Council housing - wait times..

[LolaPickle]

Good evening all,

If you have recently, say over the last two years, been offered a place with the local authority (standard accommodation / no adaptations) - would you mind answering..

How long did you wait?
What band were you in?

I am supporting a vulnerable person who is about to be homeless

Looking for actual real life experiences on the above questions - not the official lines as am pretty well read up on all that for my local area..... realistic wait times from real people who have been through it, and wondered what my area, along with the rest of the Uk was looking like...

Just looking for real life experiences and wait times - Genuinely don't need any further info and trying to help a vulnerable person who looks to me for help.

PS.... please don't flame me for posting in AIBU..It is my first post, although been a long time lurker...and admit to posting here for traffic and hopefully helpful insights

I was band B

Lola I saw your post on the social housing thread?

Do you work in the voluntary sector?

NE England. I was in the lowest band. I got a house within ten days but it took a further three months for them to make it 'habitable' and give me the keys.

We do have a quick letting scheme run through the council. Approved council LL's get a paper bond from the council, plus quicker processing time on HB claims in exchange for making properties readily available to those in the most need. I got a house with 2 hours of turning up at the council and presenting as homeless through that scheme.

Approved *private LL's, sorry.

They're also allowed to advertise their properties through the local choice based lettings website.

Neither property was actually habitable.

Three years in Yorkshire, second highest band at the time. Only got the house because the four people offered it before I was turned it down.

Took me 6 months with 26 years waiting time, that was 8 years ago in South Yorkshire, I'm back on the waiting list now & don't stand a snowball's chance of getting anything soon, average wait for a 3 bed house without priority is 15 years.

2 years ago I waited 6 weeks in Sheffield, when I was going to be made homeless. A friend of mine in the same area waited less than that when she was leaving a refuge in May this year, I think it was about 3 weeks.

Most waiting lists round here are 5 years for a permanent home

Quicker for a temporary home

The problem is that
A - no new housing gets built
B- rarely people leave council homes
C- you can pass them on in your will so it could be 100 years before a council gets a house back

D - many people simply have more children so they get housed in a 2 bed with one children then they have 3 more kids so need to be re housed to a 3 bed house so council spend their time rehouseing people that are already housed and never make a start on the waiting list

Oooh a good old social housing myth bingo!

Erm no you can’t pass them on in your will!

if you are thinking of moving your person to access a home ( which is the only reason I can think of you asking this question unless you are journalist, ) then your person will not go into any priority band or most probably wont even be able to join the housing waiting list because in most places have to prove have a 'local connection' to the area.

The right for someone to inherit a tenancy when the tenant dies is known as succession. A council tenancy can only be inherited once, unless the tenancy agreement allows for more than one succession. Your right to inherit a council tenancy depends on: your relationship with the tenant.

england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/council_housing_association/can_you_inherit_a_council_tenancy

So now we have easblisbed that I actually lived in a council home have provided the link from shelter saying I am correct

Can we have no more lies you can’t I sorry it’s dosent fit wahat ever agenda you would like to push

So if I had stayed in my home I could have lived their until I had died then passed it on to my son we’re he could have lived until he died but getting one of his children to buy the house before he did so the council in effect would never get the house back

You can inherit in this area, not sure if it’s the same every where. We also have tenancies for life still which some people on here are adamant councils don’t do anymore

We waited 4 weeks in second from top band due to the LL seeking the property we were in, so unintentionally homeless. That was 3 years ago

You said you had no kids

Lol that was supposed to be in a text for my mate lol

If you are prepared to take the stuff that nobody else wants in Sheffield you can have one today, but if you want specific areas & only want a house then you are likely to be waiting for years. If you get priority you can't specify areas & you only get one offer, if they think you are bidding for properties with long waiting lists or aren't bidding they bid for you & if you refuse the property they take priority off you. I was homeless, living with my DS & my parents, sharing a room & a bed with my then 6 year old, they refused to give me priority until my MP got involved & then took it off me when I refused to live in a 3rd floor flat with no lift as I am disabled with severe mobility problems.

I'm not sure what band etc but I applied for housing in January, by April I was offered a 2 bed

west london - overcrowded medical family - 5 years+ anything else longer..esp if you need a 3bed
have had better progress on 1 bed...still years though

Re inheriting tenancies the localism act 2010 gave councils powers to curb the right to inherit. It used to be very easy to, now in a lot of areas its exceptional. Also many councils will now only allow inheritance of priority at best, ie if you live in a property with a parent and they pass away, they won't necessarily let you stay in that property and insist you downsize.

Gosh you’re pleasant aren’t you? Even your text to your ‘friend’ is rude!

Stbxh has been waiting six months. Luckily he now has a job so can save towards a private rental before I murder him...