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AIBU?

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Original poster

Council house

212 replies

Snoreborewhoreee · 17/07/2017 09:24

My situation currently is me, my partner and three children living with my mom in a 3 bed house, it is very cramped, and I feel awful for taking over my moms house.. I've been on the council housing list for a long time and unfortunately we just don't earn enough to private rent.. Basically my question is, two houses down a family have just moved out and I was wondering whether if/how I could go about asking the council if we could have it before they put it up for bidding? I'm not sure if this is a possible thing or if they will just tell me to get lost basically? Any advice or same situations would be appreciated?

OP posts:
sevensisters7242 · 17/07/2017 09:56

This has to be a joke, surely? You think you should jump ahead of other people who may have been waiting longer just because the house is convenient? Wait your turn or rent privately. There are people who have been waiting years for accommodation, this has to be one of the most naive and selfish things I've ever seen!

BeepBeepMOVE · 17/07/2017 09:57

Surely if the wait is 2 years most people will be able to save a deposit for a proper house/flat before that? I you save now you can have somewhere by the time you get a council house.

AHedgehogCanNeverBeBuggered · 17/07/2017 09:57

Hear hear, MuddyMoose.

Bumbumtaloo · 17/07/2017 09:57

Are you in the correct band for your needs? If you look up the local authorities housing policy it should tell you the things that must be applicable to be in each band. On the housing policy it should tell you how long the average wait is.

How many of you now live in your mums house? Is it now overcrowded? Could you, along with your mum go to the housing department and your mum be rehoused (assuming it's just your mum) in a one bed and her sign her tenancy over to you?

One local authority (that we used to live in) has an average eleven year wait.

I'm not going to go in to detail about our situation, I have done so recently on another thread. But the overview is the points we had were incorrectly awarded, for lots of other reasons to do with our housing, I emailed our local MP who, I didn't realise at the time, was responsible for the local housing. We had a home visit, our points were recalculated and the points we were awarded put us at the top of the list to be housed, we had a further 5/6mth wait.

Cowardlycustard2 · 17/07/2017 09:58

The other thing that will help your case is to make sure you bid every single week without fail and try and use all of your bids/options each time. Have you checked you have been allocated points against lacking a bedroom? It may be 2 bedrooms but this depends on age and gender of DC

Bumbumtaloo · 17/07/2017 10:02

Before I get jumped on, I was making a lot of assumptions with regards to the OP's mum. As in she shouldn't have to move house to give her home to the OP, it was another thought not necessarly a good one.

user1483617032 · 17/07/2017 10:03

Took me 2 years to get my social housing. I was sharing a bedroom with my then 3 year old son. I was in band 3 out of 4 so wasn't a priority. I have no clue how i managed to get on top of the list for my house as its a lovely house with a big back yard and no way would anyone turn it down.

HidingUnderARock · 17/07/2017 10:07

It sounds like the OP is overcrowded, but living with family is not at all the same as being homeless, and homeless people with the same level of vulnerability (eg with children) would be way way up the list. If the 3 bed has 2 receptions it may even not be considered overcrowded depending on the age of the kids.

Sorry op, but you are getting a lot of good advice here anyway, so hopefully it will make a difference.

sevensisters7242 · 17/07/2017 10:13

I have no clue how i managed to get on top of the list for my house

How it works in my area is that if you bid on a place and if, out of all those who bid on that particular property you're a) in the highest band and b) have been waiting the longest within that band, you get an offer. They also offer it to the top three people within that criteria in case the first one in the queue doesn't want it.

So why on earth the OP thinks she can just ask for the house and be given it is just completely baffling.

velvetcandy · 17/07/2017 10:22

I think it's about who you know at the council. My husband's cousin ended up with a flat literally opposite the 5 bedroom house her parents own. She was living there with her parents and they won't over cramped or anything. Within a week of applying for council accommodation she was given the flat. They are though very well connected and we always wonder what they did to secure that flat.

sevensisters7242 · 17/07/2017 10:23

That's absolute rubbish. Of course it isn't who you know. Did you not read my post? I suggest you do before spouting such ill informed nonsense. Councils have an allocations policy. Don't give the OP false hope, because she's being naive and silly enough as it is.

velvetcandy · 17/07/2017 10:27

Just sharing the only experience I have of social housing. Op I hope you get the home you need for your family soon x

AwaywiththePixies27 · 17/07/2017 10:33

No sorry doesn't work like that.

Overcrowding and homelessness usually make you top priority so band 1 = surely you're in Band 1 or the equivalent?

The house might not be ready to move into yet anyway so wont be immediately allocated. When my mum moved into a ground floor flat from a 3 bed house. It was technically ready to move into but the council had decided to redo the whole thing whilst they were there. (get rid of downstairs bathroom/extend kitchen where downstairs bathroom was/put new bathroom in upstairs).

I'm currently on the list to move nearer to my Children's school. Way down the bands as I'm not priority, rightly so too, no matter how frustrating it is, when I bid it shows how many people are before me in the queue.

Sugarpiehoneyeye · 17/07/2017 10:39

Is your DMs home a council property ?
Forgive me if I'm way off key here, but if it is, would it be possible, for your Mum to apply for a smaller house ? Would it be any quicker, or even possible. .
Just a thought, obviously meaning you could stay put.

Lj8893 · 17/07/2017 10:42

sugarpie generally if somebody wanted to transfer their tenancy to somebody else, that other person needs to have been a named joint tenant for at least a year. And even then some councils/H.associations won't allow it.

WeAllHaveWings · 17/07/2017 10:46

So why on earth the OP thinks she can just ask for the house and be given it is just completely baffling.

As baffling as staying in your mums 3 bed house, moving in your partner, having 3 kids while there (I remember her previous thread) and then complaining its cramped and looking to jump the queue for a nice council house near her mums.

OP, I don't think you will be considered overcrowded yet, iirc you have a baby which will sleep in with you and dp, and your two young dc can share. There is a shortage of houses and they will correctly go to the homeless, overcrowded and vulnerable first. You need to wait your turn and don't make your situation any worse while waiting.

sevensisters7242 · 17/07/2017 10:55

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WeAllHaveWings · 17/07/2017 11:00

seven I wouldn't be quite as brutal. The OP sounds more naïve and unhappy living with the consequences of her own decisions.

Whiterabbitears · 17/07/2017 11:01

Even though you are on a waiting list properties are allocated by need using points so you could be on the list forever if there are families with higher priority. Plus housing associations and councils tend to use the same bidding system, there just isn't enough housing available anymore due to high demand and not enough housing stock, I won't get political now. By all means bid on properties every week as there is no harm trying but I wouldn't rely on being housed as it could take years. Private renting is a bloody crap game though, I do understand why its so hard for you.

sevensisters7242 · 17/07/2017 11:06

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juicekite · 17/07/2017 11:08

It works exactly like this in my area. A lady got a house 2 weeks after the person moved out all because she knew they were moving out. She wasn't even on the housing waiting list!

GreenTulips · 17/07/2017 11:13

Councils have a responsibility to house all constituents

The government want you to fight amongst yourselves about what's fair or otherwise - that way you aren't noticing other issues!!

Just because one person needs a roof over their heads doesn't make the situation acceptable - they aren't building - they aren't creating construction jobs - it's not OPs fault you had to wait - what about all those housed before your 2 years? That's loads of people with high priority!!

Maybe some of those were families - maybe the type of property wasn't available?

Why shouldn't she have a secure tenancy - you do?

Original poster
Snoreborewhoreee · 17/07/2017 11:14

It was a crazy idea, thanks for everyones advice

OP posts:
sevensisters7242 · 17/07/2017 11:16

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JimmysMum1988 · 17/07/2017 11:17

I had to wait 15 months and I was homeless