AIBU to think it shouldn't be so expensive to move into a council house?!

[FreshStarts00]

NC.
So we've finally been allocated a house! Viewing is really soon. They want first 2 weeks rent 6 days after the viewing, then they say they can give us the keys 2 days after that.
Few hiccups:
We'd be paying rent on 2 houses. Need to give landlord 1 months notice from the day we pay rent, which is the 1st of the month. We barely have anything left over as it is after bills. Let alone magically coming up with another £250+.
They don't provide flooring.... AIBU to think this is a hazard with a 3 Y/O?? Splinters and nails and rough floorboards
No white goods whatsoever... So we'd be without an oven and a washing machine. Also microwave ect but that's not vital.
No bath- LO will just have to get over her hatred of showers, this one isn't really a major issue.

Anyone got any magical ideas?
Or been in a similar situation?
AIBU to think it shouldn't be so expensive to move into a council house?!

Five months tomorrow since Grenfell and still the shitty attitudes towards tenants in general persist.

Flowerpot THEY wernt safe largely because RBKC had a similar attitude to yourself.

And over the weekend i saw tweets from Affinity Sutton tenants who had been left with electrical problems which started at 11.30pm Friday night but were told there would be no attendance until Monday.

Lights were working but no electrical appliances so the fridge freezer completely defrosted in that time.

Tonight on Dispatches they are investigating the HCA and its record on social housing.

This problem seems to come up quite a lot mumsnet

HelenaDove
Five months tomorrow since Grenfell and still the shitty attitudes towards tenants in general persist.
Flowerpot THEY wernt safe largely because RBKC had a similar attitude to yourself.

You're not seriously bringing the Grenfell tragedy into this thread are you HelenaDove?

The inquiry has not finished nor reported. You have no idea what you are talking about. So tell us, precisely what "attitude" of mine is similar to the RBKC's?

' I plan on becoming a private landlord and I won't even leave a curtain rail up when I offer the property for rent.'

Good luck with that, Handy, it's de rigeur for private lets to come with white goods, flooring and usually some soft furnishings like curtains or blinds. Because private tenancies are so insecure, most people don't want to face having to move a lot of white goods and furniture potentially every six months.

gamerchick
I think it’s you that needs to learn all of that tbh. Council housing is not subsidised by the taxpayer

Oh dear god. Are there still people in 2017 who believe that? Read the Hills Report, work out where £6.6billion goes and so on. And housing benefit isn't left under your pillow by fairies

What's housing benefit got to do with council housing?

Council rents generate a surplus until recently the goverment were taking a large chunk of that surplus. The taxpayer doesn't subsidise council housing.

Why you're going on about housing benefit means nothing to me.

Not quite sure why you think council would provide these things?
I got my two bed council house at 18 and it had absolutely nothing. No carpets, all the walls had been stripped so everywhere literally needed to start from fresh. And I was only given 4 days from getting the keys to needing to move in so had to literally sort everything for a house in that time and I managed. This is what it's like in my area anyway.
It is however EXTREMELY cheaper to rent. The average two bedroom house in my area which had two large gardens and really good size room is £550, I however only pay £320 with council.

gamerchick
Council rents generate a surplus

Eh? Kindly explain the economics of this statement of yours.

My gran lived in a council flat. Within the year before she died, she recarpeted throughout. I understand it was all ripped out prior to being relet. Just wasteful really.

Bloody hell after reading the first 50 odd comments I can’t believe how rude people are being.

I understand why they can’t provide white goods (I’m in exactly the same position as you by the way) but I was pretty taken aback at the bare floor boards with carpet nails around the perimeter of every room. I’m a full time carer (both children have disabilities) and there’s no way I can afford flooring right now (carers allowance is £62.10 per week.)

I’m sure lots of these posters giving you grief wouldn’t be happy having toddlers running around with carpet spikes around every single room. I totally understand where you’re coming from. There just isn’t the money available to just buy new flooring etc. Equally I understand councils don’t have an endless pot of money but it does make you feel like you and your kids are not worthy of a safe home to live in from the get go.
Since my marriage ended and I’ve been left a single mum with two SN kids I’ve been made to feel like scum by the HA’s Ive been involved with purely because I was left in a shit situation. A safe house isn’t too much to ask.

As of 4.30 this afternoon there was still no electrician attendance to the Affinity Sutton property.

you don't know how to google? These threads have been done to death and when we picked through all the fine details the best we got was that 'council housing should charge more money to match market rates, therefore the subsidy is in that lost money'

SH pays for itself many times over. There is no subsidy. It is not personally costing you the almighty taxpayer a penny.

Now please tell me what housing benefit has to do with council housing?

I think it is fairly common for councils and HA to ask tenants to remove carpets when they move out. A relative of mine recently moved in to one and had to buy all new carpets. She heard from one of the neighbours afterwards that the lady who had lived there previously had just spent £ks on high quality new carpets, but they had still insisted her family remove them after she died. (Not in the flat, so no, it wasn't because they were stained). It is wasteful madness.

Good luck in your new home OP, when you get there.

It has been done to death on here gamer But ppl see what they want to see.

when my property becomes available for rent I will offer to go 50/50 with the tennant on flooring or provide the lowest quality laminate or carpet. If they Choose the 50/50 option when they leave the property if the carpets are in good condition I will then pay them back their 50% outlay back. If they are in a mess and need replacing I will be keeping the deposit. I'm a qualified plumber and when I was an apprentice I saw some disgusting houses that tennants left a tip with the landlord out of pocket for lost rent and a repair bill. I will be a harsh but fair landlord.

Well obviously everyone who rents a council house gets it free gamer of course

Gosh, how awful. They give you a cheap house with a secure tenancy and they actually expect you to pay something towards it yourself?? What a cheek they have. It should all be newly decorated for you to move in :-/
OP, many of us are working full time and living in insecure private rented accommodation at extortionate rents.Surely its not too much to ask that you buy a second hand washing machine and put some second hand rugs down? Count your blessings.

And again depending on where you are in the country council hosing isnt much cheaper than private rented

In my past life as a housing officer, I once left carpets in the house because a very young mum with a new baby was moving in and she didn't have much. 1 week later she came to see me in the office. The poor baby was covered head to toe in flea bites - the carpets were heaving. Had to get them all lifted and we gave her some money towards decoration. Basically everything is removed because of things like this and health and safety issues.

At my current council we work with a social enterprise type place who will come and take white goods, any decent furniture/household goods left, do electrical tests etc and then make available for sale at low price at one of our depots so there is recycling going on, just not left in the house. Also we give new tenants a decoration voucher (not much mind) if the place is left in a bad way e.g. manky wallpaper - maybe your Council does that? We also have another organisation linked to energy efficiency that will provide free thermal lined made to measure curtains is you meet certain criteria. These are just a few examples of the support available. Your council should be able to tell you if there is anything like that in your area.

Yes there are higher upfront costs to move into a council house as opposed to a furnished private let but compared over the longer term it is cheaper and you will have much greater security of tenure.

I’m in a HA house and was lucky enough to get a new build so no Decorating needed.

However I needed carpet and white goods. Cost us nearly £2.5k to move in inc rent overlaps and moving vans etc.

We were moved much quicker than I expected, I hadn’t realised we had shot straight to the top of the list in medical grounds. We had saved about half of the money we needed and borrowed the other half from my DM.

Don’t be tempted by the pay weekly
Stores, they’ll cost you an arm and leg in long run.

I haven’t RTFT but this sounds very very familiar OP

would this be the 3rd time you’ve posted something to this effect and each time it’s deleted because you’ve been banned previously? So yeh, reporting now

Op I don't know where you are based but you're welcome to message me. Have a newish washing machine, and fridge freezer and sofa which was in mil's house.

Myself and my wife have worked full time since leaving education yet we live in a H/A property.

Shove that up your pipe and smoke it haters.