To clarify exactly what a council house looks like

[Lifegoeson5]

So many posts about council housing and 'benefit scroungers' getting 'free' housing.
I pay £150 a week for this...

Yup mine was worse when I moved in. Bare walls with patches of plaster falling off, holes in the floor, some of which went right down to the crawl space under the floor. No flooring in any part of the house just concrete in the bathroom and kitchen and floorboards everywhere else. I was given a 60 pound decorating allowance. No white goods (which apparently everyone else gets 2 or 3 of when they are given a council house) I was a single 19 year old mother at college with a part time cleaning job that paid pennies. Also always had black mould in the bedrooms, but obviously my fault wash drying clothes in the house in winter. I'm guessing I was being punished for not just solely living off benifits 🤷‍♀️

This is not unique to council houses.

I used to live in a privately rented flat that was riddled with mould to the extent I had to throw clothes and shoes away. That was with regular wiping and airing and heating ( very expensively with night storage heaters)

The letting agents told me it was my fault because I had furniture along a north facing wall.

I've lived in private rentals in far worse condition than the pictures shown. And paid more rent for one person than you are paying for 7.

Bitching at the OP because she has five children when she’s already stated she is fleeing domestic violence is disgusting. What’s she supposed to do with the children that were (presumably) born within that relationship and housed and looked after by two parents?? Give a few away? Sell them on eBay? For fucks sake.

When did having a roof over your head become something that people are supposed to feel grateful for? It’s a basic fucking human right, not something that should be down to being lucky. I despair of the race-to-the-bottom attitude on here sometimes.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs stated over 70 years ago that food, water, warmth and shelter were the basic minimums that humans need to function as a society. Why are some people still seen by others to be unworthy of having these needs met?

The council will service the boiler every year and replace parts as necessary. At no cost.

@gingersausage The homeless guy I walk past everyday would be grateful to live there.

Op, try and encompass the mindset that it's your home for life (the beauty of council houses) therefore it's worth spending time, money and love on 😊

Does anyone think this might be a troll thread? The drip feeding, the lack of context and a few photos that don't even look that bad. (It shows a new window to begin with. People pay thousands per month in London living with single pane glazing and metal frames from the 20s). It seems like someone deliberately trying to goad people to bash council house renters.

OP if you get black mould you have to deal with it. We get it in our house all the time (detached leafy suburbs not council) You have to wipe it away with a bleach solution or an anti-mould spray. And wipe the condensation from the windows whenever you see it. That's nothing to do with ex-council. Just keeping the home clean and healthy. Black mould could make children ill.

Tbh I think you need to pick your battles. Boiler issues are one to fight especially with many of you.
Otherwise your double glazing looks tons better than mine and the rest just needs a bit of paint.
Maybe you are just frustrated being so many cooped up together.

I was expecting much worse from your pictures. The whole is much better better than my first house

OP have you tried cleaning it? I’m sure a lick of paint and a few hours hard graft would get it to look a bit better for you. I can’t imagine what 7 people living in one house would be like but I think it would be difficult whatever the state of the property was in, good luck though, why not get everyone involved in a manic cleaning hour every day for the next week? It could work wonders.

Growing up our council house was kept spotless then again it was mum dad sis and me and my parents had the highest of standards for housekeeping. I can’t bear housework myself so we have a cleaner now but a bit of elbow grease and it should be great.

I had atrocious mould and damp issues arising from condensation in the current property. The solution was bleaching the frames, painting not wallpapering, open windows or drill holes in wall (which was major fix here). The reality is that 7 hot bodies in a small home with double glazing, showers, cooking etc will create lots and lots of moisture. A trickle vent on a window will not keep up with that. Get a dehumidifier or two, you can buy unibond units cheaply to mop it up as well. The air quality in the building will improve. The boiler needs professional attention. If you have a combi boiler then you should have hot water on demand. If you have a separate unit, you have a boiler for the radiators joined to an immersion tank or similar which warms up hot water after an hour or two. This is what we have and it is awful...after a bath then you have to wait another hour for another tank of hot water. If its cold outside, the tank takes longer to function. Whatever your situation, get it checked by the council plumber. Firstly, there is a thermostat on the immersion tank that can be adjusted easily to change the temperature of the water. Secondly, boiler failure can be a sign of higher carbon monoxide emissions which can be dangerous. If you want to decorate, wilko do very very good condensation resistant paint that you can wipe down for moisture without impacting on the colour...its what I used to cover over the damp here.

Is it a lifetime tenancy? In this case it seems pretty sensible to invest your 5K in bringing it to standard.

I'm with you on this OP. You are still paying rent and if you moved in to a private rental and it looked like that you would have reasonable grounds for complaint. Looks like nobody has even been in there since last tenants. What happens to the cosmetic side after you move in is partially down to you though and I have a similar issue with condensation. The heating issues are the LA's responsibility though.

Homes just aren't built to cope with our climate, which is really frustrating. I live in a private rental flat where both bathrooms do not have a window and the extractor fans are rubbish, so have condendation/mould issues. I put up with it because it's a great flat in a great location and it's only an issue in winter. I wipe the windows everyday, dehumidifier goes on when it's cold and damp, dry clothes outside as much as I can, adjoining rooms to the bathroom are opened after showers, windows opened in kitchen when cooking (lids on pots) and have damp traps everywhere. I still have an issue and use mildew remover as much as I can, so nobody can say mould and condensation happens because people are lazy. Despite this I have had to wash some curtains this week where mould was starting to creep into them. There are no windows in the bathrooms because there would be none in any of the bedrooms or lounges in our block, so that's why the developers thought it was a good idea. Clearly they have never lived in a damp flat themselves.

Whilst I think this Government are a bunch of cunts who hate anyone who is not rich - this is not the best example of council housing and how it works OP

I bought a house - with a mortgage - that had the same issues? I have had to pay for all of this to be repaired myself. Paying for all of the decorating and so on - or done myself

Some of the anti mould sprays out there are great these days. And cheap. Wilko's have a huge range that are not too expensive. If the 2 adults within the property get stuck into getting rid of this mould ASAP its a great start at least

I'm with you on this OP. You are still paying rent and if you moved in to a private rental and it looked like that you would have reasonable grounds for complaint.

And so would the owner of the property and she's clearly not ventilating properly and cleaning the mold!

Homes just aren't built to cope with our climate, which is really frustrating.

Well they are, but that is to keep lots of warmth inside them, difficulty is that heat can then be trapped.

OP Most of that is cleaning and touch ups. The one looks like they have done some electric works. But yes you need to air the house.

Emergency housing is a disgrace. A few yrs ago my homeless friend and her new baby were placed in a huge revolting house. She lived and slept in the living room as she couldn't heat or live in the rest of the house due to the state of it.
Please don't pay for any repairs yourself, get onto the housing trust/council, if you nerd to go to your local mp then do it!!
Best of luck x

No idea why people were writing things like 7 people?? Who are the 7 people? etcetc.
Doesn't take much imagine to work out that this could be a couple with 5 children. Not unusual with a blended family for example or indeed, for a couple to have 5 children together. There are still large families around.

Yes, maybe the OP could do a more to clean the mould but this is often insidious and takes a hell of a lot of getting rid of, especially if it hasn't been dealt with by previous tenants for example.

I don't think this house looks that bad but that's because I have seen a friend's council flat and a couple of his neighbours' flats in the North East. They are in an appalling state of disrepair. One of them has had a leak that hasn't been fixed for months and the whole of the ceiling is falling down in the bathroom. Plaster has gone wet and mouldy. Bits of the ceiling keep dropping down and they haven't been able to get the council to do anything yet.

Lots of people have posted from their own experience that their council home is lovely etcetc but sadly that isn't the case for everyone. There are some awful hovels around and it isn't always the fault of the people living in them because they haven't opened the windows and turned on the heating.

Also, while I also appreciate that not everyone in a council home is living in poverty and could therefore afford a dehumidifier and money for plastering/decoration, there are a lot of people who can barely afford food never mind these "luxuries". Also, some people never turn their heating on because they just can't afford it.

The OP isn't in emergency housing

gingersausage

I know what you mean. People seem to think you move in to a council house and pay nothing for it, so you should be grateful. If you move in somewhere, it should be in a reasonable state and all appliances and heating should be functioning. Yes, people are homeless, but that is a totally different point and that is also a shitty reality of the state of housing in this country too. For many (especially in my area) the council properties are definitely cheaper, but HA properties don't really save you much money where I live (and rent here is high, given that it is not London or that wages are not particularly high either, it's just a good place to live).

If there was mould present, a poorly functioning boiler and plastering or painting to be done on a private rental when you first moved in, you would probably contact the landlord. I know you are supposed to maintain both council and private rental properties, but the word maintenance suggests that there is a decent standard to maintain in the first place.

I live in a council house and it's nothing like that! Not all council houses are shoddy

Firstly @Lifegoeson5 congratulations on getting away from your abusive ex and beginning to build a new life.

Perhaps if you can clarify why the council have refused to come in and deal with the boiler, plastering issues etc people can give you some proper advice?
The heat and air IS a perfectly sensible answer. Which bit do you object to?
Also make sure as you unpack that there's decent air flow around the rooms so don't leave boxes needing to be unpacked piled into corrners et.

What this thread shows actually shows is that there’s an awful lot of people renting substandard accommodation and that’s dreadful.

OP I don’t know what kind of damp you have but there’s a difference between a property that’s damp because it has been empty or doesn’t get enough heat and ventilation and damp that’s down to appalling building faults. Only you know which type you have.

Nobody should be paying silly money for damp and mouldy property...get environmental health in ..even if you are privately renting. They can insist that landlords make the repairs needed.

For those of you who have bought property that’s damp....presumably you don’t go in blind. And sadly owning a house comes with all the expenses...too many people buy who can’t really afford it.

I am lucky enough to have a HA house...and our rent is just over £500 a month. While we are not currently on any benefits DS is disabled so working for me can be hit and miss.

When I moved in here there was nothing, no carpets, graffiti over the walls, electricity meter bypassed so the previous tenant had been getting free electricity, and a garden full to the brim of rubbish which to be fair the council came and cleared for me.

I’ve been here nine years now and we’ve spent a fortune on the garden...DH came into a bit of money which paid for that....we paid around £11k for that .

The house is warm, clean, decorated and it’s ours so we look after it and DS might always have to call it home.

OP you sound overwhelmed and disappointed that the house is looking tired and has a few issues.

Write a list and allocate the money you have borrowed sensibly. It’s very hard to think that 5k won’t stretch to get it in decent condition if you spend wisely and do work yourselves.

If it needs to cover furniture as well go down the second hand route, the world is swamped with decent stuff people are finished with.