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Original poster

UPDATE on to be pissed off I have been offered a council FLAT instead of a house?

262 replies

OMFFG · 07/03/2012 14:45

Thought I would update on my previous thread as you were all so sympathetic and concerned for me Grin.

We have taken the flat and will move in tomorrow. We have no choice and will be unable to be put on the transfer list for a year and will then probably have to wait a further 2/3 years for a house to come up.

The flat is on the (top) 2nd floor of a small block. We are 'lucky' in that the block is being upgraded and they have put in new windows/balcony doors/front doors and replaced all the railings around the two balconies. There is one off the kitchen and one off the lounge. The flat is very light and airy (although was stinky) and DH has painted/bleached it to within an inch of it's life and it is now presentable. There was decent laminate floor down already and it has a recently fitted kitchen, new toilet!! and almost new radiators. We did not found any mould/damp at all which we were very impressed by! The DCs rooms are big enough and mine and DH's is much bigger than our current one.

There are 18 flats in the block in all and every 3 flats (Grd/1st/2nd floor) gets to share a reasonable sized gated garden that each overlooks. We all have large sheds as well so the trampoline and bikes can all get stored in there.

The block seems quite quiet. I am a bit meh about it now. I am hoping there will be other DCs in there that mine can play with and I will be quite happy. We have a very large town park/farm/paddling pool area within 10 mins walk. DD's sec school is walking distance and her mates live around the corner.

We have worked out that after paying rent on this, we will have over £2100 a month to live on! That is with just DH working. I can decide if I want to go back to work or not probably after the summer when DC4 is 2.

I have probably been worried for nothing and am looking forward to getting back on track and saving for a new house of our own.

Thanks to the council and all those who sent their good wishes Thanks.

OP posts:
OpinionatedMum · 07/03/2012 16:07

Good luck from me too. Smile

dandelionss · 07/03/2012 16:08

Great!! I am so pleased that it's worked out so much better than you expected.

YouOldSlag · 07/03/2012 16:08

sodapops- that's shocking.

My DH served 22 years in the military. Now he is looking for work he qualifies for big fat nothing because of his teeny tiny pension which amounts to less than he would get on benefits.

We stopped at 2 DCs because we can't afford any more.

Yet OP has 2100 leftover after getting super subsidised accommodation and will soon have £500 more!. I feel like crying.

breatheslowly · 07/03/2012 16:09

If the house belongs to a public body and is rented out at below market rate then it is subsidised. It might not cost the council actual cash to rent you a below market rent house, but if they were to rent it out at market rates then they would have more income and could use that to care for the elderly,build more housing or build schools.

It is like me lending money to you for no interest instead of putting it in the bank to earn interest, I would be subsidising you by foregoing the interest.

I don't say this because I have an agenda or as a comment on the private market rates, just as an explanation.

TupperwareTwat · 07/03/2012 16:09

£2100 is around what DH and I have left after paying mortgage, childcare and monthly petrol. We both work full time and have a 3 yo DS we are not entitled to tax credits.

But our mortgage for our lovely house is slightly higher than the cost of your old crap private rented! We are comfortable but not living the lap of luxury.

I am glad your flat turned out to be nice and spacious, you need it with 4 DCs!
The extra money saved through the cheaper social rent will give your DCs a better quality of life and for their mother to have the choice to stay home for them.

I don't understand anybody who can begrudge that for 4 kids when your husband is working so hard too!

There are some very bitter and jealous people on this thread, OP.

MrsJonesisright · 07/03/2012 16:09

I guess you now see that you were BU in your original thread. Hope you enjoy the flat and it doesn't take you too long to save enough for a deposit on another home.

Fleurdebleurgh · 07/03/2012 16:13

Classic MN.

sodapops · 07/03/2012 16:14

Exactly, YouOldSlag it absolutely begarrs belief!

whensteaready · 07/03/2012 16:19

How on earth will you manage on £2100 a month?

Debs75 · 07/03/2012 16:21

Alouise the disparity between council and private rents wasn't as large when it was introduced though. Now people see private rent as the norm but it is spiralling out of control

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 07/03/2012 16:21

All the best in your new flat.
I am really glad it has turned out well for you.

I hope you make it a lovely home for you and your DCs.

WTAF are people so jealous when they would probably rather stick pins in their eyes than live in 'social' is beyond me.
And if they would like to live in social housing why are they not pleased that a family now has adequate housing?

WHY cannot people just be pleased for other people?

If this was a thread where someone was moaning that their swimming pool had a crack in it and they were upest it wouldnt be ready for their DD's birthday - heaven forefend anyone make a Hmm face. For that would be Wrong and Bad and Begruding Someone Their Nice Life.

I give up.

SparklyGothKat · 07/03/2012 16:22

I take it that the 2.1k is for council tax, fuel, food, clothing, gas elec, telephone etc. After all the bills are paid and with 4 kids bet theres not much left. Hmm

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 07/03/2012 16:23

youoldslag that is because the military spit out their service personnel withought a fucking care.

Which is hardly the OP's fault is it?

I hate the fucking army (note NOT the people who serve in it) but the Army. They treat people like shite.

They always have and they always will.

LilacWaltz · 07/03/2012 16:23

Some people seem eaten up with jealousy in this thread!

Slartybartfast · 07/03/2012 16:29

2100 divided by 4 equals um ..750?
a week?
ridiculous

Slartybartfast · 07/03/2012 16:30

recalcuate - with a calculator = 525 a week.
still sounds plenty plenty to me
why can't you rent privately?

Slartybartfast · 07/03/2012 16:30

or me to the point, why do i care?

Al0uise · 07/03/2012 16:31

Debs Thats because house prices have risen greatly, I wouldn't be at all surprised to do the maths and discover that the yield is now less than it was in post war Britain.

sodapops · 07/03/2012 16:31

"youoldslag that is because the military spit out their service personnel withought a fucking care."

Completely and untterly not true MrsDV. You get a lot of help in the last couple of years finding the right job, going on courses paid for by the MOD, getting info on housing etc. But it is not the MOD who deicde the benefit system, the social housing system etc it is the government. We are actually advised against applying for social housing, too if we have a pension and another job.

I fucking hate people who slag off the Armed Forces when they have no idea about how it is run, especially on a day like today when there has been the biggest single loss of life since the war began in Afghanistan in 2001! Angry

lazymonkeyface · 07/03/2012 16:32

I admit it, I am jealous!

When I was working full time (before Mat Leave) our combined wage was £2100 a month. We private rent at the minute because we can't save for a house. We aren't entitled to council houses (i'd jump on one if we could) even though i'm now working part time - well, when i go back to work - meaning we are gonna be 10K a year less.

It's hard to live on that amount of money, if you have children or not! Especially once the bills are paid. So yes. I am jealous! If I had that much money after paying bills we'd save our deposit in less than a year.

When i was homeless for a time, I wasn't even allowed to go on the council waiting list. So i don't understand why someone with that much disposable income has gotten a flat. It's just ridiculous.

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 07/03/2012 16:33

soda my husband is a GW veteran.

FFS

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 07/03/2012 16:34

Who is disabled.
And that fucking war killed my DD.

So have a fucking Angry

yourself.

bronze · 07/03/2012 16:35

Sparkly- I guess that depends where the op is, afterall we manage on that before private rent with 4 children but I suspect it would be comparable to us if the op lives in London

noddyholder · 07/03/2012 16:35

I know a couple who both independently had flats local authority. They bought one at a huge discount and have been letting it for years. This paid the mortgage on their very nice house (London). The other they let for years then bought it and have recently sold it and bought a stunning house abroad which is a holiday home and let and doing a roaring trade. It is just the way it is sometimes. I love these 2 so can't really say anything and they have turned teh whole social housing thing into a bit of a joke and built a bit of an empire out of it

usualsuspect · 07/03/2012 16:35

FGS , Are you all jealous that a council house tenant might have more money than you.

Should they all live on the breadline so you feel better about their affordable housing.

jeez MN is a pile of shite sometimes.