To just walk out my council house.

[CoconutSky]

I hate despise this flat.
I’ve ended up in an adapted property with a wet room.
It’s riddled with damp because of the wet room, I’ve spent thousands on painting and decorating, carpeting when I moved in to make it nice. I fled DV, after less than 2 years it’s all had to come up and be replaced.
Wet room is being “repaired” but I don’t hold much hope.
I’ve no worktops, 4 kitchen cupboards and no space whatsoever and I’ve just had enough. I only realised the further adaptations when comparing my flat to my neighbours and I just feel like walking out. Communal hallway also stinks of cigarettes which comes into my home, HA are aware and have done nothing but send letters out. Despite it being a communal hallway an inspectors also said that the other tenants are okay to smoke cigarettes as it’s not illegal. It might not be illegal but I can’t open my windows cos it comes in all the bedrooms. DD’s stinks so bad of fags she’s in with me and that’s with the window closed.

Im so miserable, the wet room stinks, my shoes and bags have always got mould in. Im on the mutual exchange but no one wants flats and I can’t get a managed move, property is 2 beds and I’m “adequately housed”
I even asked if the housing association had a special register for adapted properties but they don’t.
I can’t afford private rented and wouldn’t pass a credit check due to my ex getting me in debt.

I don’t know what to do, I’m sick of phoning the housing association, sick of being upset and seeing plaster and paint just fall off the wall. I’m at my wits end and I feel like I’m trapped in this place.

@CoconutSky I've a wet room, fitted by thr council. I have used special bathroom paint in there and kitchen. I have to keep window open , door closed and fan on when using the shower. The other thing that I've noticed is, if the drain isn't cleared regularly inside and out, it does tend to flood a bit. I'd hate the smoke smell too, opening the windows is honestly the best way to air it. Your dd is not using the bedroom anyway, crack them open for 30 mins or more every morning.
I honestly would not give up the tenancy. You'll make yourself intentionally homeless and it might mean a worse place you end up in.
I wish I could offer more advice I just don't have any.

Sounds like a awful situation. But on the smoking point - there's nothing more they can really do other than send warning letters/put up signs. Yes, it might be a breach of tenancy but that doesn't mean they can just evict someone for smoking in the communal stair, as frustrating as that is. To evict someone you need to go to court, and it's highly unlikely you'd ever actually get a possession order down to someone smoking in a corridor.

When you raised a complaint to the ombudsman, was this focused on the mould/damp issue or did you mention the layout too? What was their response to the layout issue?

I would email saying that it is your intention to claim for mould and housing disrepair and tell them to put their insurers on notice. They are obliged to pay fir damaged possessions

The Law Centre is a good idea. The thing with people like Jigsaw is that they don't care. So they rely on tenants like you who are bashing their heads against the wall with legitimate complaints but carry no weight or danger to their reputation.

I suspect that the threat of legal action will get them to sit up a bit. You've done so much already - keep going OP and good luck with your viewing.

Also whereabouts in Manch do you need to be? There do seem to be a couple of options on RightMove that are less than the 1100 but no idea if they are local to nursery? Is moving nursery an option?

DD is at Uni in Manchester and these seem to be Fallowfield which I know is a student area?

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/88631168#/?channel=STU_LET

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143336411#/?channel=RES_LET

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143383370#/?channel=RES_LET

So sorry. Please don’t give up. Go back to CAB. Take care 🌺

sounds a bit out the box, but have you considered moving somewhere you could afford to rent privately? Far away? New job, new start, new place type stuff?

Did that a few years ago when I split with ex. Best thing I ever did.

I work for the housing register team at our local council. We don't own housing stock, but advertise and shortlist properties for various housing associations. There is a clause in our allocations policy, that if the property is substantially adapted and those adaptations are not needed by the tenant - they can be accepted onto the register to move as we need adapted properties for those who need adapted properties! If your housing register is run by your local council, give them a bell. I've had similar cases to assess and I'd be accepting you on the basis that someone who needs this level of adaptations needs the property more than you.

Unfortunately it sounds as though this property was hard for the housing association to let (and I can see why from your description!) and like you say, you had to accept due to being in refuge and under homelessness duty.

I'd certainly look into your local housing allocations policy for clauses such as the one I mentioned if you haven't already.

I'm sorry you're stuck in this situation.

@toomuchfaff that's what I suggested. OP lives in Manchester where apparently a 2 bed costs £1100. It would be a lot cheaper in Newcastle (that's where I'm hoping to go eventually) - although I don't know how easy it is to actually find somewhere decent to rent/how in demand houses are there. I'm guessing it costs a fair bit to relocate etc? I'm not sure of OP's full situation, but I agree this is a good idea.

No. I have a child, I need to be close to family
Plus I’m literally bankrupt so I won’t be accepted anywhere 🤣
Love that though, my friend did it too, she’s so much happier now x

@CoconutSky Sorry - not read all thread - what do you do for work? Could you save bit by bit for a rental deposit at all so you could move? Just thinking out loud.

I’m a student. It’s hard finding landlords that don’t do credit ratings. I’m bankrupt.

@CoconutSky What about when you've finished studying? Are you able to find work then?

@CoconutSky Do you have anyone that would be a guarantor so you can do a private rent? It would give you so many more options.

No guarantor unfortunately. I will be working yes hopefully. However I’m not living here for 4 years. I’ll put myself on the streets before I do that.

@CoconutSky Why four years before you can move?

My degree is another 3 years. I’m doing an Foundation Year

@CoconutSky move unis for first year? There are a few with accommodation for those with children. Leicester and Birmingham if I remember rightly?

I had terrible damp.
Like we had no plaster on the walls.
We ended up taking it court and winning the case and being moved.
It was a REALLY long and ardous process.
And at times I felt like walking away.
We had furniture. Flooring. Everything ruined. And we looked at private renting.
I also have a neurological disability so had my medical team and adult social worker helping me and our HA still dragged their feet continuously.

People on MN are very quick to treat HA homes like the holy grail. But they come with so many issues. And we still pay rent. A fair old whack too.

You know you can ask for a direct match? Where you can be moved to a home with the same spec, ie bedrooms. However somewhere different. Especially if it doesn't meet your families needs.

This is something all HAs offer. But don't often talk about.

You go on a different list and as soon as a home comes up that meets your needs, you get first refusal before it goes on the list.

I've been where you have been. And it almost broke me and my family.
Keep going. Xxx

I’m sorry you’ve experienced this too. It’s draining isn’t it, constantly feeling like shit and doing absolutely anything to not be in the house.

How did you go about moving can I ask? Was it a court ordered move or?

Go to your local councillor, Mp and local paper.

No.
Although I requested my solicitor include in.
Which sounds like yes. But there was a lot of back and forth because they were going to do the work. But move us. But couldn't tell us how long. Or where. And I have a PA so I needed to know both things for my kids school and my own care. So we agreed if they could move us to a home that was suitable, why couldn't I just stay.

But it went through as a direct match. Which is something we had before as we only had a downstairs bathroom in our previous home and I needed up and down.

You can ask your housing officer to look at getting this process started. They essentially do an assessment. Then write a letter to the boss of whoever HA your with, and they get final say.
Ultimately it comes down to them having to prove why you wouldn't need it. Which is hard to do when they are the reason you have to leave.

Honestly it was the worst experience of my life. I was on extra medication for anxiety. My kids wouldn't have friends over and the house was literally falling down around us.
Literally.

People would come inside and have no words.

One guy from the HA refused to do work incase the ceiling fell on him.

But we had to live there.

You have to be ready to really fight a good fight. Because that's the only way anyone listens.

I'm really sending all my love because it's a horrid place to be. Xx

That sounds like hell on earth I’m so so glad you managed to get out of there.

Thats me now. I won’t let anyone visit, not even my mum and I’ve ended up on antidepressants
It’s just soul destroying. I don’t wanna write on here what the type of thoughts I’m having at the minute but they’re so unpleasant. Thank you so much for the advice when the housing officer eventually contacts me I’ll mention it xx

I feel you.
I've been there if you ever want a chat.
Contact them daily. Become their new best friend

Don't give up your flat.
They will never house you again.
There are not enough council properties around and it's getting worse.
The rental market is awful, you could be asked to move every 6months, no fault evictions and never settle.
Get on homeswapper, find someone who wants an adapted flat - then search like mad for whatever they want and do a 3way swap.
It's tough but I've moved twice, a 3way swap each time in the last few years.
Ask on here for help - but don't leave a council place