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AIBU?

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Original poster

Housing help

207 replies

Love29 · 15/08/2017 21:42

Long story I have been on the Council list (Basildon) bidding for the last 3 years to get me and my son our own place, I've now gone down as homeless and am currently in a hostel waiting for temporary acc. Once in my temp place I will continue to bid on a perm place but will be in a higher band, my fear is that I have to put 2 bids in and if there's a week where not so nice places come up ie 6th floor flat rough area, no garden arc comes up and I don't bid the Council will now put bids in for me. I know I should be grateful for any where but I still have the right to a home that I would like as I've been able to chose what I've bid on for the last 3 years so has any one been in this situation what's the chances I'll get the properties I bid on over getting one they bid on for me

OP posts:
verystressedmum · 17/08/2017 13:29

So how are you homeless living in a hostel if you can afford to pay rent on a house?
I thought you went into a hostel if you had no money and no where to live and no chance of being able to rent.
It sounds like you're in a hostel trying to get a council house in a nice area so you can live there forever...if you were genuinely homeless wouldn't you accept something half decent Confused

wannabestressfree · 17/08/2017 13:37

You can be band A or priority for lots of reasons. I live in the south east and have rented privately for years. The last house I had was very expensive due to area and need (I had a teen with extensive mental health problems)

My own health conditions (tumour) worsened significantly and I needed a downstairs bathroom. I was lucky in that housing called when social services were sat on my sofa and asked why I couldn't go to the toilet in a bucket. They moved my priority the week after to A after complaints.

BUT with that comes conditions as in you are the priority and they have to house you- I imagine the same as when your in a hostel. I was offered and excepted a beautiful 4 bed new build but the people next to me were also given one from a hostel. They have kicked off all the radiators, let their dog trash the garden and terrify the neighbours racially and physically. When we all complain the HA say they were instructed to take them as they were top of the list- they had been evicted with six children.

I agree that you should take what your offered. You are lucky. I pay my full rent. It's a lottery you chose to take part in. Don't like it don't take part.

HelenaDove · 17/08/2017 13:41

" housing called when social services were sat on my sofa and asked why I couldn't go to the toilet in a bucket"

wannabe that is bloody disgusting.

Bet they crapped themselves when they realized SS were with you.

Want2bSupermum · 17/08/2017 13:41

Anne No we don't run at a loss but we also charge significantly less in rent to all tenants, those who claim HB and those who don't.

We also keep money back for investment and that money is used to buy land which we then build more HA homes on it. Again we charge less than market rent and rent increases are determined based on budgeted maintenance costs with a 10% buffer.

Other HAs do not run this way. The big one in our area is a non profit with each director being paid £200k a year. Of course they don't make a profit. It's all paid out in salaries. Makes my blood boil.

LakieLady · 17/08/2017 13:41

I don't understand when everything went so wrong, pre 2010 there wasn't a shortage of homes.

I've been working in housing and homelessness prevention since 2000, and there's been a shortage of housing in the SE throughout that period. It has got much worse since 2010 though.

In the last year, I can only think of 4 (out of a total of 100 plus) clients who've ended up in social housing: 3 of them were homeless and the 4th was in a privately rented property that was unsuitable because of disability.

The system's fucked.

user1487689176 · 17/08/2017 13:46

MumIsRunningAMarathon Thu 17-Aug-17 13:19:10
Well papa op hasn't said how she has become homeless and in a hostel...

Does it matter? Regardless of the reasons how or why OP is currently living in a hostel, if she can afford the amount she's currently paying she should suck it up and get a private rent like many of us have to do. Some street homeless zero income person could have that room.

LakieLady · 17/08/2017 13:55

*They are looking at the rents

Mainly because a wellnpaid MP lives in a council house and could afford to buy but chooses to block a family in need instead*

I think the notable case that was alluded to by a Tory minister when announcing a review into rents was that of the late Bob Crow, leader of the RMT, who publicly stated that he felt no obligation to move out of his council house despite being on a salary of £150k.

greystarling · 17/08/2017 14:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Want2bSupermum · 17/08/2017 14:06

I do think there should be an income requirement set quite high to prevent people making a high income from continuing to live in council housing. We have someone living in a one bed flat who makes £80k a year, no children and isn't disabled. There is absolutely no way they should have been housed by the council in low cost housing when you have other families who come along and are rasing 2-3 children with that as their household income. The issue is that there are too many 1 bed flats and not enough bigger 3-4 bed places. That's why they were placed. As a HA we are responsible for providing the housing and have a very limited say over who lives there. It's frustrating sometimes and we have managers, including my father, who frequently challenge the council housing and planning departments and their decisions.

LakieLady · 17/08/2017 14:07

Does it matter? Regardless of the reasons how or why OP is currently living in a hostel, if she can afford the amount she's currently paying she should suck it up and get a private rent like many of us have to do.

It's not always that easy though. Agents ask such huge amounts in fees, and landlords in deposits, that a lot of people don't have the money to rent privately. They also want references, squeaky clean credit history, and often require a salary of 3 times the monthly rent.

If you can't meet those criteria, you have to have a guarantor who is a home owner, also with an excellent credit rating and an income 3.5 x rent. With 2-bed flats costing £1k pcm, I don't know anyone that meets the guarantor criteria.

The competition for private rentals is huge in this area.

LakieLady · 17/08/2017 14:11

A lot of HA newbuilds are being rented at the LHA that housing benefit would pay for an equivalent property in the private rented sector. That's based on an average of the bottom 30% or market rents in a given area.

Because the areas over which LHAs are assessed are huge, this means that some new HA housing in poor areas is actually more expensive than some private rentals.

HelenaDove · 17/08/2017 14:16

Lakie there are certain posters on this site that just wont have it no matter how many times we say it or how many blogs from ppl in the know we link into threads.

LakieLady · 17/08/2017 14:20

As a HA we are responsible for providing the housing and have a very limited say over who lives there. It's frustrating sometimes and we have managers, including my father, who frequently challenge the council housing and planning departments and their decisions.

At one time, HAs managed their own waiting lists and allocations. It was generally perceived as unfair, because different HAs had different priorities. Some would give preference to family members of existing tenants, so they quickly came to reflect a very narrow social mix. I got a 2-bedroomed HA place, even though I was a single person, because I knew someone who was already a tenant, you had to be recommended by someone.

It was very unfair and meant that the people in greatest need of housing were waiting while people like me got housed. That's why it was changed so that councils managed the waiting list and nominated applicants to HAs instead.

LakieLady · 17/08/2017 14:23

Lol, HelenaDove, I'm such an optimist that I continually believe that facts can conquer prejudice. Wink

wannabestressfree · 17/08/2017 14:26

@HelenaDove they did. It meant I jumped up two bands in a week. Sheer good timing although upsetting.

HelenaDove · 17/08/2017 14:31

wannabe Thanks

Its the fact that it was even expected that you should have to do that that makes me Angry

Want2bSupermum · 17/08/2017 16:44

lakie To be clear, it's frustrating when you see someone housed ahead of someone else or put into housing which isn't suitable long term. An example was a pregnant mother of one put in a 1 bed flat with stairs to the top floor. She should have gone straight into a 2 bed flat. It's also frustrating to know there are people making higher salaries paying low rents while low income people struggle with private rentals.

Where we are doesn't have a housing shortage so decisions to place people the way they do does make me wonder what the hell they are smoking.

Want2bSupermum · 17/08/2017 16:47

To be clear the pregnant lady was house and my Dad pushed very hard to have her moved a month later when a 2bed came up close by that was ground floor and had storage for her pram. He went so far as to get his workmen to move her things because she was 7-8 months pregnant.

Kickhiminthenuts · 17/08/2017 18:49

Has anyone looked what you can get in Basildon for under £700 privately?
1 bed flats.
I'd imagine that's also partly why the op isnt privately renting

GreenTulips · 17/08/2017 18:55

Does it matter if it's better than a hostel?

LetBartletBeBartlet · 17/08/2017 19:00

She'll be entitled to HB/LHA on that £700 if she's under the earnings threshold.

toastedsarniefiend · 17/08/2017 19:16

Wow

You are homeless with a child

Sorry but the dog doesn't come into it. The
Council do not house dogs. No matter how much your pet is part of the family it's not the councils concern. And rightly so. Imagine the outcry if pets were given priority.

Also houses with gardens tend to be on the ground floor obviously so are probably most if not all easy access and priority would - again rightly so - go to those adults and children with disabilities.

And a 'rough' estate I've lived on a notorious one in east London. Couldn't have nicer neighbours. Most people will be just like you. And it was a high rise so the view was amazing and the flat was huge.

If you are homeless you take what you get. You can't say you're homeless then say in the next breath you're not prepared to take a flat with a child - you don't have a need for the property then and go and rent privately or buy so someone else can have it.

HelenaDove · 17/08/2017 21:31

Lakie Smile

toasted I watched Animal Rescue Live on Channel 4 last week.

A record number of animals are now being taken into shelters.

Poverty and the housing crisis will be contributing towards that.

toastedsarniefiend · 17/08/2017 22:20

That is really sad Helena on the other hand u have a friend who turned down secure council housing as they wouldn't take her per. 5 years later still bouncing from place to place it's nuts. Don't get a pet in the first place or do what my other friend did and get someone to look after it whilst you are in temporary housing.