Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Council refurb...am I expecting too much ?aibu?

224 replies

bringitbackks · 23/09/2022 12:46

I leave in a two bed house which I rent from my local council.
Lived here 10 years and love it.
I decorated 6 months ago then received a letter saying I was getting a new kitchen plus rewire done.
So a month ago works started and it was going to take 10 working days.
So I pack everything away and box it up and protective flooring gets lay.
The first day nobody arrived ...the second day nobody arrived (after having a day by day itinerary ) nobody told me why or informed me they weren't coming.
They left me with holes in the walls with wires on show ,the kitchen hasn't been painted (painters were meant to be here two weeks ago)
The kitchen cupboard shelves have all collapsed as the brackets have snapped (I was told they were a dodgy batch )
Two weeks I have rang the site manager to be told "work will be finished tomorrow " and nobody turns up
Nobody now replies to my messages and the site manager doesn't answer the phone to
Me.
So like I say my kitchen isn't painted or floor put down,holes everywhere (even tho the plasterer has been three weeks ago -he missed these holes )
And now my shelves in the cupboards have collapsed.
Aibu to think this is disgrace?
The protective floor is covered in pieces of wall from the wire and also cement /plaster and god knows what else.
I can't get at any of my stuff as it's all boxed up
I honestly want to cry
If they would tell me when they are coming back to finish the work I wouldn't mind as much also no decorating vouchers that were promised

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
CoastalWave · 23/09/2022 14:17

DoubleBuggyDriver · 23/09/2022 12:58

It really isn’t free…

But it really is free?! I genuinely don't understand people saying it's not.

I'm in a house I've bought myself. We don't even have a bloody kitchen - I'm literally cooking out of a microwave and we have a bucket for a sink.

I'm paying a mortgage. She's paying her rent.

She gets a kitchen put in without having to pay any more. IT"S FREE.

CourtneeLuv · 23/09/2022 14:18

I haven't rtft but they used to used Howdens kitchens, but probably don't anymore. Contact your housing officer or resident liaison officer and complain. Take pictures of everything. Tell them you think the cupboards are at risk of falling off the wall onto someone and they'll soon move into action. Also, they should be reimbursing you any takeaway costs etc for the time you are without a kicthen so keep any receipts.

Owlsinmybedroom · 23/09/2022 14:19

Macaroni1924 · 23/09/2022 14:07

Nah as clearly I’m as thick as shit. I have rented and I now finally own. It doesn’t matter it’s still a ‘free’ kitchen as someone else said so don’t speak to me like I’m a tit.
Should the work take this long no, but the person only said at least it’s free.

It's not free.

I don't know how you cannot understand this.

Where do you think the money is coming from to pay for the kitchen?

MotherOfPuffling · 23/09/2022 14:19

I agree this is shocking, but will say that where I am (London) council rents are A LOT cheaper than mortgages! I’ve got decent equity as bought years ago, but my mortgage is £1,800 pcm for a tiny house. My mum is in a same sized social housing property is a nicer part of London, and her rent and service charge is £600 pcm.

PaterPower · 23/09/2022 14:19

Those sockets!
I’d be embarrassed leaving sockets that wonky, and I’m a DIY / amateur. I’d be worried that the overall rewriting was done safely.

nokidshere · 23/09/2022 14:20

Whether it is free to the tenant or not is totally irrelevant. It's not free to someone. There is no excuse for shoddy workmanship and unprofessional behaviour whoever is footing the bill.

badgermushrooms · 23/09/2022 14:20

A brief introduction to social housing finance, for the posters who think OP is getting something for nothing or that we are paying for this kitchen: tenants pay rent which goes into a special housing account kept separate from other council finances. This pays for repairs, maintenance, refurbishment (including new kitchens and bathrooms when needed), new stock, everything. Any competent social landlord will be doing kitchen replacements on a schedule and will build these upcoming costs into each year's rent increase, just as any competent private landlord will be thinking about repairs and maintenance when setting their rents.

OP, email your local councillor. If they're any good they'll want to know and at the very least will be asking the housing department what's up. There's a massive shortage of people who can do this sort of work at the moment but you shouldn't be left this long without a kitchen or any communication.

Macaroni1924 · 23/09/2022 14:22

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 23/09/2022 14:17

Eh yeah, but then you can rent any house and the landlord would renew faulty items/update kitchens. Rent is rent she hasn’t paid for a kitchen out her own pocket ffs she pays to live there

Where do you think the money comes from for replacement kitchens?

From the rental income

I need a fucking lie down.

It’s a perk of renting not having to pay for repairs. A landlord can walk away with that money is his/her pocket can fund their lifestyle with it. It doesn’t matter how you put it the price for renting is what it is it’s a bloody free kitchen. So for all the years of no repairs where does that money go? Into pockets of landlords. Enjoy ur lie down.

lannistunut · 23/09/2022 14:22

TwinkleChristmas · 23/09/2022 13:18

Wish I could get a free kitchen for just two weeks of work.

Oh have a Biscuit

Home owners own an asset. The OP doesn't.

I am paying for someone to my electrics currently. the difference being they are MY electrics I can sell to someone in future.

Grow up.

Owlsinmybedroom · 23/09/2022 14:22

CoastalWave · 23/09/2022 14:17

But it really is free?! I genuinely don't understand people saying it's not.

I'm in a house I've bought myself. We don't even have a bloody kitchen - I'm literally cooking out of a microwave and we have a bucket for a sink.

I'm paying a mortgage. She's paying her rent.

She gets a kitchen put in without having to pay any more. IT"S FREE.

So if its free where has the money come from for the kitchen?

LookItsMeAgain · 23/09/2022 14:22

Good update there @bringitbackks . My advice would be to go around the kitchen taking note of the things you need fixed and repaired (from the shoddy work that has been done up to now) and use this time to create a snag list.
These are things that you're not happy with the way they were 'done' and need to be sorted by who ever shows up on Tuesday for you.

So, start at your kitchen door and work your way around the room, jotting down every little thing that you're not happy with. Don't forget the flooring (if it reaches the presses or not, if it is left in a flat state that you're not going to trip, that your kitchen table will fit/is level etc, that the pendant light fitting over the table is over the table and not moved to be in a different place, that all of the sockets work etc. etc. etc.

When the guys show up on Tuesday, not only will they have a list (probably given to them by the woman who scheduled them to come around), but you will have your list too!

Make sure you're happy with the work before they leave.

badgermushrooms · 23/09/2022 14:22

@CoastalWave Would it help if you think of it as paying in installments? It's built into the rent.

eggsandbaconeveryday · 23/09/2022 14:22

Contact the council and ask to speak to the planners of the repairs department. They are the people who will schedule the work. Tell them that you can't take any more time off and that you need a completion date because there are several health and safety issues. If they are unable to give you a date of completion then ask them to provide alternative accommodation until the work is complete. Then contact your local health and safety executive .

Knittedfairies · 23/09/2022 14:23

That's a good update OP; I hope everything gets resolved on Tuesday.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 23/09/2022 14:23

Oh lord.

Ok. Let's break it down.

Acorn Homes owns a street of 20 houses. They are a housing association and all houses are rented out to tenants. Every tenant pays 500pcm rent.

Acorn Homes receives 20 lots of 500 per month every month. They keep the money and use it for things like wages, insurances, repairs to the street, a gardener to cut the communal grass in the middle of the estate and they save the rest in a pot.

In 10 years time, they need to put new bathrooms in each home. So they book a contract to supply 20 bathrooms to the houses on the street. Then the invoice comes in, and the money from their bank account is paid to the bathroom fitters.

The money in Acorn Homes bank account is 100% made up of peoples rent.

Therefore, every Acorn Homes tenant has, over the last 10 years, been giving some of the money to the bathroom fund. Therefore it is not a free bathroom, but something that every tenant has paid towards over the last 10 years.

One day, Acorn Homes decide to sell off number 20. So the home is sold, and Acorn Homes now owns 19 houses.

When they then come to do the new kitchens, they use their bank account (full of people rent) to pay for 19 kitchens.

Number 20 has to pay for their own kitchen, and does this using their own funds, as they do not have a landlord who is obliged to provide this.

Mortgages are cheaper than rent, so Number 20 now only pays 400pcm to the bank for their mortgage, and now has 100pcm spare to save for replacements in their owned home.

Dancingonthemoonlight · 23/09/2022 14:24

@CoastalWave the jealousy in your post is outstanding, how do you think the council/HA are able to afford to pay for all our 'upgrades' and repairs? The answer is simple... 100's of tenants paying say £500 a month, every month is big bucks for the provider, out of ALL the tenants paid rents that's where the money comes from for the repairs and the refurbishment! They are NOT free!
Do you hate private renters as well as us council/HA tenants? Do private renters get new kitchens/bathrooms etc for free as well? You chose to buy a house, you don't get to be jealous of someone in social housing because the majority of us would LOVE to own our houses but unfortunately we can't afford it. Does it not go through your mind that you are probably paying LESS for your mortgage monthly than we are for our rent? I haven't seen a council/HA property under £400 in YEARS, I pay £500 a month for mine and that goes up every April.

lannistunut · 23/09/2022 14:26

CoastalWave · 23/09/2022 14:17

But it really is free?! I genuinely don't understand people saying it's not.

I'm in a house I've bought myself. We don't even have a bloody kitchen - I'm literally cooking out of a microwave and we have a bucket for a sink.

I'm paying a mortgage. She's paying her rent.

She gets a kitchen put in without having to pay any more. IT"S FREE.

Oh my god.

If you put in a new kitchen you own it, you have bought it.

The OP's kitchen is owned by the owner of the property, they have bought it.

There is no free kitchen in either scenario.

CherryRipe1 · 23/09/2022 14:27

Howdens/magnets have contract quality kitchens for social housing & it's very basic. The job they have done so far op is substandard & they have taken the piss. I used to live in an HA flat & had nightmares with a new roof and skylight. The workman/HAs treat tenants like sub humans at times. Please complain to your Housing officer and take it from there. Good luck.

x2boys · 23/09/2022 14:27

CoastalWave · 23/09/2022 14:17

But it really is free?! I genuinely don't understand people saying it's not.

I'm in a house I've bought myself. We don't even have a bloody kitchen - I'm literally cooking out of a microwave and we have a bucket for a sink.

I'm paying a mortgage. She's paying her rent.

She gets a kitchen put in without having to pay any more. IT"S FREE.

You chose to buy a house, The Op is renting ,wether it's from a social landlord or private landlord ,the landlord owns the property not the Op so is responsible for kitchen upgrades etc
As a homeowner it is your responsibility for upgrades etc
I don't what people are imagining when they think of a new kitchen?
But my housing association kitchen is just cupboards ,a sink and flooring ,all the kitchen appliances are mine which I own.

MrsMoastyToasty · 23/09/2022 14:28

Let's hope the contractors keep their promise.
If they don't then go to the CEO at the council and threaten to go to the local government ombudsman if it's not sorted.

WindsweptNotInteresting · 23/09/2022 14:30

CoastalWave · 23/09/2022 14:17

But it really is free?! I genuinely don't understand people saying it's not.

I'm in a house I've bought myself. We don't even have a bloody kitchen - I'm literally cooking out of a microwave and we have a bucket for a sink.

I'm paying a mortgage. She's paying her rent.

She gets a kitchen put in without having to pay any more. IT"S FREE.

People are saying it is not free, because PPs have said "wish I could get a free kitchen", implying that because OP is a council tenant, she is getting handouts and that that is somehow unfair.

Ok, she does not have to physically find the money for said kitchen, but in the same way as every other renter, the landlord (here, the council) has a responsibility to uphold the property to a decent standard. OPs kitchen that was put in in 1989, is not likely to be to a good standard.

And the very obvious difference between OPs situation and yours is that you OWN your property! All the money you put into it, you will recoup! Yes she pays rent and you pay a mortgage, but when you have finished paying your mortgage, you will own a home you can sell on and likely make a lot of money on. When OP finishes paying her rent, she will have nothing to show for it because it will still be owned by the council. So your microwave and bucket may be frustrating for now, but you have a security renters do not have.

There is the difference.

ihatethefuckingmuffin · 23/09/2022 14:34

Johnnysgirl · 23/09/2022 13:37

Unless they've increased your rent to claw back the cost then it is free.

Not free.
Council and housing associations spend the minimal they can get away with when it comes to repairs and refurbishments.

mochimoons · 23/09/2022 14:34

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 23/09/2022 14:23

Oh lord.

Ok. Let's break it down.

Acorn Homes owns a street of 20 houses. They are a housing association and all houses are rented out to tenants. Every tenant pays 500pcm rent.

Acorn Homes receives 20 lots of 500 per month every month. They keep the money and use it for things like wages, insurances, repairs to the street, a gardener to cut the communal grass in the middle of the estate and they save the rest in a pot.

In 10 years time, they need to put new bathrooms in each home. So they book a contract to supply 20 bathrooms to the houses on the street. Then the invoice comes in, and the money from their bank account is paid to the bathroom fitters.

The money in Acorn Homes bank account is 100% made up of peoples rent.

Therefore, every Acorn Homes tenant has, over the last 10 years, been giving some of the money to the bathroom fund. Therefore it is not a free bathroom, but something that every tenant has paid towards over the last 10 years.

One day, Acorn Homes decide to sell off number 20. So the home is sold, and Acorn Homes now owns 19 houses.

When they then come to do the new kitchens, they use their bank account (full of people rent) to pay for 19 kitchens.

Number 20 has to pay for their own kitchen, and does this using their own funds, as they do not have a landlord who is obliged to provide this.

Mortgages are cheaper than rent, so Number 20 now only pays 400pcm to the bank for their mortgage, and now has 100pcm spare to save for replacements in their owned home.

Mic drop! 👏

Cigarettesaftersex1 · 23/09/2022 14:34

Macaroni1924 · 23/09/2022 14:07

Nah as clearly I’m as thick as shit. I have rented and I now finally own. It doesn’t matter it’s still a ‘free’ kitchen as someone else said so don’t speak to me like I’m a tit.
Should the work take this long no, but the person only said at least it’s free.

Stop behaving like a tit and people won't speak to you like one

Owlsinmybedroom · 23/09/2022 14:37

CoastalWave · 23/09/2022 14:17

But it really is free?! I genuinely don't understand people saying it's not.

I'm in a house I've bought myself. We don't even have a bloody kitchen - I'm literally cooking out of a microwave and we have a bucket for a sink.

I'm paying a mortgage. She's paying her rent.

She gets a kitchen put in without having to pay any more. IT"S FREE.

Are you in the UK? If so:

Why did you take your kitchen out if you cannot afford to put a new one in?

Because it's extremely unusual, if not impossible to get a mortgage on a house without a kitchen, especially without a sink.

Swipe left for the next trending thread