Social housing exchange - AIBU

[Brighton5555]

Hey

just need some assurance / reality check I guess. I have managed to find a housing swap after quite some time ( the feedback I get is lovely house but too small) so not beating off offers by any means despite my home being to a high standard and spent thousands on it…

im due to sign a exchange soon. The man has the same bedrooms as me and he has a house in a area I desire but if this house wasn’t in the area I want I don’t know if I would actually go for it..

bonus points are - neighbours on one side only, good garden size, extra toilet downstairs, larger kitchen than mine, larger bathroom and about same size of the 4 bedrooms BUT

its pretty gross. He has 7 animals including 4 dogs, it needs gutted from top to bottom as in complete new flooring and complete decoration and the bathroom will need ripped out. It’s in a very poor conditon but has passed all the checks they do for exchanging .. I viewed it for the 3rd time last week and the house had a lot of flies, I mean a lot I suspect from the animals . It was super clear to me on that viewing just how much money and work will need to be put in whereas here mine needs only a freshen up on the painting upstairs there are no other costs to him..

of course he’s lucky and it’s not his fault that our homes are very different but I just feel am I being crazy to take it on? I’m legit starting from the bottom again and will need to spend a few weeks living outside and at least £15,000 to have it okay to move into.

I have the means to do both but I know it’s going to a long slog. Again the benefits are extra toilet, larger kitchen and bathroom more manageable sized garden and a better area ..

I guess I feel daunted by it all

OP / There is so much misinformation on this thread that is laughable.

NO council or HA is replacing kitchen and bathrooms very 5 years, it’s absurd to even believe this is a reality.

Most HA and council vary however the standard lifespan of a kitchen is 20/25 years and 25/30 years on bathrooms.

Even if the bathroom is dated it would not be renews as long as it’s in working condition, however I would check with you HA when the bathroom is die to be modernised.

OP are you aware that my doing a mutual exchange your are signing a contract that no non essential repairs will be carried out for 2 years as you’ve taken the property as seen?

For the windows they will meet the decent home standard as long as they are water tight, even if single glazed/show condensation.

You need to read the contract that you will be signing as this is a legal document, so many tenants think they can just bypass this contract.

Why are you insulting people for asking questions / debating the allocation of a social good/
resource?

Because truth be told they don’t really care. They just want a group of people to hate

Thank you. I miss my late DH, but I'm staying put. I love it here, and the memories are here with me.💐

No, you're right.

Ive been here 15 years, and the only one that has replaced the kitchen and bathroom has been me.

The windows haven't been replaced (only the odd pane when condensation started in the seals). They are in good condition though.

My boiler, 17 years old, is up for replacement, as it's getting a bit unreliable.

Not sure what council or HA would be replacing kitchens/bathrooms every 5 years.🤔

They did replace the video building entry system, and they did replace the burglar alarms in the flats. That's it.

I pay £800 per month - and I pay full rent.

A lot of misinformation on here.🙄

I've lived in my HA for 15 years and never had my kitchen or bathroom replaced!

tbh the only person who appears to want to hate a group of people is you!

Nobody else is being personal, vicious and insulting and making sweeping judgements about people’s characters 💁🏼‍♀️.

What a sheltered life you must lead

It is pointless hating SH tenants, that may have been there for years, and who have the good sense to stay put.

Only a fool would give up SH and move into private rentals.

We need more SH - and that is down to governments. Pointless everyone fighting about it.🙄

Social housing and govts need people living in SH who earn a good wage - that's the fresh money coming into the company! Otherwise it's just gocts giving benefits to SH companies to cover their running costs.