AIBU to leave council flat for private renting? 5 in a 1 bed flat.

[Hereforhelp]

Hi. So I was housed a 1 bedroom flat with council when I was 7 months pregnant with my first child. Now theres 5 of us in the same flat me, dh, dd 5 yrs, DS1 3 yrs and DS2 4 months old.

Dh and I are both employed, him full time me part time (currently on maternity leave) & don’t receive any sort of benefit.

The plan for our family increase was to return flat and private rent somewhere bigger but now private rent have massively increased £300 more than it was 2 years ago 😅 so that plan failed, leaving us cramped, in a 1 bed 🙃

We’ve tried to talk to council but according to law we’re not overcrowded as living room could be used as bedroom too and according to my room measurements each room can fit up to 2 adults (that’ll be 4 kids in each bedroom as they count a kid as half an adult).

Shall I hang in here and hopefully be rehoused after couple of years or stretch our finances and rent privately? People are calling me mad to be thinking of giving up a council home & I’d hate to give up the security of our home tbh but we are so desperate!!

Has anyone here left a council home for private renting? Or has anyone got a success story of getting rehoused due to overcrowding?

@adaline

Perhaps you're right & whatever you post is liable to be picked apart.

I'm new to this & what saddens me is that that's the first & most repeated point picked on.

The point is that you should not be subject to that level of interrogation & judgement because you live in social housing. The OP pays rent & tax - personally I'd prefer a system where she & her family can retain a secure tenancy & not be overcrowded.

Its not fucking helpful to say the OP shouldn't have 3 kids . Shes had them and is looking for advice on what to do ffs.

You people saying she shouldn't have kids also suggest only the 'rich' have kids because that's what it sounds like .

OP stay put and use a sofa bed in the living room dont lose your council flat .

If you earn well (as you say you do, as you don't qualify for any benefits) then surely you wouldn't qualify for another council property, as they are now means tested?

What about looking at shared ownership or help to buy schemes? That way you can upsize and have a secure tenancy.

How does someone earning enough to not claim benefits,manage to get a council house?
I thought they were for people in need? How can you be in need with a huge great salary..that’s not fair when families are in b and bs

I think you should stay where you are, OP. It would be really unwise to stretch yourself to get into a private rental when the consequences of Brexit are currently unknown.

SimplySteveRedux the problem is that the OP seems to earn well about 60k per year - so its mot that they can’t afford private rent

Hmm, missed that, I saw the figure of £35k p.a mentioned, if £60k then that does change my opinion yes.

Private renting is shit. In my last one it was full of mould/damp, LL wouldn’t do anything and of course, there’s no one else you can go to as there are no legal standards (this is what I was told by council housing in that area) for private rents. Some LLs are ok, the one before that was good at getting stuff fixed but it’s a lottery.

Could you save and look at Help to Buy? I’m in a 3 bed detached on a new build estate in NW and properties here were available under Help to Buy.

The OP didn't consider her DC when she had a second and then third baby. And now wants out because there's not enough space.

When it's perfectly safe and secure. Extra rooms are just a luxury. Until the DC are older, they won't mind. Only when it starts to impact them should OP be moved really. 3 kids in a 1 bed would drive me insane but I wouldn't do it.

It sounds like OP wanted all 3, knowing her situation of a very small space

OP, we did it (moved from council to private) and it was a big adjustment. There were so many extra charges in the beginning that we hadnt anticipated and our finances felt out of control at first. We didn't get Housing benefit either. We went from £80 p/w rent and water, to £600 pcm, plus a water meter, higher council tax band, went from a prepay gas and electric meter to quarterly bills, and then there was the deposit and first month's rent in advance, and the cost of a removal van, oh and none of our curtains fitted in the new place. We were much happier once things settled down, but even then we were given a 6m probationary period then put on a 1month rolling contract, and would regularly (every 6m or so) get a letter from the LL saying the rent was going up. And they popped in when they fancied with just 24hrs notice. It's not all rosy, was a lovely house though. We have since bought elsewhere, and looking back we would have bought a lot quicker had we stayed in the council flat.

There are some real right wing bellends on this post. !!!!
OP, you must suffer for having more children, a nice spot of over crowding and a bit of good old poverty should sort you out. 🤣🤣

I would do everything in my power to stay put and save for a deposit. Find your forever home.
Private landlords are even less secure than council housing. Theres not a lot in place to stop them from evicting you or upping the rent, or taking your deposit from you. It's also really hard to find a private landlord that will take on kids. Good luck and ignore everyone else.

Not been in your situation myself op, but dh's niece in the Midlands gave up her ha assured tenancy because she thought she could rent bigger and better but also cheaper in the private sector. Ten years on she's homeless having experienced landlords offering to discount the rent a bit in exchange for sex, landlords who wouldn't carry out repairs (3 months with no hot water), property which seemed reasonable but where the energy bills were so astronomical we suspected she was covering the costs of the streetlights and probably half the neighbours energy costs too plus having to move regularly. She bitterly regrets it now but I suspect will never get another assured tenancy.

Of course you should move. A 1 bed flat, no matter how financially cushty, is not appropriate to raise 3 children. You need to do what you can to provide an appropriate home for them ASAP and that sounds like it means private rent. I wouldn't even blink at it. Is it possible to relocate to cheaper areas with your jobs?

So, because the OP lives in social housing, others have the right to pry into & judge her choices on family size

Well actually yes. Social housing is cheaper than other housing because there is a cost to the council to provide it. And who pays that cost? Yep, the taxpayer. I’d have loved to have had more children than the 2 I have but I couldn’t afford to. However, I pay my taxes and am indirectly subsidising choices made by others.

OP you are taking accommodation that someone genuinely in need could have. And you are providing a cramped and probably not very pleasant environment for your DC. Move

I would stay put while saving up to buy your own place. I know a few families of five in a one bed, so it doesn’t seem odd to me, though not ideal. You’re not technically overcrowded.

"I would do everything in my power to stay put and save for a deposit. Find your forever home."

Actually I'd do this. Would you be in a position to get a mortgage? A 5% deposit? Any shared ownership schemes near you?

Check your local authority housing allocations policy.

You are not statutorily overcrowded at the moment but you still may be able to register and bid on properties. My LA gives you band 3 if you are 'overcrowded but not statutorily so'.

Yes there is a massive shortage of properties but in many areas it's the smaller properties that are most in demand - many people are desperate to downsize because of the bedroom tax.

Don't assume that what one person told you at the council is correct. Get it in writing and if they are not sticking to their allocation policy, challenge the decision.

When your youngest child turns 1 you will be statutorily overcrowded

There are two standards for working out overcrowding. Using the space standard, each child between 1 and 10 counts as 1/2 a person so when your youngest turns 1 you will be 3.5 people - over the limit for 2 rooms.

england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/check_if_your_home_is_overcrowded_by_law

You make your choices and you've made yours. Your decisions have led you to feeling cramped.
Council properties, in my opinion, should be for those who need them. The council have provided you with what you need. If you are able to independently afford what you need why are you continuing to rely on the council? There are others who would be grateful.
No-one who pays their own way has the security of a permanent home over their head. We all have to work to provide that security for ourselves. It's called being a grown up.

No, yanbu to go to private rent. You chose to have 3 kids and it's your responsibility to house them so if you're not happy in your flat it's time to move. If you're paying £600 in taxes a month that's a good wage so private rent shouldn't be an issue, take a look at what else you're spending on and cut back if needed. I doubt the rents have gone up £300 since your youngest was born, why wouldn't you have looked into housing then before making the decision to have another?

landlords can't just evict a tenant on a whim, it's a difficult and expensive process. They can choose to sell up or not renew a tenancy near the end of the term but not many good tenants will be evicted for no reason- because it's almost impossible! I work in social housing and a close friend has a decent amount of properties they rent in the private sector and I have seen shockingly bad tenants on both sides who can't be evicted.

There are some real right wing bellends on this post. !!!! OP, you must suffer for having more children, a nice spot of over crowding and a bit of good old poverty should sort you out.

Who has actually said that, though?

OP knew her living situation and decided it would be a good idea to keep having children anyway. Why should it be the councils responsibility to get her a bigger home?

Don't have children if you can't house them adequately, or move before you have the second and third DC. Plenty of people have to limit the size of their families due to space and their finances - why shouldn't OP have to do the same?

Nothing to do with suffering, more to do with actually taking responsibility for your actions!

Are you living around London? I mean i know it's also getting pretty bad in other areas.

Would you be prepared to move to another area to get on the housing ladder/ rent a bigger house? Would you relocate. This is not ideal for most people but if the kids are young its potential to think about moving somewhere else.

I doubt they are going to fix the problem with social housing or the private renting system in the short term. Not sure why so many people are getting mad at you for being a victim of the worsening housing market.

Probably best to stay put and save like mad to buy your own house. I don’t think you can buy your forever home to start with, well I couldn’t have afforded my house 20 years ago. You move up the ladder as time goes on.

Council housing really is for those in need and by the sounds of it you wont need it eventually. Save now and move and that then allows someone else who needs it to have your flat.

I can understand why others are saying what they are, maybe just harsher with their words than they would be in real life.

My friend lived in one room with his 3 brothers until they were into their 20s (though my friend moved out younger than that) in their parent's tiny council house. Bunk beds, and parents slept on the sofa.

You chose to have extra kids. Don't complain.

Not sure why so many people are getting mad at you for being a victim of the worsening housing market.

How on earth is she a victim of anything other than her own decisions?

Crikey.

The OP asked for advice, that's all.

The flat sounds nice and has lots going for it. Ok - space is tight but there's a garden, a park and the OP seems to be describing a pleasant, family friendly area. Her household income is around £35k so not massive - probably not enough to save on.

I think I'd stay put for now. I also think it worthwhile to maybe advertise yourself as a couple looking for long term private rented accommodation. Many landlords would bite off the hand of a potential long-term tenant. .

seems to earn well about 60k per year - so its mot that they can’t afford private rent - they don’t want to. and them having a council flat means somebody else who would actually need one doesn’t have one.

The OP said very clearly that she and her DH have a combined income of £35k and that when she said they weren't entitled to any benefits she was referring to tax credits, not child benefit which they do receive.