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

[OMFFG]

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?

Lilac - I am not saying it would be EASY. It would be a struggle having to struggle up stairs with shopping etc. But if it was a choice between that and losing the roof over my dc's head, and being kicked out of temporary accommodation - I think it's a no-brainer as to what I would chose.

I know some WHEELCHAIR users that have had to accept 2nd floor flats and had to wait for an exchange. NOT easy. But when it's a choice between that or being homeless, it's not that hard a decision, is it?!

Agree with karmabeliever.

This is all sounding very "be grateful for what you're given regardless because you are POOR"

Surely if you are paying full market rent for the private property,you have some say on the property?

Here in North London,if the Council put you in lease whilst waiting for a council property,and it is not suitable for whatever reason (usually condition),the private lets dept of the council will move you into another one. There are plenty of private landlords on their books ready to move in a tenant,as the council take on a lot of responsibility for the tenant.

You should have asked to be moved into a better property seeing as you were paying market rent

Seriously?

I am often baffled at the concept of entitlement that some people have.

You are actually lucky that you have a council that pays for your privately rented home (I assume), and that offers you a flat.
You will have 3 bedrooms and balconies. The second floor is not that bad.

If your DH is working, why not simply find your own place like millions of people do? Maybe you can find one that matches your standards for the "ideal" house. You could even work weekends/evenings around your DH is the rental income is higher. Stop waiting for nice things to be handed to you on a plate.

Rubbish Bupcakes- people are simply looking at the bigger picture- the OP needs a HOME, a HOME has been offered- the council are doing their bit, cant be helped if the OP is a greedy self entitled mare.

she pays her own rent

"Thats as maybe Bupcakes but generally the less you earn the more you get subsidised by other income related benefits. If a home is what you need you imho cant afford to quibble over the frills of it all."

So? It's a Daily Mail myth that subsidy be benefits brings income for benefit-receiving familiers up to anything near average wage.

YABU! you are lucky to be offered a flat....you could be a lot worse off.

You are very ungrateful.

I think OP has said that she and dh are paying their own rent.

Is your DH working now OP or do you work at all?

I can see why you are disappointed OP - you have been expecting to have a house offered (as others have) and you have been offered a flat, which is not ideal.

However, you have got to try and look on the positive side. If you turn the flat down you will be buggered. You have to accept it, you will have a lot more money to do the place up, and can immediately try and get on the transfer list.

You are still very fortunate to have a council flat, rather than the shitty and precarious situation of private rental. At least this flat i yours for as long as you want it (under current rules). You won't have a capricious private landlord give you notice to quit after 2 months. You have more security than you do at the moment, and a lot more security than those who have been on waiting lists for ages.

Ther are positives in this.

"Rubbish Bupcakes- people are simply looking at the bigger picture- the OP needs a HOME, a HOME has been offered"

Exactly what I said.

"OP needs a home, a home has been offered. It's not suitable but she should be grateful for what she gets because she is poor." That's pretty much it.

Why not rent privately if you are Woking then and claim HB?

This is all sounding very "be grateful for what you're given regardless because you are POOR"

That's not the way I'm reading it.

If they can afford nearly £900 in rent per month, they certainly aren't poor.

I think it's the OP's sense of entitlement (yes I said it!) that's getting people's backs up here.

Social housing is there to help people who need it.

She needs it and she's been offered it...if it's not good enough because it's not a house, well that's the way it goes right now...she can always put in for an exchange in the future like everyone else.

So are the many council tennants who would be most grateful to be offered a property that may not quite be something from grand designs rather than end up homeless

Why can't you find a way of earning some extra money to save for the house you want? I appreciate having 4 kids makes it harder but what about working nights/weekends? In order to get the money for our place dh worked nights and I worked days and it was one in the house one out for a long time.

poor op she is BU but she is allowed to be disappointed, give her a break .

I think you would certainly BU if it meant you had to sort out your own privately rented accommodation!

Think of the money you'll save. You'll have a secure tenancy, and there's always the possibility (however remote) of exchange. It's not a "shithole" and while you will just have to be vigilant about the balconies, you'll be grateful for them in the summer when your kids are older.

Why is it not suitable? Please tell me why something that isnt what the OP WANTS means it isnt suitable?

FWIW, I agree that the tone of the OP was a bit shit, especially the "stick it up their arses" part. I can see why people are riled by that. I just don't agree with this ungrateful business. If the OP falls into the correct criteria to be council-housed then she should be offered the right accommodation for her circumstances.

Lueji - the council does not pay our rent.

How many fucking more times! No we are not fucking lucky to have lost our comfortable 4 bed owned house while I was pregnant and then became ill through it, moved into a shithole on a sink estate paying massively more than it's worth and then offered a 2nd floor flat on another sink estate. Hang on while I do a fucking jig around the house.

I think some people are confusing "having paid tax all one's working life" with some kind of all encompassing insurance policy. Most people have paid tax all their working lives. A lot of people on benefits pay tax (many ARE tax deductible). The purpose of paying tax IS NOT so you can continue with your old lifestyle/lifestyle of choice should you fall upon hard times.

I can understand why you wanted a house and not a flat , her husband got made redundant give her a break fgs

It might not be as bad as you think OP

muminthecity it's a fair assumption I think.
In private rented accom @ £800+ and entitled to council property.
Some if not all will be HB otherwise the council wouldn't have them on any list.