Home swapping is ridiculous

[Aaliyah1990]

I’m more than frustrated with the fact that you could bid for years and not get anywhere. Then you think to yourself oh maybe house swap might help? Nope not at all!!! the housing system is a big joke if you ain’t got a garden you can forget it,the demands people are asking for just makes you feel worse and all your hopes are thrown out the window. It’s almost like doing the lottery and hoping you get lucky. I don’t know if somehow these so called serious swappers are getting a power buzz out of it cause that’s what it’s seem to me. In all reality we should all stop compiling to these ridiculous set ups, you waste so many of years being unhappy then you feel as you have to beg in a way to get a property you want. I think it’s all wrong and the council should be responsible if your over crowded etc and the bidding set up is more of a joke you’ll be on there for centuries 🙄. Until the day everyone stops compiling then that’s the day you’ll be able to get what you want but everyone seems to conform to things that are unrealistic,draining and upsetting. From today I’m not doing any of the guideline rules forget it!!! It doesn’t work out and it just makes their jobs easier while we suffer nope not anymore. So on that note I’ll get back to you guys. I’ll update to see that my situation will have improved. And I’ll let you what I did to get out of the flat/cage I’m in.

I waited 10 years for my HA house and i probably won’t get to enjoy it for very long as when my DC leave Home I won’t be able to afford it on my own and will have to swap to a smaller place. Puts me off doing anything too expensive to the property! My mum has swapped twice, one was a disaster the second was much better

In the 10 years I waited trust me if I could have bought a house I would have in a heartbeat. Not everyone will be in the position to buy. I paid £9k a year to someone else’s mortgage instead! I’m single and one income. What is the other option - shack up with a bloke who will buy you a house?

But try to make it as nice as you can so it is appealing to swappers.best of luck

FYI HA houses are really expensive. Mine is not cheap at all. It’s not the same as council rents.
You also have to prove you can afford it. I had to have a financial check

Wow OP you have hit a huge nerve. Ok so I am in agreement with opposing views but I don't think telling someone to not have children is a valid way to move forward. It is a value based judgment. What if Op is a mother who had her children and then left an abusive partner or she became mentally unwell, lost her job and home. As people do have fludic lives. I think the housing crisis is horrific and people can waste years of their lives living in unacceptable conditions. Privately rented accommodation is extremely expensive. there is hardly any rent or tenant security. I feel for the OP and can see where she is coming from.

I kind of agree that if people are in council housing and room is tight with the children they've already got then they shouldn't just expect a larger house if they choose to get pregnant again.

I became a single mum five years ago and was working 3 hours when I walked out on abusive ex. We lived with my parents for six weeks but I was offered extra hours at the place I was working at and took them so I could privately rent asap. Five years on we are still in our two-bed privately rented house. I don't get a penny from my ex, I have worked my bum off to remain here. It's damp in the winter especially and far from ideal but it's a roof over our heads.

I now have a fiance and although he works ft he also doesn't earn much. We have enough to get by just about. There are certain things I deem as "luxuries"-for example, I haven't had a haircut in two years. Nearly all of our furniture is second hand.

My fiance and I would love to have a child together, especially as I'm now 38 and he's 43 with no biological children. But we know we can't as we can't afford suitable housing. We know we will have to settle with my two boys.

Yes years of your life... is nobody not understanding years.....of your life!! And I know there’s probably some ppl who have waited even longer and probably in a worse situation than myself & I really do hope for the best for them,and being some where that’s making your mental health worse doesn’t help. You do feel defeated at times I didn’t right this post for anyone to feel sorry for me. I just wanted to see if anyone can understand what I’m trying to say or if they’ve been through what I’ve been through and how many more ppl are just gonna suffer. Just wanted to see if ppl can see a problem with the social housing.To bignosenobum

@Aaliyah1990 Are you in work? I totally understand that your earnings may not cover a private rent, however.

I private rented for decades and got my HA flat nine years ago. I had good and bad landlords but what I never had was security. I need to move for my health but no matter how difficult I find my isolation the security is huge. Without it I'd be a total basket case rather than just a bit of a basket case. Honestly? I'm not sure I'd still be alive.

@Aaliyah1990, if I had a two bed I'd be suggesting we get in touch about swapping, but alas I don't. There are some good people on homeswapper and given how difficult your living arrangements are I really hope that good fortune pays you a visit soon. Keep the faith.

There really is some massive, twatty arseholes on this thread.

Google people, google is your friend. You can look info up to get your facts correct about housing policy before making yourself look like a stuck up idiot.

I come from a very middle class background, I own a house but strangely I can still manage not to be a huge arsehole like so many on this thread are and realise life is terribly unfair for many people. All this about people reproducing too much, get a job, be grateful is just nauseating.

It's really not that hard to come down from your ivory towers and learn about the real world.

OP check your tenancy agreement, on there it will tell you what capacity the council classes as sufficient for your flat.

I'm aware of 1 bed council flats that state that 2.5/ 3.5 people can live there.

Anyone complaining about social housing & kids etc. Unless you own your home outright then you're only redundancy/similar away from requiring the services and becoming the people you're sneering at, and if you ever fall into that position and come on here or in RL to moan and cry about it (and you certainly will) I hope people don't bother to read/listen and tell you your kids should be taken away from you because you clearly can't afford them and weren't 'prepared'.

I'm kind of with the OP here. My dad was in a 4 bed house, needed a one bed ground floor flat or bungalow. Health reasons plus he felt guilty having 3 spare rooms (bedroom tax did not affect him). The places he liked and could move to wanted garages/conservatorys and payments from him to pay for them to move. Places that were clearly not suitable (third floor flats for example) were offered and when politely turned down he got abuse. In the end he thought feck it and said they'd only get him out in a box which sadly is what happened. There are some very unrealistic expectations on these swaps.

Mutual exchange has been a life saver for our family in the past, it's not easy but sometimes you find people needing to be nearer family or downsizing for health etc.
Keep your mind open for three way swaps as well.

And definitely don't pay any attention to people giving it lip about private rent and teaching responsibility. Nobody knows your circumstances, I'm glad social housing still exists in any level in this country!

@Asta19

Someone upthread said that social housing is subsidised by their taxes. I’m in social housing too so I was pointing out that no they don’t actually subsidise us at all. People buying homes get more subsidies.

@HamsterDancer

I'm also baffled how everyone thinks my rent is subsidised I pay the full £800 a month from my wages the only reason we live here is because I couldn't afford private rent in my area for a three bedroom place on my wage. Then again my sisters husband wont believe me I pay rent as all social housing is free and I'm lucky to have a free house apparently.

Do people seriously think that social housing is free and that their tax contributions subsidise it? I didn't think anyone was clueless enough, and badly educated enough, to still believe this laughable myth.

Also agree that some homebuyers get way more 'subsidies' than many people who rent, and also that social housing isn't always much cheaper than private let! Sometimes only 10-15% less. However, you do have a tenancy for life/long term tenancy, and usually better repairs and maintenance.

Do people seriously think that social housing is free and that their tax contributions subsidise it? I didn't think anyone was clueless enough, and badly educated enough, to still believe this laughable myth

Yeah they do, it's scary.

I used to live in council housing until I luckily met DH and we bought a year ago.

I remember how awful it was trying to find a house swap and how cheeky some people could be about it. There was always the agony of trying to find somewhere that wasn't hideously decorated. I moved from my freshly carpeted nicely decorated house that was way too far out to a house closer to the town I needed but it was smoke stained and an absolute mess.

I sometimes wonder what would happen if there was a ban on decoration in social housing. If all social housing was fitted with neutral decor - clean walls & neutral flooring. Would save a lot of people a lot of grief having to dish out money to fix someone elses hideous decorating.

@gamerchick

Yeah they do, it's scary.

I'm aware of 1 bed council flats that state that 2.5/ 3.5 people can live there.

According to my council there needs to be 4 people in a one bed until its classed as
overcrowded.

I'm also baffled how everyone thinks my rent is subsidised I pay the full £800 a month from my wages the only reason we live here is because I couldn't afford private rent in my area for a three bedroom place on my wage

If you are not paying the market rent, then it IS subsidised.

If the market rent for that property was say £1200, you’re getting it for £800, you’re getting a £400 subsidy.

Just because you’re not being charged what it would cost £1200, then getting given £400 towards the rent doesn’t mean it’s not subsidised.

Incredibly Social housing rents are true rents. Private ones are artificially inflated.

Irishninja sorry to hear for your lost. I think it’s ridiculous to expect older to ppl to give there big homes for a small fat with step’s,heck even if it had a lift who in there right mind wants to be in a block of flats especially the blocks that reach the sky 🙄 always in the lift with strangers they just would feel safe. I don’t even feel safe in them blocks I just wouldn’t expect it. Every person who’s come to my house ask’s me how do you do them steps?! just the same way I’ve been doing this flat. I don’t know how that person would do with carring shopping up these steps nope no way. Unless the always do online shopping. Just to many obstacles

Private rents, like house prices are what the market will bear = market prices. That’s the very definition of the term.

Yh this kinds of rules are just not exceptable in my head 2.5/3.5 everyone sleep on top of each other but make sure you pay your rent on time and here’s a big fuck you! we could careless how your suffering☹️ I couldn’t dream of anymore living here they’ll be no oxygen left in this flat.

Thankyou Ravenesque I really appreciate it.

Even if there was 10 people leaving at this property I still wouldn’t be moving anytime soon.

Incredibly Social housing rents are true rents. Private ones are artificially inflated

That’s not how ‘market price’ works.

Private rents, like house prices are what the market will bear = market prices. That’s the very definition of the term

Exactly.

Private landlords cannot buy & maintain properties at a market rate, then rent them out at the same rate as councils/HA’s that don’t have to do that.