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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:
Clownsarescary · 17/02/2012 22:42

Blimey, there's some hard nosed cahs on this thread.

Surely people can just live in hope that they can be offered somewhere decent to live when they are struggling to run their own property. Its not a case of 'entitled' its a case of abject disappointment on the part of the OP.

I'm sure most of you on here would be devastated to find yourselves in this position. Those of you that aren't can count yourselves (including myself) to be lucky.

OP I hope things work out for you.

usualsuspect · 17/02/2012 22:45

Thats MN for you though . mention council housing and the balloon goes up

happyinherts · 17/02/2012 22:45

Huntycat - thrilled to bits for you and family. I do hope you manage to overcome any financial difficulties and you and family will be very happy in your new house and enjoy making it a home.

All the very best to you

marriedinwhite · 17/02/2012 22:45

Hunty - it really could get better. 20 years ago I had a friend who would never drive due to her epilepsy and hadn't been able to do so since recovering from meningitis at 15. About 15 years there was a huge improvement in the medication for her epilepsy and she has been driving for about the last 13-14 years. There may well be improvements in your medication too over the next few years, so never say never.

Anyway - one small step along the road to a better life today.

Clownsarescary · 17/02/2012 22:54

Usual yes I suppose it is. It astounds me how hard nosed some can be though.

It's a human right to have somewhere decent to live, surely?

usualsuspect · 17/02/2012 22:58

Sad really , but its what shiney dave wanted

LilacWaltz · 17/02/2012 23:04

Well the flat will be made 'decent' councils have to make their properties safe and habitable....... They can't do much about/lack of garden/neighbours/locals can they?

Clownsarescary · 17/02/2012 23:08

Usual shiney happy davey. What does he know eh? :( . I wonder if he's Thatcher's love child. No, she didn't do love.

Lilac even if the councils don't provide it, it doesn't stop people desiring decent housing.

youarekidding · 17/02/2012 23:10

I wonder if he's Thatcher's love child. No, she didn't do love. PMSL Grin

usualsuspect · 17/02/2012 23:11

I've been sucked in and spat out on this thread Grin

Original poster
OMFFG · 17/02/2012 23:26

UsualSuspect I have been breathing into a paper bag for much of the day today!

We have discovered that the only reason we have been offered this flat is because our letting agent who we were renting the 'temporary' house from has gone into liquidation. The council have offered us this flat outside of the normal bidding process just to get us off their hands. More bloody bad luck - could'nt they have bloody well gone bust this week when there was a 3 bed house in a less shitty area up for grabs. Thems the breaks huh.

This agency was run by a bunch of shysters who were being investigated and a Director had done jail time for fraud. No wonder they did not carry out any of the repairs that needed doing and complaining to the council got us nowhere. They have not paid rent onto the landlords for months. Did the council not check this company out before they gave them the contract to house people already in a vulnerable state as being homeless does make you feel bloody vulnerable.

You know what but I am bloody terrified of being dragged into a pit of despair (I have already had my fair share in life) that seems to pervade blocks of council flats in sink estates. Perhaps a bit melodramatic but the thought of being in temporary accommodation terrified me while we were waiting for our house to be repossessed, that has'nt been too bad. I did not expect the 'permanent accommodation to terrify me more. I thought it would be a relief to finally be able to move on.

OP posts:
usualsuspect · 17/02/2012 23:31

It might not be as bad as you think , I live on a council estate and its not all bad , plenty of decent people live on council estates we are not all in the pits of despair

good luck

Lueji · 17/02/2012 23:40

It is only a pit of despair if you let it.

Lots of people come out of those pits and do well for themselves.

You and your family are on a down, but you can come back. Just try to make the best of it and do not let yourself despair.

Think of how you can turn it around, not of how unlucky you have been.

Feminine · 17/02/2012 23:42

op thats really bad luck :(

Is the actual area alright?

We lived in the middle of an estate in London, it was one of the most peaceful places we had ever lived...:)

StateofConfusion · 17/02/2012 23:42

Op I've felt how you have, we were in a bnb as our temp 'home' though.

We were told, not offered, we'd be moving to a town we'd never visited 25miles away from family, none of there oh so important 'local connections' a place with a terrible rep.

BUT.

Its now our home and we've just extended our contract, the children are happy the school is great and were bloody well grateful for it.

You don't have a choice here so take a deep breath and you might be suprised, I was.

Original poster
OMFFG · 17/02/2012 23:47

I know not everyone is in the pit of despair UsualSuspect. Been watching too many London set drama's I think. Apologies.

The DCs still go to school in our old affluent area as well. I suppose we should have moved them when we had to move across town into our current 'temp' house but we did'nt as we did not know where we would end up. We were kind of hoping we would end up on the estate on the outskirts of our old area but we will be miles away again. I wonder if their friends will be allowed over to play. FFS.

OP posts:
usualsuspect · 17/02/2012 23:49
Hmm
TotemPole · 17/02/2012 23:55

OMFFG, have you had chance to talk to someone at Shelter/CAB to see where you stand regarding the offer. If they acted outside of the normal bidding system then perhaps you don't have to take it.

Original poster
OMFFG · 17/02/2012 23:56

Thanks all for the good and downright nasty replies. I have taken them all on board as I have tried to get my head round yet another (metaphorical) smack in the face.

I am going to expect the benefits to outweigh the positives and not worry about this anymore. We will pay less. We will be able to survive without the small amount of housing benefit we get now (tax payers take note, not that the fact DH is paying tax makes any difference to them). We will be able to save and I will be able to afford to work again. We will have to take the DC's out to the town park instead of chucking them in the garden. They won't leave mud all over the hallway because the mud will have worn off before they get to the front door by the time we've walked up all the stairs, .

OP posts:
Feminine · 17/02/2012 23:59

op I am really curious to know where it is :)

I'm nosey , but maybe someone can put your mind at ease?

TotemPole · 18/02/2012 00:05

We will be able to survive without the small amount of housing benefit we get now

I'd expect you to be slightly better off than you are now. Go on turn to us to work it out.

Original poster
OMFFG · 18/02/2012 00:16

TotemPole The guy at CAB told us to get in contact with Shelter and Shelter can't see us for an appointment until the middle of March by which time we will have had to sign the contract.

I am going to take my chances with my MP and making a written complaint asking for a full written explanation of their 'suitability' policy and bidding policy and a Freedom of Information request to see how far we were down the list according to our priority date (they work on dates here not points). On our failed bids they are supposed to put down what number we were on the list and the priority date of the person the bidded on property was offered to, they have not updated that for about 2 months now and we have bid on quite a few properties since then and they have all gone to people in the same banding as us. When I rang them two weeks ago and asked where we were on the list, they would not tell me as they said it did not mean anything and it would not give us an indication of how long we would have to wait Hmm.

I have also discovered from the council's own policy documents that they were supposed to have contacted us within 2 months of us being put into 'temp' accomm and discuss with us our 'needs', advise us on the 'time limited' bidding process (when they will start bidding for us) and generally keep in contact with us while we have been in 'temp' accomm. Well they never have. They dumped us here and we have not had any communication since (unless I rang them asking where we were on the list, which they would not tell me) until we received a letter advising us that we have been offered this property and had to take it or we would be evicted. So much for choice based lettings!

I am off this thread now. Spending too much time wallowing, need to get my arse in gear. Thanks again all.

OP posts:
CardyMow · 18/02/2012 00:22

I have sympathy for you now you are talking in a much less inflammatory way, OP.

It IS shitty that you have been basically screwed over by a twatty letting agency, and they have stuffed you in this flat to wash their hands of you. It's pretty much what happened to me when I was moved into my current house 7 years ago - except the CEILINGS fell down in my temporary flat that I was in before here.

Then 7 years in a temp house, never knowing when or where I was going to be moved to.

It has come right in the end for me - and I hope it will for you too. It's just it might take a bit longer than you were hoping for. I've spent 7 years having to take the dc's to the park. Because the dc aren't allowed to play football even in the GARDEN. Not that the garden is big enough here for everyone to STAND on it at the same time...The nearest park is over a mile away. The nearest shop is further.

I DO get, more than most, what a kick in the teeth it feels like when you have gone from owning your own home, that you loved, to being put wherever the council shove you, no matter what the place is like.

It's the feeling of having no control over your own life, or that of your dc's. And if their friends parents are too snobby to let them come and see them, then I'm sure your dc will make other friends at their new school, that accept them and you for whoyou all are.

You have to look forward, though. You may be in a BETTER situation in 10 years time than you were in your old house. Looking back to the past only gives you neck-ache. Grin.

CardyMow · 18/02/2012 00:25

Oh,I get that the 'number' on the bidding system means sod all,OP - I have been given this house despite apparently being number 15 on the housing list. Hmm. There CAN'T be any nightmare neighbours or anything, as it's a new build, OK it's on a busy main road - but so is my current place. I'm quite sure that there haven't been 14 other families that would turn down a new build 4-bedroom when they have been waiting years - so I can only presume that the list numbers are bollix here too.

HillyWallaby · 18/02/2012 06:27

Hunty can I ask a question about what you said upthread and HB? Not sure about how the new limits will or won't affect your situation, but you say the OP is 'luckier' than you because she will only pay £380 while you will pay £780 but if you are currently unable to work will that not just all get paid by HB? And if the OP or her DH is in at least PT work, if not FT work, how is what they pay v. what gets paid by HB calculated? Who decides, if you earn a lowish wage, how much of your rent can/will be covered by HB and how much you should have to pay yourself?

Are you saying that you don't need to pay any of it now, but if you go back to work you will be expected to pay all of it? Because I thought people on even seemingly ok-ish wages could still claim HB if the market rate for an adequate sized house was still outside their grasp. Do you invisage that if you return to work in two years you will be worse off?