To take a bigger council house than we need?

[isthisunreasonable]

Have namechanged for this as it's pretty obvious who I am if you know me...

We currently have a two bedroom house (3 children) and we can fir just about but it's a squeeze. We are "entitled" (cringe) to a 3 bed house but it's likely to be 4-5 yrs by the time we would be offered one so placed our details on the Housing Association's "mutual exchange" site. We have also said we are happy to take a 2 bedroom house with separate dining room to use as the 3rd bedroom.

Have been contact by someone via our housing association's "mutual exchange" list. They have a large 4 bed house with a dining room and massive garden and they want to downsize (older couple all kids left home) and would like our house.

Given that is is bigger than we actually need . Part of me thinks it should go to a family with 5/6 kids but part of me thinks this couple are looking for a mutual exchange to downsize to a 2 bed house, what's the chance of them fining such a large family in a 2 bed house that they want.

It would be fabulous for us of course, lots of space for everyone, kids could have their own bedrooms and a nice big garden to play and we wouldn't have to move again when we have more children (planning another 1 or 2 in next 5 years perhaps).

Would we be unreasonable to accept it?

southern no wages don't really differ that much. People are really struggling.

I don't live in London. I don't live in England!

And no, I would say my area sounds a lot nicer than the area Chundra described - however not four times nicer

People make choices, could you move to a less nice area and reduce your rent?

When i rented years ago i lived in an amazing area and boy did i pay for it. I chose that over a less nice area. I couldn'tvmoan about my rent it was a lovely area...

Oh we've looked, but I don't think saving c.£100 a month is worth living in an area I wouldn't feel safe in, or moving DS so a rubbish school.

If I was getting my rent for £500 a month, I would bloody well move!

You can't compare living in London with (what sounds like) a run down area in the North with shit schools!

Perhaps you should move instead of moaning?

That was for Jump btw

Dsm you could move also. :-)

Phew bogeyface, thought it was for me.

I know how lucky I am, I live in a nice village, good transport links, good schools, countryside to one side and city centre 20 minutes the other way. And rent is dirt cheap.

However, insurance, crime etc is high but I've never felt unsafe here.

Just out of interest am going to look at Rightmove to see what property is renting for round here.

Chunder, I think we live very close to eachother

omg at how cheap some of these rents are

I've just exchanged into a 3 bed from a 2. I have 3 children and won't have any more now as I haven't got space and 4 beds are very hard to get here and I can't afford private rent.

The estate I live on is mainly 3 beds with only a few 4. the list for a 4 is huge. I think I would consider doing a 3 way swap to a 3 bed, but as you are planning more that would be pointless.

matilda, well no, actually, I can't.

chunder I do think it is relevant to compare, because though I don't know what you earn or your living situation, I do know that you can't be learning significantly less than me. Certainly not significantly enough to make the disproportional rents balance out.

I agree that you are able to assess the rental of your house, I did not mean to insinuate that you couldn't. But surely you must agree that it is through circumstance that you end up living in a poorer/cheaper area (your family live close by) and therefore you can agree that there is a certain element of luck, which you should feel grateful for. Luck that you are able to live in a cheap area, and luck that you got a HA house, making it even cheaper.

thanks chunder, but I am not able to move down to Manchester.

the local authority or housing association will have to agree the new tenancies for each family. they may veto a move of a 3 bed need family into a 5 bed property if they have a long waiting list of families who will already have 4, 5, however many children who exist now rather than give the home to children who don't exist as yet.

the op needs to check with her landlord

Owl, I think it's swings and roundabouts. I saw a thread recently where an OP got flamed for paying an employee minimum wage. I was shocked. Everyone I know round here gets paid minimum wage, including me.

Oh, thanks for the suggestion, but I can't move away from the city I am in. I meant I would consider moving - I didn't mean to another country!

No i don't agree that circumstances make you live where you do....i'm in charge of my life, i planned it. My mother is over and hour and half away.

Stop being a victim, don't moan change things :)

DSM - We both work too, we have never claimed benefits either and we pay our rent every month as well. We are in social housing though, doesn't mean we don't work hard and pay our way.

Worral, I did not post here for a bunfight! I wanted to know some honest opinions of the situation we are in and what others (both those in social housings and not) would do. I was HUGELY excited from the very minute I first spoke with this couple, it is not a new excited. Excited because we feel very very fortunate to possibly getting such a lovely house that we will all feel safe and secure and love living in.

However, that excitement doesn't stop me feel guilty that there are so many families who are very overcrowded needing that 4 bed, it is "categorized" by the council as maximum occupancy 8 (four double bedrooms). Our kids do not need their own rooms, we have one secondary age boy and two primary aged girls, so a 3 bed will do perfectly, but we can't find one and the HA / Council don't have any to give us (huge waiting lists).

We are genuinely nice people (honest) we work hard and due to having a shit time in the past we have had the good fortune to have a social housing tenancy which we are allowed / expected to keep indefinitely. I know lots of people who are not eligible for social housing also work hard, I am not disputing that fact, we are just very fortunate.

Yes, to those who asked, rent around here (South England, not far from London a little bit rural/villagey) is hugely expensive. Our current rent is about half of the average private rent and the new rent (if we take this house it's still undecided - we haven't even been there yet just seen photos) will be about 40% of the average private rental. We couldn't afford it privately, no way!

It seems some posters are saying I shouldn't keep my social housing tenancy and should pay privately to rent now that both my partner and I work, even though the tenancy I was given was given to me on the understanding that it is now mine and I am not expected to give it up should my circumstances change. I am not going to rent privately and pay silly amounts when we don't have to, right now we have a secured tenancy and stability for the children, that is something all should hold on to if/when they have it.

Take it if you can!

Not that it is anyone's business, but the house would be more fully utilised with you and your family in it than it is now with an older couple in it.