to ask whether the council cleans the outside of your windows ever?

[TiesThatBindMe]

I'm in a first floor council flat and the outside of my windows are filthy. It would probably cost me my life's savings to pay for a window cleaner with his ladders etc. to clean them. I'm just wondering whether anyone knows whether the council ever gets window cleaners out?

The best way to find a local window cleaner ime is to ask your neighbours or keep an eye out and you might see someone cleaning locally that you can ask for a quote. We pay £8, terrace house, front and back (and he uses a ladder)

I pay £7.50 for al windows, back and front, upstairs and downstairs. He actually only asked for £5 but I told him not to sell himself short!

I can't quite fathom why you thought that the first floor would cost a fortune?!

Well, I can't afford to get my windows cleaned by anyone but myself, so I'd be rather annoyed if my council tax was paying for other people's to be done.

What new wankery is this?
You want your windows cleaned? Clean them yourself or pay someone to do it. It is not included in your rent. Obviously. FFS.

It's not your council tax, so much as their rent. That's not a difficult concept to grasp.

FFS HAs are receiving service charges The word service is in there

Service charges paid for by Housing Benefit, which is in turn paid for by the taxpayer....

Would something like this work for you?

gadgetsliving.com/magnetic-window-cleaners/

This is like a table of kids fighting over the last biscuit. Never mind the fact that the rich kids took most of the biscuits before you even got there. Lucky, lucky council flat dwellers! Living the dream, aren't they.

It's not your council tax, so much as their rent. That's not a difficult concept to grasp.

Technically, you're right, but the rent will in most cases have been paid by the taxpayer through Housing Benefit.

coconutella Whether its HB or not they are still recieving payment for something they arent doing.

I have never in my life heard of councils paying for a window cleaner? You find one yourself and pay them a couple quid for each window

Do you want them to wipe your arse for you as well?

It costs us $110AUD (around $65GBP) to get the windows of three, three-storey blocks of offices cleaned at work.

It's not very expensive at all.

Jesus Christ I think I've heard everything now...Your windows are filthy because you're patiently waiting for the council to clean them for you. Way to go, OP.

For the record, I live in a fourth floor flat. Been there for years. I clean my own windows and, funnily enough, have so far managed not to break my neck doing so I even quite like doing it.

coconutella Whether its HB or not they are still recieving payment for something they arent doing.

Only if it's in the tenancy agreement. My point is that if it were, then the taxpayer is effectively likely to be paying for it ultimately in most cases, and that doesn't seem right to me, any more than it would be right for the landlord to use the service charge (paid via HB and hence the taxpayer) to clean the flat itself.

We pay £5 to get ours cleaned. We’re in a first flood flat and have 4 windows which get cleaned. He does it with an extendable cleaner as apparently they’re not meant to go up ladders anymore. Just google it and you’ll find someone. Simple.

Wow there are a lot of really high and mighty people here who are simultaneously paying people below minimum wage to do jobs for them.

Do you pay service charges. If you do then window cleaning should be in with it.

surely, that depends on what's covered in the service charge?

Wow there are a lot of really high and mighty people here who are simultaneously paying people below minimum wage to do jobs for them.

minimum wage applies to employment. Not contracted work.

OP contact the council again & ask for a copy of your rent agreement & a break down of your service charge if they don’t provide this (they are breaking the law) contact your local MP. I had a similar problem turns out the £33 per week in services I was paying was supposed to include window cleaning my MP made them refund the % of my service charge for all the years they hadn’t cleaned them , good luck

coconuttella - services charges are not covered by housing benefit, that goes for council houses & housing association property’s

Its in the agreement for these flats here. But it isnt done any more. But to certain people on here the breaking of tenancy agreements only matter when its the tenant breaking it!!

Im not actually bothered. The communal hallways get cleaned which is more important IMO.

But our windows only open a few inches so you cant reach out and clean them. Its a safety mechanism apparently.

OP Take a look at this thread when you have a min.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3045120-To-welcome-rent-controls-in-London

You do realise that not everyone who lives in a council house gets housing benefit and many people" gasp"work and therefore pay there own rent coconutella ? And whilst we are on the subject not everyone lives in London or the southeast so not all social rent is miles cheaper then private rent?

Very true HelenaDove I can clean my windows myself as they are tip & tilt but very poorly designed so they break every few months.

when I called the council to have one repaired I’ve was told they are now the tenants responsibility 😀

Luckily with help from google I’ve learnt to repair them myself but some of my neighbors have windows hanging on one hinge these are very heavy triple glazed panels last year one of our neighbors windows fell outwards from two floors up luckily no one was hurt, (the cost of new window & scaffold will be added to our service charge).
My next door neighbors could not use one of their rooms for weeks because it was exposed to the elements but the council still claim it’s the tenants responsibility & they have had to use wood screwed into the plasterboard to keep it up.

It makes be wonder what the council spend all the profits from the rent on! Because it’s not council housing!