DD aged 4 sharing parents' bedroom

[MarchelineWhatNot]

We live in a tiny 2 up 2 down house which we rent from a private landlord. Our son has his own room and myself, DH & DD share the other bedroom. DD is always asking for her own room and I feel really sorry for her as I know she would keep it really nice and tidy.

Unfortunately, we cannot afford to move. We are stretched to the limit financially and I already commute 90 mins both ways (3 hours per day) for work so moving further out of the city is just not an option. We have pets as well so can't move into a flat.

So we're stuck. But I feel really sad for DD. Is it so bad for her to share our room? Is anybody else in this situation and if so, how do you handle it?

Thanks.

Selly24 - your suggestions sounds cosy!
OP If you do consider a sofa bed or bunk beds have a look at Freecycle. Plenty being offered on there.

I know an 11 year old who still has to share with his parents.

They just have no space.

They have talked about making the dining room in to a room for him.

Or the 2 parents taking the smaller room the dd has and splitting the bigger room.

But they haven't bothered yet.

Thanks for all your replies, I did post an update but it got lost in all the other posts. I think we need to move. I have considered the sofa bed option and searched Pinterest for ideas of how to adapt one of the bedrooms but the rooms are just too small.

About the outside space... although I said we need it because we have pets, honestly I think I would go crazy without a little bit of outside space to escape to or send the kids out to. That said, it would be totally irresponsible to dump our pets. Things like that can scar children for life.

About council housing... I was on the Council Housing waiting list for years. I am probably still on it, but never seemed to move up the list. I had friends who raised their 3 kids in a 1 bedroom flat and constantly hassled the Council for help but never got any. There just isn't the stock anymore.

So I am going to focus on reducing our debts over the next few months and then look to move when our Lease is up.

Thanks for all your help. Some of the posts really made me laugh. Thanks.

You'd need permission from your landlord but you could build a bed over your lounge door, assuming the ceiling has a few foot clearance above it... I've seen double beds in the tiniest of rooms that way.

Hope you find somewhere else though.

Good for you op

Agree with suburbanrhonda

And in the short term get a sofa bed for the living room for the grown-ups.
Sorry, i think i am familiar with the kind of property u describe and i can't see how it wouldn't fit.

Good luck.

Glad you're at least considering a solution.

Re council housing. I don't know the system in your area but here you don't "move up the list" in terms of the band you're in unless your circumstances change (child gets a diagnosis of a disability, which requires them to have their own room, for example). Even then you still have to bid every two weeks for properties that come up. The council won't contact you - the onus is on you to be pro-active.

The fact that you've been on the list for years may count in your favour, but your housing department may wonder why you've never made enquiries about any properties in all that time or found out whether you band is still the same.

Dont be obsessed with 'council' housing. Visit various housing associations. Not just the council. They hardly have any stock anymore. I would second the suggestion of you sharing with your dd and dh sharing with your ds, as a short term solution. Also re. The pets, people are suggesting you rehome them for the benefit of your family and to broaden your options. Not because they are disposable. But with hindsight, would you have got them if you knew this was the position you were going to end up in?

moly, I don't think the OP is in a position to rule out any options, no matter how unlikely they might be.

Of course you need to move to a 3 bedroomed house. So do something about it.