to think council housing is a last resort

[nailak]

we have been given notice, everyone keeps saying go to council, but i don't want to deal with the uncertainty of being in temporary accommodation and not having a choice over where i live and so on, even though in the long run after a few years we would probably be better off once i am housed an am settled in a new area (which takes a couple of years to make friends). Am i being precious? Obviously we need like 3k for deposit and first months rent and we dont have that so need to find it etc, and if we have no choice then i will have to go down this route. But absolutely as a last resort. aibu?

[nailak]

and if u saying beggars cant be choosers then thats kind of saying coucil housing is for beggars so is last resort?

[reelingintheyears]

Council housing is not for beggars,it is for people who need housing who are eligible and in need.

[reelingintheyears]

The vast majority of people who live in CH or HA are in work,they are not beggars.

[nailak]

can anyone actually answer my question?

Am I being silly that I don't want to deal with the uncertainty and upheaval of moving to a new area, making new friends, living in an unseen house, not knowing if I will be able to visit family easily or not, taking my kids out of school, leaving my voluntary activities etc,

even though if I do do this in 12 years time I will have a council house? however by that time my youngest will be 15 and will only be a few years in it I suppose before bedroom tax kicks in.....

[nailak]

and yes my DH works. I am not saying people in council houses are beggars, I am saying that the poster who said beggars cant be choosers is calling people who live in council houses beggars.

[nailak]

No one seems to understand what I am saying, people around me advise me to go to council, but because i dont want to deal with the upheaval and uncertainty and think it will have a negative effect on my mental health and well being i dont want to even though it would be cheaper.

therefore aibu to try everything I can before going to council?

Nothing to do with council houses are grotty areas are bad etc, because council houses are lovely compared to the private house i am living in now.

[OldRichandGrateful]

nailak your are not bu. I understand how upsetting change and upheaval is. Try everything before you approach the council, because they would expect you to do that anyway. You haven't reached your "last resort" yet so you can keep the council in reserve IYSWIM.

[reelingintheyears]

nailak You need a home,wherever you move you will have to make new friends,there is no certainty that you will find/be offered somewhere near where you are now that you can afford.

Get on the list and take your chances,what do you have to lose,you don't have to take what you are offered especially if you can afford somewhere else.

If you can afford to rent privately you may well not be eligible.

[reelingintheyears]

The waiting lists are so long anyway,you will probably find somewhere before a CH even becomes available.

But at least you will be on the waiting list and if you have DC you will be housed if only temporarily until somewhere becomes available.

[IneedAsockamnesty]

Reeling. I apologise I should have been clearer social housing if its a new build if your lucky tends to come with Lino already laid in the kitchen and bathroom,they also come with a bath a toilet a sink and a semi fitted kitchen ( with cupboards a side board a sink) they do not come with appliances. They do not come with any other type of flooring unless a previous tenant has fitted it.

On a normal allocation carpets and curtain poles and what not ( fittings) would be removed and disposed off with a mutual exchange the previous tenant may leave these but tend not to.

Op. is your housing situation not already insecure? What is preferable to you possibly moving every 6 months or less frequently with a secure tenancy at the end?

[reelingintheyears]

Sock,that's ok,but nowhere comes with appliances,are you talking washing machines etc?
Nothing comes for free,and you can get loans for a cooker and a fridge if you really can't get one elsewhere.

A bathroom,toilet and sink are a good start.

[fortyplus]

I work in Council Housing. Around 50% of our tenants claim full or part Housing Benefit. Most of these people are either in low paid jobs or are retired and/or disabled. They're not scroungers.

'Target rent' for social housing is 80% of what the property would fetch as a private rental. Having said this, in many areas social housing rents are still way below target. eg I live near Watford where you can still get a HA 2 bed flat for about £80 per week. It would be at least £175 privately.

[expatinscotland]

I don't get this! So a 911 dispatcher and his wife who works FT in a pet shop are 'scroungers'? They deserve to pay ridiculous rents on shit places and their kids bounced from pillar to post rather than their council flat? I can't think of many people on MN who'd want to live where they do, and yet all their neighbours are in work, too, albeit low-paid. They work A LOT, in their spare time, on their community and neighbourhood association.

Where we live is 'deprived'. We work, most of our neighbours do. We have a good community.

[reelingintheyears]

Expat,who said that about a 911 dispatcher and his wife who works in a pet shop?

[whatamardarse]

It was probably bad terminology to use beggers can't be choosers ( even though the fact you ran with it was quite )

How go you know it was crack some one was smoking ??

Your posts seem contradictory and as though your chasing your tail do fuck know what your gonna do! Just hope you font end up homeless and in a hostel! Then you really would have done thing to winge over!

[whatamardarse]

Freakin predictive text!

[reelingintheyears]

Cripes,my mistake,you did.

No one should have to pay ridiculous rents but some of us have to,AND we work aswell.

And the part of town where we live isn't exactly the best.

But it is ok.

Some may say deprived,others may say upward looking.

[nailak]

Sock we would be eligible and the average wait for three bed property is twelve years. I am looking for property in local area I would need first months rent and deposit and would need to pay top up rent so obviously temporary accommodation would be cheaper.

fourtyplus can you explain something, housing benefit is paid in arrears where as rent is paid before the month, when we move in to the house we are currently in we paid first months rent and deposit then after the month housing paid directly to landlord for that monthl, but actially landlord is taking it as advance payment for the second month. So when it comes to last month we would have already paid at the beginning of the month, but hb would come again to landlord at end of month so he would get paid twice? Is there anyway we could get that money instead as would help with deposit?

[nailak]

I know it was crack because he was smoking rocks in a crack pipe! Lol

I don't know what you mean about chasing my tail. I don't see how going in to a B and B for a couple of months changes the outcome of my question. And I don't see how that would change as even if I went now to council I would have to wait until eviction and court proceedings etc then they would give me what accommodation they have as temporary accommodation. I still wouldn't be given council house until years later..

[nailak]

Oh and I am not winging I am asking if I am being unreasonable to make mental well being the biggest priority. Where do I come across as winging?

[olgaga]

nailak going by your last question you are so skint you're just going to have to go with what you can afford.

The Landlord isn't getting paid twice because you're not paying the whole rent, HB is covering the rest.

You just need to accept what you can afford and go with it. If you're living on the edge you will need to accept periods of temporary accommodation before you can settle somewhere.

I feel sad for you, but I'm sure you know it's going to be more of an upheaval for your kids than it is for you. You're an adult and should be more able to adjust and make the best of it, for their sakes.

[nailak]

I don't understand why the landlord is not getting paid twice?

[expatinscotland]

Which begs the question, of how UC is going to deal with those on WTC and CTC and partial HB/LHA, if it's paid in arrears.

[olgaga]

Duh because you pay your rent in advance and the housing benefit is paid in arrears!

[IneedAsockamnesty]

When people think of fitted kitchens they tend to imagine ones with built in cookers loads of cupboard/ storage ect a bit like the ones you see on adverts not quite the same basic arrangement that you get in a LA house we tend to call those just kitchens.