To wonder how people actually afford to move into council properties

[Niknick]

So, me and my dh have been offered a house with our local council after years of being on the waiting list. We have two son’s youngest of whom is autistic and we have been offered 3 bed meaning we’d all have our own bedroom at last. I haven’t had an official viewing of the house yet ie with the hosing officer but workmen are currently doing some repairs and they allowed me and my dh in the other day to have a quick look round whilst they were sat in the garden on a break.

Anyway i went equipped with my tape measure to measure up for carpeta, blinds and just to get a general idea of how things will fit. I’ve since gone to a cheap carpet place and been quoted £1500. Blinds will cost around £450-£500. Then there are things like decoration, removal costs, buying a new oven as our current one our landlord owns etc. The property isn’t in great condition and having viewed another of the council’s houses years back me and my dh are under no illusion that the council will do anymore than the bare minimum.

So far it needs plaster work doing as the workmen have done a rubbish job. It needs scrubbing beyond recognition, the garden is like a jungle so that will be more cost as we’ll need to pay someone to do it as me and my dh are busy with work and the kids. Plus parts of the fences are smashed and need replacing as it’s not safe with my son. I know it’s the tenants responsibility to do a lot of these jobs but usually, people moving into these properties aren’t well off so AIBU to wonder how do people manage to do all this? We have virtually zero savings due to paying high private rent, so long term moving to this house would be financially a good idea, but short term I’m panicking about where the hell we find the kind of money we are going to need to make this house at least comfortable for us all to live in. Moving to my current house paying a months rent up front plus deposit and referencing check fees is cheaper than what we’ll have to spend to move to the new house so I’m quietly panicking.

You do it a bit at a time as and when you can afford it, same as everyone else council or owned. Work out what is essential and what is just nice to have and go from there. It took me 10 years to make my home somewhere I am proud to live in.

It's not just council properties.. we bought our house and all the money went into the deposit and nothing was left for furniture etc.. (we were living with parents so didn't have anything to take with us as such). Our house needed a lot of work etc so we weren't moving into a picture perfect home straight away.

You just get the essentials and do the rest one bit at a time.. ended up using credit cards which we've paid off now!

You do it up bit by bit as you go along.

There’s also cheaper ways to do things, blinds aren’t too hard to fit yourself and you can buy them cheap enough in places such as B&M, the garden can be done yourselves on days off/weekends, taking it in turns to each do an hour while the other looks after the kids etc.

Good luck!

Also there's still lots we need to do even after 8 years of buying our house! Which there was a money tree!

I think you usually get some vouchers from the council towards decorating costs, plus don't forget you will get your deposit back from the private rental so will have that money to use as well. Otherwise you will just have to do the bare minimum to make it liveable for now and then do the rest bit by bit as you can. Check out facebook/free cycle for a crappy oven that will keep you going for now, that kind of thing.

You do it gradually as time and money allows. DH and I bought our first home, which left us penniless. For the first year we lived with peeling wallpaper, bare floors and a kitchen that consisted of a secondhand fridge and a microwave. My parents lent us some deckchairs that served as our living room furniture.

It was about 7 years before some of the things you're talking of were finally done.

My childhood home never had carpet in every room!

Yes same, 13 years we’ve been in ours and it still needs work doing. But that’s life.

In the meantime you have to put up with smug neighbours who own and can afford to maintain their house looking down on you and your council house looking scruffy because they think you actually like living like that.

I guess the answer is you wait until you can afford to do things and buy the most important things first. In that way it is the same as buying your own place and a lot of us can't afford to sort out everything up front and we live with no carpets and in our case no working heating whilst we save.

youtube how to fit a carpet.
look for carpet that has been returned/cut wrongly.

wrt blinds, looks like in our area it's sheets or tin foil attached to the windows...

You might have to do some of this gradually as and when you can afford to. For example do you have any rugs thst you can use so you don't need to carpet the whole house straight away?

Lots of people have to make do at first in a new home.

Most people, even if they’re buying their own home, can’t afford to do everything at once. So pick the top priority and do that first, then save up to do the rest. With the money saved on no longer paying private rent, you’ll hopefully be able to do things bit by bit.

To be honest from what I’ve seen more or less everything in the house is essential and needs doing before we move in. I don’t expect to be able to make it exactly how I’d like it long term and I’ll go for the easiest and fastest when it comes to decoration but I can’t leave most things as I’m not moving my kids into a half done house. Plus, once we sign for the house (if we definitely decide to take it) we have to start paying rent that same day. So for at least a month we’ll be paying two lots of rent which will definitely take its toll. So we would need to be as fast as we can doing the house up but it all depends how much the council pull their finger out and what state they leave it.

You do it but by bit. Almost everyone I know is in council, and have all done it that way. Essentials first, cheap rugs to cover the floor (my sister brought fluffy towels as she had hard cold concrete floors and taped them down until she could afford a carpet!) then grab bargains as you go, don’t expect to have a nice house for a while. I’m desperate for a council place, and my current private rent is fully furnished so if I got one I’d be starting with nothing as have no savings and live hand to mouth so can’t save, but then it’s a ten year waiting list around here even with priority so it’s not something I’ll be needing to worry about any time soon.

Most of what you mention can be done yourself, or can wait until you have money. The carpet and blinds sound very expensive, where are you getting the quotes from? A local carpet shop is usually cheaper than a big chain. For blinds, you can order from online retailers yourself and fit yourself. Mos

Garden, not a priority, fence, not a priority, plasterwork, not a priority.
You just need cheap carpet and blinds.
Do a room at a time.
Make the living room and kids' bedrooms a priority.
Everything else can wait.

Were you expecting to move into a pristine new build?
Just enjoy the cheaper rent.

£1500 sounds a lot for carpets - apart from stairs and landing which would be a big more You can get cheap bedroom Carpet fitted for under £150 a room. Cheap roller blinds under £30 a room. Second hand cooker £50. Then upgrade stuff when you’ve got more money in future. Expecting a show home immediately is unrealistic for most people.

I think this is an issue for most people. We’re fairly comfortably off but have been in our house for six years and still don’t have all the curtains we need!

The thing is to ruthlessly prioritise. When we moved in here, we realised the carpets were making my asthma really bad so we pulled them up and got the floors sanded. That was it. That was all we did for about three years.

Its the same for everyone surely
We bought our first house it was an empty shell

Second house again was in disrepair so needed to get everything over time

Your not expected to do it overnight. Our garden is a disgrace but no money to sort so doing bit by bit

Blinds as pp have said b&m are great even if just a temp solution

"as I’m not moving my kids into a half done house."

Why not? Doing up the house before moving in is a luxury almost no one can afford.

Personally I'd avoid spending any money on temporary fixes, what a waste. You'll also find that once you're in, what you want for the house changes.

I picked up my blinds at Dunhelm for about 15 quid each. Places like B&M can be good for homeware stuff.

It took us a few years to have everything we needed/wanted. Some stuff we bought second hand. We got wood effect vinyl as it was cheaper then carpet later, did as much as we could ourselves using youtube and Sometimes borrowed equipment.

Owner occupiers here.

Well you don't get blinds to start with. You get cheap curtains and nets, until you can afford blinds later on. You need carpets that's true, but you get what you can afford. You don't need it replastering, that's aesthetics and can wait. Same as any decoration. The council should repair the fence, raise it with them. And the garden is, unfortunately, you're own issue. If you don't want to do it yourself it's your own choice to pay someone to do it. If you speak to the council they can sometimes give vouchers towards the cost of carpets

The garden is definitely a priority, well the fences are at least. My ds loves to play outdoors and even when I’m watching him he has a tendency to try and “escape” so having a fence that’s broken and has gaps that he could easily squeeze through isn’t an option. Plaster work I think is also a priority as I can’t exactly paint over it or paper with uneven walls.

Kids won't really notice a half done house, get the basics and do the rest gradually. Have a look in charity shops for curtains and other soft furnishings. With carpets, have a look on Facebook etc for an independent carpet fitters, stores cost the earth for what you actually need. DH is a fitter and quite often has offcuts left over that he offers to people at a hugely reduced price, if you're not fussy on the colour it can save so much!

Garden, you do over weekends like anyone else who works.

Carpets, you do bit by bit. Prioritise the rooms that matter most, put rugs down in the others. Then save, like anyone else.

Book a day off work when the kids are at school/nursery and clean it to within an inch of its life when you first move in.

Decorate room by room as you can afford it. Shit plastering isn't the end of the world and would be a luxury to redo straight away.

Blinds can be bought from Dunelm, b&q, online etc cheaply and cut to size. If you want to splash out on made to measure measure carefully yourselves and order online, fit yourselves.

I agree with the others- you have to take time.

Contact your council- they should have an officer who will able to advise if there are any grants available. Many councils give decorating grants- and some councils will come to tame the garden a little if it is in a very bad state.
If there is broken fencing which is dangerous, again the council may have a responsibility to make it secure and safe st least.
So that would be my first port of call- you may have to push for some of this service, so don't be fobbed off, and try to get an agent to come to your property to inspect it.

You can floor the kitchen and bathroom using vinyl tiles, cheap to buy and easy to fit yourself.
You don't need blinds- find a good second hand shop and buy curtains.
You can buy a second hand cooker or oven.
Same with the furniture if you need any. Buy second hand.

Good luck!