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AIBU?

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Original poster

Temporary accommodation refusal.

284 replies

Toomanybrokentarts · 27/02/2018 21:18

I've been living in temporary accommodation for two years now with my two dcs, as the house I lived in before was privately let and the landlord wanted the property back.
Today I have been offered another temporary flat on the 19th floor of a tower block, as again the property I am in is private but let to the council to rent out for temporary accommodation as the flats are being demolished.
Now the council have a duty to house me so have no choice but to find me suitable accommodation, however is this place suitable & am I able to refuse it?

I know there are people who are worse off than me and I shouldn't really complain as I have a roof over my head
But I just can't live that high up, what's pissing me off the most is that my housing officer found a more suitable property two weeks ago, she secured it for me went on holiday and left instructions for a colleague to call me in to sign the tenancy, which she didn't do so I ended up losing out on that flat.
So does anyone know if I refuse it would they still have a duty of care towards me?

OP posts:
MadMags · 28/02/2018 10:12

Hang on, there were people on here calling you a scrounger and having a go about you taking things for free and I’m rude for asking if you could work full time?

You can afford to study but you can’t afford to rent, so I was suggesting looking at your overall finances to see if there were changes you could make since you are so against living on the 19th floor.

Point your finger at the right people, OP.

kubex · 28/02/2018 10:18

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

dontcallmelen · 28/02/2018 10:22

Hi Op, I came on to see if you had updated & manged to talk to your housing officer/shelter etc, I posted last night & was appalled at some of the comments on your thread, was very glad to see that you have had some supportive posts/advice as pp Charley 50 etc.
I don’t usually come back on threads, once I have posted any advice I might have but this thread really upset me.
The lack of empathy was abhorrent & the undercurrent of you deserve nothing better & how dare you voice concerns about a flat on the 19th floor in a block that is due to be demolished fairly soon with two children, especially when Grenfell is still so fresh in most people’s mind.
Makes me very sad, I wish you well OP.

GaucheCaviar · 28/02/2018 10:22

FFS people, turn your anger on the successive governments who have failed to invest in safe, decent social housing, not on single parents with two kids struggling to better themselves who don't want to live in a potential deathtrap.

Original poster
Toomanybrokentarts · 28/02/2018 10:28

Yes that's exactly what I'm expecting kubex Hmm get a grip, I will not be shamed by you or anyone else because I don't want to live on the 19th floor of a potential death trap.
I am also struggling to provide a safe affordable home, which is why I am in this situation.

madmags I wasn't having a poo at you, I was explaining how your comment come across. I had already said that I had previously worked full time and obviously by studying I am aiming to get myself a bether education so I can train for a better well paid job, is that not enough? I live hand to mouth. I don't drink,smoke or go out very often and everything I earn goes into paying my way in society so I don't get called a scrounger, however to some that's all I ever will be.

OP posts:
Original poster
Toomanybrokentarts · 28/02/2018 10:30

pop not poo Grin

OP posts:
MadMags · 28/02/2018 10:32

😂 at poo!

I didn’t mean to come across that way, I really didn’t. I suppose I was just “thinking out loud”.

But I certainly don’t think you deserve the vitriol you’ve faced on here. Flowers

pinkdonkey · 28/02/2018 10:38

Some of the comments on here are awful OP take heart that not everyone thinks that way. So many people don't realise how easy it is to end up homeless, a large proportion of the country are only 1 pay day away from homelessness. My husband and I both work full time, however we have lost our home twice when he has been seriously ill for long periods and we have had a sudden drop in income. One of my neighbours was evicted because her landlord wanted to sell the house, the council told her that she had to refuse to leave until the balifs kicked her out or she would be considered voluntarily homeless so she then had no chance of getting a good reference for finding another private rental. Homelessness is much closer than most people realise or want to admit to themselves.

Good luck with shelter today OP

londonmummy1966 · 28/02/2018 10:39

God this is an awful thread. I'm so sorry OP you're in a hideous situation not of your own choosing and people think it is OK to take a shot at you. Talk about kicking a dog when its down.

You sound as if you have a decent relationship with your housing officer - could you appeal to her better nature, reminding her of the good flat she'd found you that her colleague cocked up and see if she could find you something similar. As you have a history of mh could you get your GP to do a letter to support you - after all if you nearly had a panic attack just getting into the lift how are you going to cope in the event of a fire when you're trying to get 2 kids down 19 flights of stairs?

BeverlyHillsBillie · 28/02/2018 10:40

pink that situation with your neighbour is absolutely horrendous. It's a lose lose situation for her and her landlord. Utterly ridiculous state of affairs.

Namesarehard · 28/02/2018 10:48

It's no wonder you don't want to live that high up. I can't understand why you've had such negative comments.
I'm amazed the council thinks it acceptable. What if the lift breaks? A pain in the arse for anyone never mind someone single with two young children.
I don't see it as you bring ungreatful at all. The council are wrong to even offer something like this imo.
London is very expensive, would you consider relocating? Other parts of the country are much cheaper and means you'll get a much better balance with living expenses and pay.
I hope it all works out for you. X

kubex · 28/02/2018 11:00

@Toomanybrokentarts it's you that needs to get a grip. You have been offered a safe, affordable housing solution and you're complaining.

I think you need to suck it up, accept the home you've been offered and use it as a temporary solution while you focus on finding full time work to afford the kind of home you want.

Original poster
Toomanybrokentarts · 28/02/2018 11:00

I'd definitely consider moving out of London, Infact that is my long term plan.
I have two boys who i do not want growing up in London, especially the area we live in now, I had the opportunity to move just after I had ds1 but stupidly listened to exdp who didn't want to go, so I stayed and it is one of my biggest regrets if I leave now it would mean uprooting my dcs from school again.

OP posts:
pinkdonkey · 28/02/2018 11:14

@BeverlyHillsBillie from talking to people round here that is standard, the same applies if you can't pay your rent for any reason (lost job, illness, benefits arrears or cock ups, which are a frequent issue) the council will basically tell you to squat in the property until evicted by court order or you are considered voluntarily homeless and go to the bottom of their list. It's not as simple as saying I can't afford to live here anymore I need somewhere cheaper, or my landlord has asked me to leave because they need the house back. So if you can't sort out alternative private housing before that point yourself you end up with a bad reference and it gets even harder to find anywhere.

ThisLittleKitty · 28/02/2018 11:17

Lifts always break down my local tescos has lifts to get into it and half the time they aren't working! I wouldn't accept it and I don't care what anyone says it's not them having to live there.

Though if your in the same borough as my op (think you said se london?) they only allow you to bid on flats anyway.

shouldwestayorshouldwego · 28/02/2018 11:19

If you want to move at some point, there is never a good time once your children are in school. It gets harder the older they get. Children do change schools though and if you can get a move to an area where you might have better housing and you would still have job opportunities it would be better than being unhappy on the 19th floor in a place you don't want to live.

BeverlyHillsBillie · 28/02/2018 11:34

Yes I understand it's how the system seems to work, unfortunately. You can't blame the tenant for staying put and waiting for eviction if they are penalised for doing otherwise, but then it hardly encourages LLs to take tenants who might be viewed as high risk or not in a position to easily pay to rehouse themselves, because it's almost impossible to get rid of them without going through the courts.

Does your council have any arrangements with other councils outside of London to get residents placed there? I read that some overstretched London boroughs are paying other county councils to take some overspill where there is more availability of housing. Could you perhaps enquire about that? If you want to leave London, the sooner the better.

BrazzleDazzleDay · 28/02/2018 11:43

When my dd and I were homeless I was given 2 different options after explaining to my housing officer why i felt panicked about the 11th floor of a highrise.

Whydomypubeslooklikeanest · 28/02/2018 11:49

In my area you have to take whatever temporary accommodation you are given. You get 2 refusals of permanent housing though.

The only way around refusing temporary accommodation is if you have disabilities and the property isn't suitable.

It's a shit situation, I've been in similar, but it is temporary.

Hope something gets sorted for you quickly Flowers

Idratherhaveacupoftea · 28/02/2018 11:54

As someone who is claustrophobic and can't use lifts, there is no way I could live on the 19th floor.

Tawdrylocalbrouhaha · 28/02/2018 12:25

OP think carefully before leaving London! There is always work here for you (and later for your sons), there is access to great universities etc. There is a reason houses are more available elsewhere - you might well be better just holding out until you get housed.

Also, contrary to what many people are advising, what I would honestly do is aim to get housed and THEN step up the career. Private renting as a single mother of two is only ever going to be a struggle, and anyone who suggests otherwise is not truly wishing the best for you.

Dinosauratemydaffodils · 28/02/2018 12:31

@LakieLady We had a similar scheme, essentially renting primarily ex council properties back from people who had taken advantage of the right to buy... you couldn't make it up could you.

That's why we tried to have a fast turn over wherever possible. I think the longest I had someone in temporary accommodation was 18 months but they had fairly complex needs and needed a very specific property type. However the housing situation in the city where I worked is nowhere near as bad as certain areas of London etc. If you weren't a priority you might get a council property in 10 years time but if you were on the homeless list, from being made live to an offer was anywhere from a couple of days to six weeks if we had limited the areas/property types or they needed more than 3 bedrooms.

Hercules12 · 28/02/2018 12:32

Cant believe some of the posts here!
On what planet is it acceptable for a family to have to accept a 19th floor council flat? Op, you are being perfectly reasonable to argue your case and I hope you're not penalised in any way for refusing.

Eliza9917 · 28/02/2018 12:42

Yesterday 21:36 Toomanybrokentarts

Well yes, that's what it says in my op.
It also says in my op that I know I'm lucky to have a roof over my head, but is it really that unreasonable to not want to live that high up?

Yes. There's no good reason for it. People that have to take what they can afford in the private rental market don't get to be so choosy.

paddlingwhenIshouldbeworking · 28/02/2018 12:47

I don't think you're unreasonable and I wouldn't want to live on the 19th floor of anywhere.

Your OP was also very fair. You didn't sound outraged to be offered it but lots of people would be disappointed and want to know what their options are - for all you know a more suitable property might be available next week. You asked a simple question about your options.

Would be nice if people answered the question without the kicking.