AIBU to call my local council housing department a bunch of fucking wankers - housing related!

[FeckingFrustrated]

Yes, I know they are just doing their jobs - tis the rules etc and I would never say it to their faces but wish I could I am so bloody angry and yes, this is a rant just to see if I am BU?

Council housed us in a 2nd floor flat far away from the area we lived in 2 years ago. Before that we were in temp accommodation for another 2 years due to being made homeless by private landlord wanting house back (nothing we did wrong). Private rent here (southeast) is between £1000-£1300 pcm for a 3 bed and most of the rentals that come up are ex-council houses that have been bought up. Council rent on a 3 bed is £450pcm . This is a 'new' town and the vast majority of housing is social just for a bit of background.

Due to me being made redundant just before the landlord shafted us, we went to the council for help (so 4 years ago now). Council housed us in a flat too small for us so we are overcrowded but said we had to take it and could then apply for a transfer. After we moved in they said we had to wait a year to apply for a transfer as they could not move us while we were on an introductory tenancy. So we wait out the year in a really hard living situation (4 DC, no outside space, complaints and swearing from neighbours about DC noise which is not excessive, nowhere outside to dry washing, 2 flights of steep concrete step to carry stuff up and down etc).

After the year, we apply to move and promptly told that we will have to wait between 3/4 years to for a transfer as we are 'adequately' housed, even though the council deliberately put us in an overcrowded situation!

Last month we were informed that because the council have changed it's allocation policy, we have been moved down a band and are not a 'priority' as we are only short of one bedroom and children in above ground flats are no longer an issue any more, so we will be waiting forever basically [anger]. I have a DS with SN who has been badly impacted by the lack of outside space and we cannot cope living like this any longer.

Our only option is to go back into private renting (and claiming housing benefit as it is too expensive) after wasting 4 years in an extremely stressful situation waiting for a suitable, affordable, secure home from the council, which the vast majority of people in this town have the luxury of. We have been holding on waiting and waiting for a house and have now been told that we are at the bottom of the queue again. I am so pissed off that I have wasted all these years for nothing and my DC have witnessed anti social behaviour and been cooped up like bloody chickens!

I have never so been depressed in my life as I have been for the last few years but we were holding out for a house we would not have to keep moving from, all for bloody nothing

Of course she can rant. I'm responding to her complaining about my response further up thread. I don't appreciate being lumped in with benefit bashers just because I think she is lucky to have a council tenancy.

I would stop wasting my life 'holding out' for a house and start getting a plan. It is no good to compare with others. You have to look out for you and your family.

have you tried exchanging?

I do feel for you OP. I have had my name down for 9 years in February and have seen 2 changes in policy that push me to the bottom of the queue.

However all this time I have been in private rented accommodation. Luckily for me my rent is just about affordable because of the area we live in.

Social housing shouldn't just be for the most desperate in society. A good portion should also be for the benefit of everyone who desires it. Most people who can afford to buy do. Those who can not afford to buy should also have the option of a secure tenancy which is not available via the private rented market.

The problem as we all know is the shortage of property especially in some areas.

You don't have a lot of options OP. You either continue as you are, go private again or move areas. Fwiw I live in the north. There are more properties available than where you are. But I have waited 9 years for either a 2/3 bed property in a reasonable area. So the grass is not always greener. Private renting is more affordable though.

Was it you with the thread about the flat and the trampoline etc? You got a roasting then, not sure why you thought it would be any different now.

The only town I can think of of with massive quantities of council housing is Basingstoke and there's a shortage even there.

I had to rent privately with my DC for years by the way because there was a nine year wait. £££ for a two bed flat on the third floor.

Then we had to move and lived in an even smaller flat up concrete steps.

We survived. We own a house now and it's too small but that's our problem because we decided to have another child.

Really you need to solve this yourself without waiting for the authorities to wave a magic wand.

Definitely try to exchange.

I'm in two minds in my advice for you, as I agree that it would be silly to let go of a secure lifetime tenancy with social housing to go and private rent but at the same time if you are in a position to afford private rent for a property that suits your needs then i think that's your best option.

There will be lots of people who can't afford private rent in your area that would be ever so grateful to be housed in your flat, if you can afford private rent and your not happy in your current flat then really you should go private.

From next year they are giving up lifetime tenancys (obviously not changing current tenancys) and putting 5 year tenancys, so if after 5 years a tenants situation has changed for the better and is now in a stronger financial position the tenancy will not be renewed.

Just because a poster thinks the OP is being unreasonable, doesn't they are all benefit bashing. You can have an educated opinion, because you've been in that position and because you have a good kbowledge of how the system works.

If you think the council have done wrong in their dealing with you OP contact Shelter. They will be much more use than most MP's and i've seen councils housing departments back down even when they've followed the law and policy, just to avoid a review.

I don't think you are unreasonable for being upset but the councils housing department are fucking wankers for doing their jobs.

What expatinscot said. Whatever the rights and wrongs, your current approach isn't working and you need a new one.

So rant if it gets it out of your system and helps you move your thinking on. But dont do nothing and remain angry. Could you talk with CAB about your options? could you review your finances using moneysavingexpert?

The OP can't afford to private rent

Did anyone actually read the OP

I'm sorry you're feeling shit OP, but your attitude is all wrong.

You weren't 'shafted' by your old private landlord, and you have to live with the choices you have made. You chose to have four children, you chose to 'waste' those four years waiting for a home to be handed to you.

The goalposts have changed, but that's what happens and everyone is in the same boat, even many of those who privately rent or own their homes.

This is a situation of your own making. You can't blame the council for the fact that you had more children than you can adequately house and afford.

Your situation op is horrid but you can change it. Surely your husband can commute to work so you could maybe move a bit further out which would help with finding a LL who would accept DSS. Register with all the estate agents you can find and pop ads up in shops and local newspapers. This is what I did when my ex and I split up. I was 8 months pregnant with 2 kids living with my mum and my mentally ill brother in her 1 bed tiny house. 2 adults and 2 kids sleeping in the lounge because my mentally ill brother had to have his own room. It really was hell and I was desperate to move. I was a bit scared of my brother tbh as I didn't understand his issues.
I managed to find a house and move out before before I gave birth thankfully so it can be done.
Start saving for that deposit it too. I hope you get it sorted op.

Plenty of families live on second floor flats without outside space. Many people restrict the number of children they have because they don't have the space or money for more. Have you looked at private renting in villages in the area which may be cheaper? YABU to expect to be given a nice three or four bed house for peanuts.

usual, she said the only option was to go private rent as she does not want a flat. As her husband is working, that can happen a lot easier than someone entirely on LHA.

She doesn't just want housed, but a house with a garden. Shit, who doesn't want that?

Fair enough, but then you need a game plan, so that means private let in this case.

Of course she's not. But does that mean she's not allowed to have a rant about the situation?

Having a foul mouthed rant about council workers who DON'T MAKE POLICY is well out of order. She thinks they're f* wankers because they haven't given her a garden? By all means complain about government policy, but assuming that individuals are out to "shaft" you when they are not remotely the cause of your problems is absurd.

I'd try for an exchange too OP. With the bedroom tax, people who are looking to downsize may be interested.
And it's not advisable to post or moan about your council house on here, you'll always get a bashing.

On some points YABU and others YANBU.

Yes, you are overcrowded, you do need a bigger place I would agree with you there.

You don't IMO have a right to outdoor space to dry clothes and for your kids to play. To be harsh, take them to the park. I have a garden but my kids hardly go out there and i take them to the park every weekend and nearly everyday in the holidays. Its not a hardship. Many people dry clothes on indoor airers, again, its not a hardship. Also, 2 flights of stairs is not a hardship. This is just life, its not perfect but its hardly the worse thing ever.

this kind of situation is what fucks me off about the fact that pensioners are exempt from the bedroom tax. In my area there are LOADS of sheltered accommodation/1 bed flats that only over 55's are eligible for, but a 3 bed house coming up is like a blue moon- pretty fucking rare, because they refuse to downsize?

and the argument that'oh its their home, they've lived there for 60 years, bought their children up there' etc isn't a valid one because it they don't own it! social housing us supposed to be allocated by NEED, not on how long a tenant had occupied the property- it's ridiculous!

I agree, I lived opposite an old couple whose kids were grown up and had left home and who were taking up a 3 bed Victorian terrace. Made my blood boil when I knew kids in my sons class who were living in tower blocks.

It is not ridiculous - my father worked all his life, my mother still lives in the 3 bed council house that they would have paid for ten times over in rent. It is not about moving pensioners out of their homes its about the money being paid in by people renting these properties being put back into the system and invested properly. Its about efficient repairs and moneies not being squandered going through middle man after middle man before the guy turns up on the doorstep to fix the boiler. My DP has worked on social housing contracts, subcontracting for a subcontractor whos is subcontracting for the main contractor who is farming all of this work out with god knows how many back hander with every little cog in the wheel syphoning off their money so where a job that DP would charge £150 for a days work (hes a carpenter) to a private homeowner, the same job is probably costing the council (the tax payer) £400 while everyone else creams their bit of money on top. He was astounded at the lack of organisation, waste of time, three people sent to do a job that could be done by one person etc. THAT is where the failings are, well, one of them, not allowing people who have paid into the system over the years to keep the homes they have paid for. Many pensioners CHOOSE to downsize, but even then suitable places are not available - you cannot put a pensioner for instance in a 1 bed flat on the fourth floor.

The OP is perfectly entitled to her rant - yes she is ranting at the wrong people if she is ranting at the poor sods on the other end of the phone (she isn't) but it may well be govt policy but it is her council and the top knobs in her council that are moving the goal posts all the time. She is not whinging about having a small flat, she is whining because she was told to accept this as a bad job because she would be able to move after a period of time. Someone suggested an exhcange, that is what she wants to do, but the council keep changing their rules to suit their juggling of budgets.

If she lives in the same new town as me, the social housing is still mainly council. I think a few of the new towns sold their stock over to housing associations but ours is still run by the council (they've always talked about it but never done it). I'm wondering if you live in the same town as me OP.

There are little pockets of housing association but they are in the really crappy areas of town. There is one that is in the nicest part (my mum lives in one of them which she got from a council exchange but downsizing) but it's tiny.

By my reckoning, you would need a 4 bedroom house to adequately house your family and the fact of the matter is these aren't just sitting round empty. You can call the council housing department whatever names you like and it might make you feel better but it's not going to do anything to help your situation.

You say that living where you are is unsustainable and is causing you to feel depressed - I'd say that a large part of this depression is to feeling that you lack control and that is VERY stressful. I know for certain that if I was told I was moving house in 12 months, then 3 years, then 5 years, then who knows, that my stress levels would be through the roof.

Unfortunately councils are having to move the goalposts because demand is far too high so you're not going to magically jump up the list unless there are some rather negative developments your end (which would obviously not be good) so you need to think of what you can do to take control of the situation and give you peace of mind.

There are many good suggestions on this thread and I think looking into these, even if not all are doable, will help you feel a bit more in control:

• Look into housing swaps
• Look at the price of private renting, what deposit would you need? How much would you need to set aside each month to have a deposit in 6 months time. How much would get supplemented by housing benefit?
• Is it possible to move to a nearby area with lower rents?
• Does your DH's company have another office in a cheaper area he could transfer to?

Sorry but it really annoys me when people say they have paid so much in rent they could have bought their home. Council rent is substantially less than market rates. Council housing is for those in need, it should not be a home for life. It should match peoples needs and older people whose family has left home do not need large houses. It is extremely selfish. Many people in private sector housing (who have also worked all their lives) have to downsize... Why can't those in council housing?

they may have worked all their life LEM but it doesn't change that they don't need 3 bedrooms.and of course i definitely don't agree with sticking elderly people in unsuitable accommodation but I don't agree with families being stuck in overcrowded accommodation either.

building more council houses is the obvious solution but no one seems to be doing that!

LEMis, wasn't that the whole point of building less council properties and paying for private rent instead? In total, although the private rent seems more than council rent ( like for like ) once you factor in maintenance costs, bureaucracy , etc, the private rent is actually cheaper. For example, we live on a council estate, 2bed flat. We paid £2,500 in service charge last year. Each council tenant gets that paid by the council. People tend to forget the other costs and just look at the absolute rent values.