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

But who is blaming SH tenants usual?

Stating the current situation is not blaming anyone.

The population has risen - that's a fact,
The housen stock has not risen by the same amount - that is a fact,
Therefore demand for housing has increased.

Housing is being built by the council, but it's expensive so is not keeping up with demand. An estate near me is being rebuilt, the net gain is around 200 flats, the cost? £50 million. Yes, £50 million. You can complain all you like, but that's the reality.

Nobody is blaming SH tenants. Usual is reading a different thread I think.

we are also reliant on importing food and fuel from other countries. we build more houses at our future peril.

we really need to plan for our descendants in 100, 200 yrs time.

oh and get this shit...this is awesome - anyone want to google "Cosmopolitan housing nearly went bust"

this is what happens now, to develop more homes HAs are forced to get loans - this can be from a bank, but also the bond market

now, if you aren't collecting enough rent to cover those loans, they can be recalled - just like defaulting on your own home

ONLY this is social housing , for people who need it - their homes are mortgaged to the hilt " sweating your assets" was the phrase the HCA were throwing around

oh yeah, it gets better

now google universal credits and DIRECT PAYMENTS

housing benefit will be paid directly to the claimant - so there is no guarentee of rent

fo0r a private landlord - they hardly let to people on benefits anyway - but some do as it is almost a guarentee of being paid directly by HB

that will all change with UC, so this is the state of play

private landlords will be even less likley to rent as they can't be guarenteed their rent

the housing list will get longer

social housing has loans on all properties - WHICH must be repaid

but now thanks to TORY cunts, there is no guarentee that housing associations are going to get quite a fair share of their income

if they dont get their income - they go bust
they could merge as was with Cosmopolitan - but at some point, even the larger housing associations are going to have to be more prudent than taking on large debt from one about to go bust

THEN WHAT?

well my friends, the banks/investment/pension funds/whoever the lender is - they will want their money back
their money is in the assetts

the assetts are the properties poor people are living in

all those poor people can't be chucked out - it would be a fucking Political disaster ( one i might add that will come to fruition in the next term of gvt)

so who pays

WE DO - somehow our taxes will pay - whether it is for some new vehicle to take over

i'm taking a punt here

If its labour - they will suggest a public private partnership becuase re-nationalising council housing sounds too socialist and they are chicken shit lilly livered twats

it its tories, a private organisation deal - this will be for profit and line the pockets of their friends

you heard it here first

Who is to blame for the housing crisis then?

Because I've not seen many on this thread blame the various governments who sold all the SH housing off.

All I've read is 'you should be grateful,'you sound entitled' 'some people live in shacks'' get a job' 'you shouldn't have had so many children'

The usual Tory sound bites.

Well, in at least two of my posts on this thread I've clearly stated that I think blame lies fully with long term government policy. SH stock should NEVER have been sold off. This doesn't mean the OP doesn't come across as a prick though.

Op are you in an actual council flat or housing association? The reason I ask is because the rules are different and you are more covered for over crowding etc if you are in a council place.
If you are council there are many people who can help.

I haven't blamed anyone, that's not what my comments have been about.

There are much better ways to go about this than being rude, throwing a tantrum, calling council workers fucking wankers etc.

Why doesn't the OP ignore some of the useless comments like "get a job" and take some of the better advice given on board.

I think she sounds like someone having a rant

Yes, a rant that DOESN'T blame long term government policy, but calls council workers who a trying to do their job in an impossible situation fucking wankers.

Cosmopolitan story is:

• they took investors money and built student flats.
• the investors income was guaranteed by cosmo's social housing stock!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that HA is run by f**king idiots of the highest order. same standard of management as the Coop.

Can anyone tell me when this utopian era was when there was ENOUGH housing in the UK for everyone to live in the home of their choice in the location of their choice?

Yabu-we tried to get a council house for years and were told no chance even though dh had lived in the area nearly all his life.

I have 3 dcs in a tiny 2 bed terrace-we can't afford to move and have no chance of ever being given a council house.

Is there anyone you can appeal too given you have a dc with sn?

Indeed favouritewasteoftime

if people only knew

As a housing officer I'd strongly advise you to go and speak to your own housing officer plead your case and ask for it to be reassessed, please make sure they have every single bit of information, even if you don't think it's relevant, it may very well make a difference. Get as much supporting documentation as you can and submit that too. Apply to all the social landlords in your area not just the council. Speak to your MP and ask them to support your case. Get a copy of the Allocation policy and go through it & see if you can get additional points that may have been missed.

In addition be friendly and open to suggestions, quite often there is a way and means of ensuring the better tenants are looked after, while still sticking to 'the rules'.

Good luck OP.

well balistipus, twas not that long ago in parts of northern england

I worked for a HA who advertised on buses that they would pay for carpets, curtains and moving costs for people to move into their homes - they were fucking desperate, no one would touch 'em with a barge pole

I'm on the waiting list for a bigger house too and LBE post summed up my experience of other peoples reaction to it.
Op anger will get you no where. Six people in a two bed is not ideal but its not tragic.

There were some estates in my town too where no one wanted to live.

PinUp I have a child with sn and have been approved for a four bed house (I've four children) so its worth checking.

YABU - The real wankers are the politicians

YABU to blame the Council, blame the Government instead

no one would touch them with a barge pole

where no one wanted to live

That's my point. You know those nice houses in the nice area that you want to live in? So does everyone else! That is why they are expensive/ in short supply. There is a housing shortage, always has been, just to different degrees depending on supply and demand pressures.

I'm talking about Years ago.

Now the houses in not so nice areas are in high demand.

Hullo everyone,

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