..to take a 4 bedroom house?

[WillWorkForMoney]

Next month I qualify for excellence customer status, and because I have been on the housing register since 2005, I will basically have 1st choice of houses. I have 3 dds.

I realise atm I will only need a 3 bedroom house, but my nan is getting on a bit (82) and might need more support soon and I was thinking if I was to get a 4 bed, theres a dining room I can make into a bedroom for her so she will not need to go into a home (she would really hate that) But then I'm thinking that I should leave the 4 beds for someone who has more kids, who need the extra bedrooms. (theres no 3 beds round here with dining rooms big enough to convert into a bedroom) I realise I'd have to pay the "bedroom tax" btw.
I haven't decided either way yet, but I'd love to be able to support my nan if I can.

Going out for a bit so might not reply for a while or at all if I'm flamed

maybe they should have thought about that before having 5 kids They did, circumstances change. Its not irrelevant at all, I was illustrating that taking a house others need far more is selfish.

The OP is not responsible for policy decisions at local or national govt level.

Take it if you can afford it. I don't really know how it all works but I guess you only get one chance. Will you always be able to pay for a bigger property? I assume the bills for heating a bigger property & council tax will be higher.

I'm not sure depends on the area really. Some areas are not struggling for housing stock as much as others. Tbh I live in an area (in Scotland) where everyone that wants a council house has one. We just don't have the same crisis here.
I was in temp accommodation for 7 months and got offered a 4 bed purely because the bedroom tax was starting and people wanted 1&2 bedroom houses and they had 4 beds going spare. I only needed to be offered a 3.
Exh got lucky and got offered a 2 bed where he lives because again they couldn't give them away where he lives.

So I possibly would consider bidding on a 4 bed and tbh if they have this excellence system in place it sounds like you may also be in an area that doesn't have such a big housing shortage either.

I would take it tbh. down south in my area you would be only allowed a 2 bed as all your children are the same sex.

wherever you are, sounds like they are more relaxed on the rules, they are very strict on overcrowding/under occupying here.

in a upstairs 2bed flat here, with 3 of different sexes, been on list since 2006 but no joy here and now my HA has changed the rules again so now I cant even bid for a 4 bed, only 3 bed, which is difficult because I need 2 doubles and a single, yet most are 1 double and 2 single rooms.

bah, I suck it up, beggers (generally) cant be choosers.

What if there was someone waiting for a 4 bed house who has an elderly parent/parents already living with them?? surely their need should come before your 'ifs' buts and maybe's It may be that your Nan would not want to live in your house with your DD...having worked in elderly care they can get VERY noise sensitive please rethink the effect it could have on both parties.

I'm in Liverpool, we don't have a housing shortage, in my toward are boarded up three beds, lots in the area.

They don't allow a new tenant to under occupy, (that's why we have boarded up 3+4 beds) even if you are working in a good job and can prove savings.

Our HA are having to consider selling a lot of it's stock because of the effect of the bedroom tax.

I don't believe this tbh.

Having said that, the OP hasn't actually viewed any and put in her application. They do decide based on need.

Go for a fourth bedroom so your dcs don't have to share. Remember your heating bills will be higher.

If you want it, can afford it, and are allowed to take it, why would you conceivably not? Morality does not enter into the administration of law in this country, you take what you are entitled to according to the rules. In this case YANBU at all to take what you are entitled to.

We have waited all this time to move, we want a house that ticks all the boxes on what we need/want

This is seriously pie in the sky, even for most people who buy their house

OP, I don't know what you should do.

However, I find it a bit sad that paying your rent on time for a year and keeping a property in inspectable condition makes you an "excellent" tenant. (Not you specifically, but anyone). Isn't this what all tenants should be doing?

That's all they can do, so by definition if you do pay the rent and keep the house in good condition then they are excellent.

That doesn't seem particularly complicated, surely?

What would you expect an excellent tenant to do, send the landlord home-baked pie and flowers?

I don't know, I guess 'excellent' to me suggests something out of the ordinary. Rather than what everyone should be doing. It's not complicated, it just seems a bit sad that presumably lots of this HA's tenants don't do it that they have a special award if you do!

I'd go for the 4 bedrooms as long as the rent, utilities and council tax were affordable.

(Although I would never stand in the way of home-baked pie. Hmmm. Not that I've ever made my landlady one.)

Some folk really let their council/association house get into a right state. I can see why they offer incentives to keep it nice.
In the North East there are plenty of local authority houses, more than enough to go round. The problem tends to be bad tenants trashing the place - sadly normally on benefit. The estate we lived on was one of the better ones, but still there were families that seemed to revel in their 'non conform' - Keep my house tidy? F off, nowt you can do about it, I pay my rent. Cut the grass in my garden? Give me a lawn mower and I will. Stop having kids? Who are you to tell me what to do.

Take the 4 bed, you may not get the chance again. If it's too big, Nan doesn't need to live with you, you can always downsize.

YANBU. If you can get it and afford it long term go for it. I can only assume they would only offer it to you if they weren't ridiculously oversubscribed in your area. How the system works for other posters in their area is irrelevant, if your council have masses of tenents waiting in b&bs for a large enough house you simply won't be given the option.

Good luck

""However, I find it a bit sad that paying your rent on time for a year and keeping a property in inspectable condition makes you an "excellent" tenant. (Not you specifically, but anyone). Isn't this what all tenants should be doing?""

It isn't possible for all tenants do this, because if you are sanctioned, or moved from JSA to ESA, or waiting for a Atos medical (for example) your HB is affected. During this time you could be getting counter emergency payments, of an about that won't allow you to top up your rent (or pay it all).

This affects those on NMW, who don't get sick pay, so they go into arrears and make a weekly top up payment.

Ironically it's those, commuting fraud, involved in crime, that can top up their rent.

Many are helped by family, or use loan sharks which them puts them in a spiral of debt.

These awards don't make sense.

By all means offer incentives for keeping homes nice, but they shouldn't be using it to tinker with their waiting list criteria

it seems wrong to me, but I live in an area where local authority housing is in very short supply and it would appear the only way you can get to be housed is to lie and cheat in order to secure a property (I was technically homeless in that I had had to move out of one private rental house and there was nothing else we could afford on the market at the time, if we'd moved away from the area would have meant no jobs change of school etc, so lived with my parents for 7 months until we found a private rental we could afford), I was told to register with the council and put in a homeless application, I was told by several members of WOkinghams council that as we both worked and had somewhere to go that it wasn't even worth us going on the housing list. average wait times are in excess of 17years. we now pay £1050 a month rent s opposed to the £97 a week rent if we were in la housing.

I do feel a bit envious of people who regardless of what they say have more security in their rental properties and can feel at ease to make it their home, decorate as they wish and know that they won't have to move out at 2 months notice as long as they pay their rent and are respectful of others.

So im trying to make a judgement on your question without being clouded by my personal circumstances. I do feel that you would be unreasonable to take a 4 bed house over a 3 bed house. You aren't 'entitled' to a 4 bed house under the housingrules, you would be offered a 2 bed in many authorities as all dc the same sex, so a 3 bed seems like a fair deal to me. I feel that the 4 bed should be left for someone in more need than you. Having each child have their own room, isn't a good enough reason imo.

That's true Birds, and probably the people most in need of extra help are least likely to be 'excellent'.

I guess in my mind I was comparing a tenancy to an employment contract, when I think you'd have to vastly exceed the terms in the contract for your employer to call you excellent! (Or maybe I just have demanding employers).

It's also sad by the same token that I would describe my landlady as excellent when really it's just that previous ones have been rubbish, and she actually does the tenancy says she should.

It's just all a bit of a mess. (Not relevant to OP directly though, sorry for derailment)

Thanks all. In the past year there have only been about 4/5 4 beds on to bid on, so theres not an abundance but hoping we will be lucky. If not then im happy with a 3 with big rooms.

The main reason we're wanting to move is our neighbours. The kids have no boundaries and the teenagers make noise until 3am at weekends, and the younger ones that play with my kids can be great some days, but then others they are little terrors,. Constantly knocking even if ive told them my dc are not coming out, stealing stuff from our garden, leaving the garden gate open so our dog gets out onto the main road etc. Just need a fresh start I think.

Not really sure why you would only need a 3 bedroom house if its you plus 3 kids. Of course they could share if they had to but surely they'll want their own space eventually?

When you are renting and using housing benefit to pay the rent what is ideal or wanted should not be a consideration. What is actually required should be the only consideration and as the OP has three girls there is no reason why they can't share (assuming none of them has a disability).

Excellence is where you have to have your rent account clear for a year and your house/garden inspected to make sure you look after it.

Why does this bestow some sort of special status? Isn't paying the rent on time and keeping the house in reasonable condition what you are supposed to be doing?