to think that people who choose to have more children whilst living in social housing shouldn't expect to be given a bigger place?

[balsamicfundamentalist]

I am a member of another pregnancy forum and there is a woman there who has just had her 5th child (by choice). Neither her nor her partner work and she is complaining that the council will not giver them a bigger house (she is in a 3 bed). All the other members are sympathising with her but I don't understand why. Surely if you choose to have a child when you know your home is not big enough, you shouldn't expect the council to give you a bigger one, especially when it is sought after subsidised housing?

I have a flat screen TV, it was a birthday present from my mummy :o I have a decent car parked outside, my OH was given the money for a car and leaves it here as he works away and feels happier that he knows someone can see it. Don't believe anything about someone just by what you can see.

Social housing is for people who need somewhere affordable to live, why should people under an RSL not have more children? Why shouldn't they apply for somewhere bigger? I got pregnant living in a studio, moved to a two bed flat, got pregnant again and moved to a three bed house. If I owned my own house I'd do the same thing - look for somewhere bigger when it suited my needs.

Do you know why RSL's are cheaper? Because they're not allowed to make money, all the rent goes into running the property. Some tennants might be on benefits but by no means all, some estates have requirements about work for new residents - key personnel, in a job, minimum salary etc - would you resent them from moving to somewhere bigger too?

doomfinger - would you be able to afford to 'look for somewhere bigger' everytime you got pregnant if you lived in private accommodation?

iloveberries Thu 14-Jun-12 09:13:08
"doomfinger - would you be able to afford to 'look for somewhere bigger' everytime you got pregnant if you lived in private accommodation?"

didn't the OP describe a woman who is not able to move into somewhere bigger when she gets pregnant because the council are not prepared to pay for it? or do I need new reading glasses?

Yes, she did describe jut that cory. That is why I wanted to understand domfingers point, I wasn't clear if she was saying she also expected the council to give her a bigger home as and when she decided to have more children?

what she expects is pretty irrelevant to what she is actually going to get

I can sit here and expect my boss to pay me enough for holidays in the Caribbean and a 6 bedroom house- it ain't going to happen

some people just have unrealistic expectations- includes people from all walks of life

She'll have a job getting one as they are few and far between and full of single old people ;0) but thats a different thread!
Someone once said to me she needed 4 bedrooms for her 2 children under 5 plus twins on the way ,I told her the council say they can all share till the eldest is 10 - slight fib but her reaction was worth it :-D
we are classed as over crowded atm, but I'm happy here and am staying put .My nanna brought up 10 in a house like this one so 5 is no bother .I do feel bad about it sometimes and as not all of them are my own children (long story) its not my fault we are in this situation (ie i didnt get pg just to get rehoused),if they offer me a mansion tho I might take it ,if the area was nice :0D oh i dont have a 42inch plasma does a 50inch projector count (gotta love ebay )

The thing with the rent is the new rules regarding number of children,sex and ages its different from the local councils rules on overcrowding and sharing rooms

I remember our first council house where the council did the gardens free for us. Our row was intended for old people so it was just down on the rota for free grass cutting each week. In a row of 6 none of us was over 40. It saved on a mower though
In our current council home (we are currently on no 4, soon to be no 5) the council have a seperate service where a company strims your grass every month if you are over 60 or disabled.

I'm not sure if the woman in OP's post should get a larger house or not. If the council/govt don't want people living in 5+ bed council houses after they have had loads of kids what are the 5+ bed houses for?

And another thing when they go on about £million council houses being rented out to families on benefits they are usually a terraced small house in London. Similiar houses would only cost about £150-£250 grand up in our area. Yet they mention the price to inflame the benefit bashing theads.

Are there ANY 5+ bedroom houses - the biggest ones I know are 4 bedrooms and the waiting list for them locally is 10+ years (ie - you are likely NEVER to get one because most families will have one child 18+ by the time they reach the top of the list. The 18+ is then considered able to find their own accommodation - if they can afford it. I have seen families in 3 bed houses with 5+ children (blended families) and they have never been rehoused.

The largest local authority houses in my area are 4 bedrooms. The majority are 2 bedrooms.

A lot of the 3 bedroom ones in particular got sold off under Thatcher's 'right to buy', and many are now in the hands of private landlords who don't give a shit. I'd like to see the figures myself, before anyone asks.

iloveberries - if I want to move I apply to my landlord to find somewhere else, my rent goes each time I move to somewhere bigger. I choose to live with a HA with all the protection, services and say in the running of the organisation it gives me. I'm not sure why it's relevant what I would do with a different landlord, if someone chooses to pay rent they can bearly afford to line someone's pocket and have no say in their home that's their choice (I know there are waiting lists on RSLs but how many people are actually applying to RSLs instead of going straight to private, if this thread and many others on MN are to go by, not many because it's thought you have to be on benefits to get them).

They should never have sold all the decent council houses. Then we wouldnt be in this bloody mess.

In our area the application form asks your salary before almost your name. Most people will not go on the waiting list as there is little point. I only got accepted because I could not afford anything else locally and even then my first allocation was the local sink estate. Thankfully the flat I had was in a nice block of people bar one (think open drug dealing and regular police raids) which made for entertaining evenings.

I am now in a lovely modern 2 bedroom HA house with a reasonable sized garden but only got it due to DS's autism which means he cannot be out unsupervised. If DS was healthy we would still be on the sink estate....where nobody wants to live. Not to be envied - honest.

We have estates with a minimum wage and they struggle to fill them, not because there's something wrong with the estate but because not enough people are applying who work, as I said before, it's this idea that they're for people on benefits. We have some really nice estates - I haven't seen all of them so can't say they all are but I know how much our landlord prides itself in it's estates. The ones I know you wouldn't believe they are RSL, they look private. I'm on one in the middle of a millionaire's area with a few blue plaques around.

There are a few 5 bed council houses in our area. And at least 6 houses which have been knocked together to make 6+ beds, a couple to house disabled families, 1 to keep 2 large families housed after a family death.
And our council doesnt stop you applying if you work. Yes you will probably be way down the list but you still get the chance