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.

So on top of everything else the drain isn't clearing quickly. It may be clogged - have you put drain cleaner down it or washing soda and hot water?

Of course OP should have contents insurance but why should she have to keep losing no claims bonus because the HA keep fucking up.

The drains fine, it’s draining, it’s the layout, it pools over the slope. It’s hard to explain

Can you post a photo? It would be a lot easier to give you ideas if we could see what you're dealing with!

If you are a uni student have you tried speaking to your student union? They often have a housing team. Sorry if that has already been suggested I haven't had time to read the while thread.

I hope you get something sorted OP, it sounds bloody miserable.

Could you afford to be a lodger or rent in a shared house?

That’s pretty much impossible with a child.

Is the drain not at the lowest point of the floor?!

Actually, from what you've said, I don't know why I'm asking. Of course it's not. Why would it be. No doubt the precious adaptions they've done bypass the laws of physics and make water run uphill, thereby making it 'not a problem'.

There’s a slope but it’s so gradual and the shower doesn’t align with the plughole. So water for some reason goes over the “ledge” and just stays there. It’s so awfully configured. I’ll get a photo in the morning when it’s daylight might be easier to see how fucked it actually is.

I get that homes have to be accessible but where do they draw the line? Surely to god adult services have some power to say “these adaptations are not viable in this property it isn’t doable”

You need to contact environmental health at your local council

All councils have an environmental health department so im unsure why you think yours doesnt? Jigsaw is based in Mcr so i assume your local council is Manchester? This is the environmental health number at Manchester City Council
0161 234 5004

Hi OP,
I'm sorry about your situation - it sounds awful.

I'm glad you are studying for your degree. You need to channel that determination that if all else fails you will get a good job and leave this behind you.

I know you should not have to do this next suggestion - no one should have to - but for the sake of getting through - could you manage to join a gym or leisure centre, with your daughter and go regularly to shower. My husband is a member of a gym that is only £22 each month. If there is a suitable leisure centre that offers swim membership and your daughter likes swimming you could make full use of the pool as well as the showers. You might be able to save some of the membership monies by not needing to ventilate (and in turn heat) quite so extensively if you are not using the shower.

Could you try telephoning other housing associations and the Council and getting your name on their lists. Could you tell them about the problems that you are suffering. I don't know if it is still the case but when I worked in housing support (some years ago) my housing association kept their own list of priority and allocated their housing according to that. It wasn't the same list as the Council.

It is unacceptable for you to have to live in this environment.

I would suggest that you write an email, with photos, directly to the chief executive of Jigsaw. Include a timeline of when you have called/contacted their call centre, what "repairs" have been carried out, and all the damp, concreted tiles and rotted skirting.

Ask them if they think that this is a suitable home for you and tour child, and if so, would they authorise photographs to be used on the home page of their website. Because if they wouldn't, then the website is misleading.

Insist on a senior person from Jigsaw, with decision making capability, come and visit your home to discuss what can be done to make it livable.

Include quotes from their website, and how your home absolutely does not match what they claim to stand for, despite your best efforts to be a great tenant and to work with their staff and operatives.

Sometimes highlighting nonsense like the situation you've been left in to the top person gets things resolved.

Copy your local Council's Chief Housing Officer and the Council Lead for housing (a councillor) in.

My sister and I had to do this over a botched kitchen refit, it took some serious persistence on our part, but we did get the kitchen floor lifted and re-laid, kitchen refitted, and the bathroom done by way of an apology. It was a proper mission, but ultimately we got our way.

HAs are great at doing nice shiny new builds, and lovely community initiatives, but they are absolutely accountable for maintaining ALL the housing stock to a decent standard.

Also, can you University help at all? With alternative housing, Mental health support, or anything really? If you haven't already, see Student Services and the Students Union and see if they can offer any support at all. If you're intending to continue your degree with them after you've completed your foundation year, it's important for you to be able to focus on studying.

I’m not under Manchester City council. I know we don’t have EH for housing. It’s housing standards. I’ve already spoke to them. They asked me to send an email with all the issues then forwarded it to the housing association who then replied I’ve had fans fitted problem solved.

If this a HA flat then can you contact the council’s environmental health housing team? They’ll assess whether it’s fit/what works are required to make it ‘fit’ & they can serve legal notices on HA to carry out works. It has to be unlinked to the council though as the council can’t serve legal notices on themselves!

Sorry I’ve noticed above that you’ve said you don’t have env health? Really? You need to go back to the housing standards team to say the HA are talking shit they’ve not helped & ask for a visit.

Have you spoken to Environmental Health in your local council and requested a HHSRS assessment?

If you literally have no worktop space at all they should consider it deficient in terms of Cat. 15-Domestic Hygiene.

There should also be some form of active ventilation in the wet room.

If it's going over the silicone barrier it should be going down the drain unless there is a massive slope away from the drain. Stick some washing soda down the drain anyway.

When was the extractor fan fitted and do you have a date for the floor to be done?

Housing standards cant expect the extractor fan to fix the floor problem, send them photos.

Jigsaw people to contact Jigsaw board chairman Roli Barker he is on X as Roli underscore B (mumsnet wont let me type that)and new to this role or try [email protected], Hilary Roberts CEO until 1 March [email protected] , Brian Moran deputy and CEO from March - cant find email, try [email protected].

If the silicone barrier is useless could you use one of these? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cost-Wise-plug-small-medium-73x41x28cm/dp/B086294G9V/ref=pd_day0_d_sccl_4_4/262-1350289-5504736?pd_rd_w=wNG0d&content-id=amzn1.sym.c792d7a5-9034-43f8-85bb-20091edc6b5f&pf_rd_p=c792d7a5-9034-43f8-85bb-20091edc6b5f&pf_rd_r=BSETKCFWP072CDSPKQW6&pd_rd_wg=N6TAJ&pd_rd_r=8aac1315-de3a-4cc4-8ab0-e63e5996655d&pd_rd_i=B086294G9V&psc=1

Which council to you pay your council tax to? All councils have an environmental health team. They dont just deal with housing

The department within EH at OPs council that deals with rental property is called 'housing standards' it's the same thing, just a different name.

Exactly this. You are not disabled yet are not allowed to make it suitable for you. You are an assured tenant. It's ridiculous

Go to the papers. They won't post a photo of you, if you want to stay anonymous, especially as you've fled DV.

Did you have a surveyor come round and do those wall readings to measure the damp levels when you had your damp inspection?

Don't give up. A friend fought our local council with the help of a solicitor and they eventually rehoused her and her children. She had damp and mould issues too.

They did the damp test with the electric thing and I got told it’s condensation, aka lifestyle
I know for a fact that the wet room is causing it. It’s constantly piss wet through even with me trying to dry it. Will they listen, no