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.

My youngest son being autistic doesn’t cope well with change so one priority is to make his room as cosy and familiar as possible ie same wall paper curtains etc as he would then feel more settled.

Just to say, @Niknick, that's a lovely idea. Will he have the same furniture, too?

On carpets ... I always bought big offcuts and had them fitted by the offcut warehouse's recommended fitter. Cost about £150 a room including fitting, underlay and grippers.

I started with my DD's room and worked my way round the house. Eventually some of these rooms were replaced with laminate as I had more spare money.

You do it bit by bit like everyone else. Buyblinds from IKEA. Do the garden yourself, get the kids to help. Kids really won't care if walls are painted etc, you don't need to wait to move them in. You're being very precious and unpractical.

@MrsMomoa

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.

This. You sound pretty entitled OP.

I’ve helped two family members move into council properties. They’ve both had to do this. The first house was awful - sex toys left in the cupboards. We had to scrub and paint the whole house.

Same with the second (minus the sex toys!), but we did have to decorate and carpet etc. You buy cheap just to get you started.

Be grateful you’ve been given a long term secure home. It will get there.

Blinds don't need to cost £500, you can get cheap ones from Argos and you just do what you can as and when you can afford it

@Niknick I once moved into a house that was infested with fleas in the carpets.

Believe me your autistic son would be more upset with bites and itching, sprays and constant vacuuming.

I’m sorry to be harsh but this is why the carpets get ditched.

You’ll find a way to make it work. Focus on flooring

I know it’s really hard but don’t give this up because it will take a while to save and get nice. It’s short term pain for long term stability, security and overall gain.

There is no way I could move my kids into a house with bare floors.

You cut your coat according to your cloth. I am fortunate to own my house but as I had little cash when we moved in, we lived with bare concrete under a rug in the hall, took up the awful carpets everywhere else and left down just the underlay for a whole year until I had saved enough for new flooring.
You just need to decide on the priorities according to what you can afford. If you want new carpets then fine, but cut down or go without something else.

The council should repair the fence, raise it with them
Ask them certainly. But in most social housing they only do boundary fences (leading to a road or public area) not dividing fences (between neighbours)

Can you get a bank loan to cover the repairs?

I had a council house in 2003, I bought curtains from charity shops and donations from friends family . I certainly didn’t pay hundreds of pounds for blinds. I had no carpets , the bedrooms were wooden floors but not smooth. The lounge had a concrete floor, I knocked on a door and asked for rugs from someone’s skip plus I had a small one from my daughters room. We hopped from one to another in the winter as the floor was freezing.
I had a four year old daughter but we just got on with it. Eventually we got carpets and nicer curtains etc. It takes time, I do think expectations can be too high sometimes.

Room size end of roll carpet you can get for £50 odd quid in carpet right, fit it yourself only takes 30 mins, curtains a tenner in b and m, stair carpet £ 350 fitted. Doesn’t have to cost a fortune. The money you save not paying private rent will help you do other bits as and when you can.

@Niknick I haven’t RTFT so don’t know if this has already been suggested, but could you buy carpets, curtains, white goods etc. from somewhere that does interest free credit? This would allow you to get the things now (usually with a small deposit), but pay for them over 1-2 years. Don’t do this if you aren’t able to pay things off in the 0% interest time as, if not paid off before interest is due, the interest is often backdated to the start of the interest free period and is often at a high rate. This is what I did, but always made sure I would be able to pay off the item before I had to pay interest!

You're so fortunate to be able to live in a council owned property. You will now have complete security of tenure and an affordable rent. Your plans for your son's room sound great, keeping him secure being your priority. As for the rest, it all takes time - wherever one lives, very few people have the means to do everything at once. We've been in our house a year and there's still stuff to do, but that's the pleasure of it - putting your own stamp on your own living space.

Instead of complaining, I would sincerely suggest you count your blessings to be in such a very fortunate position and being able to say goodbye to the exhorbitant and insecure private rented sector.

Were you expecting to move into a pristine new build?

Tbf, some families do get pristine new builds, like dp's mum! Didn't need any work doing at all. It doesn't seem fair that there are some people who somehow get new builds and some who get trampy places.

You haven’t had an official viewing so the council is In the process of making the property habitable. Your housing officer will show you the property when it is ready. You can ask the officer to ensure that the garden is made safe on the grounds of his disability, they have a duty to make reasonable adjustments and can also apply for a minor adaptation grant if supported by an occupational therapist. Speak to the housing officer or social worker if you have one for your son about any loans available to buy white goods and carpets.

Our house is 400 years old, we paid a lot of money for uneven walls and ceilings!

When I bought my first house I slept on a mattress on the floor and had a third hand three piece suite. My mum gave me some curtains for the bedrooms.

Nobody does everything at once unless they’re minted.

Some of the things suggested on the first post seem more than many even homeowners would do or spend! We both worked full time but would of course always sort out the garden ourselves even if we were utterly exhausted. I have never bought new curtains except in one room in one house as they are expensive. We were lucky with this (privately owned) house over 20 years ago as it had carpets and curtains and they are still here - the same set from 30 years ago and still going strong and in other houses relatives when a granny died would give us old bits of net curtains etc. that is just how life is - you make do and mend whether a tenant or a home owner.

Currently planning to move out of my council house after 13 years: nothing has been done to maintain it by the council, it would cost us an absolute fortune to repair the things we have issues with and we have decided sod it and are going to take the hike on the rent to have somewhere nice to live. When I moved in it was a state and i tried my best to get it liveable wjth no money (was single mum on benefits) and I do not feel like I ever caught up. Aside from the secured tendency, I still wish I had stayed in the lovely new build private rent I was in.

when people who have already secured their council houses take part in swaps, do they still have to rip everything out?

Sorry that should read your sons not his and the loans are social loans specifically for your type of situation.

I just realised..getting a viewing? lol when we moved it was peer through the windows. The first time we saw inside was when we got the keys.

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat

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.

More likely the owner occupiers are much poorer as they have a huge mortgage!..plus no 'vouchers' or help to do the place up.
Have yiyor seen some owner occupied places? Like squats sometimes..bare floorboards, raw plaster, basic furniture..

@Niknick I was lucky enough to be able build my own house from scratch... when I moved in it wasn't finished!! The flooring wasn't down in a few rooms and there was no curtains yet but I just got on with it!! It's really not that hard!!

Google GOV.UK:
Search budgeting loans.

@VinylDetective

Our house is 400 years old, we paid a lot of money for uneven walls and ceilings!

When I bought my first house I slept on a mattress on the floor and had a third hand three piece suite. My mum gave me some curtains for the bedrooms.

Nobody does everything at once unless they’re minted.

Our parent's cottage was like this...1590, floors that sloped so much that of you burst a necklace, all the beads ran like mice towards one wall!