after all this they have offered us a fucking flat. I am furious because every week until last week, there were only offering 3 bed houses but we would always be 3/4 on the list. Now that a flat was offered, less people have bid on it so we got to the top of the list. I did not even bid on it, the council did. Apparently they can bid on 'our behalf' as we are homeless and if we refuse this flat, we will be taken off the housing list. How the hell will we cope in a flat???

The rent is 'only' £380 a month but a house would only be £20 a month more.

AIBU to tell them to stuff it up their arses?

OP posts:
NormanTebbit · 16/02/2012 16:32

Oh dear op Sad

Well I guess you need to be thinking about how to move on from flat as quickly as you can.

QuintessentialyHollow · 16/02/2012 16:33

This "shithole" will enable you to save £500 per month, as it is cheaper than your current rental.

£500 per month saved, that is a substantial amount of money. £6000 per year, plus interest, if you stick it in an Isa or something. In 4 years, you will have £24k plus interest saved up for a deposit, and providing you both have work by then, will be on your way back to home-ownership. So yes, I think you should be grateful.

In addition to this, you have a landlord with obligations, that will come out and do things, like, if your boiler breaks down, you don't need to fork out over 2k to have it fixed. Again, a reason to be grateful.

BoffinMum · 16/02/2012 16:35

You can insist on it being handed over in a clean state and in good repair, and you can also insist on things like broken glass being cleaned up from communal areas. So that's a start.

Once you have a coat of paint on the inside, and it's clean and tidy you will be able to make it homely, and then you'll have a bit of stability and chance to plot your escape if you need to. But you may find you even like the neighbours, or something like that. I'd definitely go with the flow here.

TheParan0idAndr0id · 16/02/2012 16:36

Opinionated Mum, she hadn't even seen it before the rant, and if you read the thread, people have said either they live in similar or grew up in similar. In fact they seem more likely to say YABU, from my count.

You were homeless, now they are giving you a place to live, for a fraction of what most people now, and less than half what you are paying now. Take it, or don't, its up to you, but the outraged ranting about how dare they do so is going to get you lots of Shock and Hmm. You're insane to expect otherwise.

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 16/02/2012 16:37

opinionated been there and yes I was bloody grateful. I was just relieved to have somewhere of my own.
My flat wasnt ideal and I aspired to something more but it was a bloody good start.

Housing should be decent and if the OP's flat is filthy the council should clean it. It shouldnt be up to her to clean up someone else filth.

The flat should be safe too.

NotYetEverything · 16/02/2012 16:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OpinionatedMum · 16/02/2012 16:39

She has seen the outside and it looks run down.

I still don't think many on here would be grateful to live there.

ChickensHaveNoLips · 16/02/2012 16:41

If I was homeless, I'd be grateful for a roof. Who wouldn't? Confused

usualsuspect · 16/02/2012 16:41

Some on here have a fit of the vapours if they have to send their kids school with children from council estates , so no they wouldn't be grateful to live there I don't think

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 16/02/2012 16:43

What not even if they were homeless?

Come off it!

The problem on this thread is monumental snobbery about council housing. Living is a council flat is not the worse thing in the world. Lots of us have done it and managed not to be sucked into a pit of despair and depravity Hmm

I loved my little flat but I have no doubt that many would be horrified at the thought of living in such a 'shithole'

WorraLiberty · 16/02/2012 16:43

I still would double check OP because around here, even if you're in temporary homeless accomodation, you still get to turn down 2 properties...but you have to take the 3rd.

fabulousdarling · 16/02/2012 16:43

YANBU. Everyone with DCs has the right to decent place to grow up and live in. I say stop right to buy, if it's so unreasonable to want a decent sized house to live in, why are majority of places brought under the right to buy scheme houses?

We're stuck in a one bed. All 4 of us. 2DCs one a teenager. Yes, I am bitter and pissed off.

LilacWaltz · 16/02/2012 16:44

How come you were coming in at 3/4 on the list last time round but suddenly got 1st position with this one?

Beginning to lose sympathy now actually

OpinionatedMum · 16/02/2012 16:44

I have been through homelessness and got rehoused by the council. It was stessful and frightening not knowing where I was going to get sent. I was bloody grateful it wasn't certain blocks in certain areas of my city.

If I had got put in one of them I would have got on with it, made the most of it, and looked on it as being better that NOT having a roof BUT I would probably have ranted and sworn.

TheParan0idAndr0id · 16/02/2012 16:44

Oh its run down? They should only off pristine 4 bed houses with large gardens (for the trampoline) then.

OP, and quite a few posters, need to grow up and join the real world.

alistron1 · 16/02/2012 16:45

Thing is OP you could have been offered a house that looked run down and was filthy. Or was on a 'bad' estate etc... As I said, it's not ideal, but you really would be ill advised to turn it down.

NorthernWreck · 16/02/2012 16:45

Ah, thanks Maxy for the summary-I didn't get the thing about why they couldnt move into a normal private rental house.
Although-OP, If you do decide not to take the flat can you get housing help if you do rent privately?

Personally, although I would not be thrilled with what you describe, I would take the flat, clean it up, and just see how it goes.
You can save a great deal of money-even save for a deposit if you want to.
The rent on the council place is nearly half what I pay for a 2 bed on the private market.

usualsuspect · 16/02/2012 16:45

I live on a council estate so theres no snobbery here , if you mean me

OpinionatedMum · 16/02/2012 16:45

hey should only off pristine 4 bed houses with large gardens (for the trampoline) then.

I didn't say that, i said that was the ideal but you won't get ideal from the council

HappyMummyOfOne · 16/02/2012 16:46

I'm not surprised the council started bidding on your behalf if you have been in temporary accomodation for so long. They probably think you would be heppy to have finally been offered a council place given you class yourself as "homeless".

If you can afford the rent now then private rent and turn in down. You control your future, dont expect others to do it for you.

TheParan0idAndr0id · 16/02/2012 16:46

usual, you've taken the wrong side, its the OP who's too good for a council FLAT, not the posters telling her to cop herself on.

usualsuspect · 16/02/2012 16:48

I'm skim reading now Grin

Groovee · 16/02/2012 16:48

So what are you going to do OP? Demand that you won't shift until you get a house! Just because houses have been coming up weekly doesn't mean that everyone in your position before you were getting them. Long standing council tennants may have got them who've been waiting a lot longer than you to move.

Hardgoing · 16/02/2012 16:49

Most of Europe live in flats. They think living in flats (with balconies) is normal.

Surely even if you got a house, it would be on a council estate. I grew up in the middle of a council estate, that's where most social housing is.

I think this is utterly ridiculous.

OpinionatedMum · 16/02/2012 16:50

So do I. And the op posted a second time saying it looked run down, that's why I said it sounded like a shithole.

Mine is a lovely flat and the neighbours are friendly and not at all scummy.

Let's not pretend there are not some run down properties in some scary areas though.