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.

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We've gone pretty far off topic here - but -

Please be aware that doing a nursing degree is a very rare exception to where people on benefits and all sorts of different life situations are being inducted to degree courses. I know this as I know a few people who are now doing nursing degrees.

That is because the NHS is in a crisis for nurses.

In fact when you go a bit deeper into this, it's a pretty terrifying situation with regard to people who aren't qualified and have barely begun their courses being put into work placements.

I've looked into various forms of higher education for my own purposes and can assure that unless you have some exceptional situation or fall into a category of bursary that is targeted at your demographic (and even then you'd be lucky to get one as there'd be stiff competition), then there really is no such thing as free higher education. Most especially if claiming benefits as UC expect you to be spending 35 hours a week job seeking and if unwell then you cannot legally be well enough to study any course of 16+ hours per week which is pretty much nearly all HE. You can't have a foot in both camps when it comes to benefits claims and HE (except in rare circumstances) and it could even be unlawful if trying to do both.

@LittleMissSunshiner Correct. Its always been similar too. In 2006 i looked into training as a teacher. JC told me i would have to sign off and fund it myself

OP this is a good idea before you do something rash.

Downsizing from a two bed to a large one bed (of your choice) would be far far better option than just upping sticks.

Where I live, our flats are all new builds and there's many advantages to a new build that would make the disadvantages of being slightly overcrowded a bit more palatable.

If you got a spacious one bed, and especially in a new build, you could put a temporary partition wall or use shelving or curtains to section off a second bed area. Plenty of people live like that and it'd make way more sense than abandoning a social housing tenancy and putting self at risk.

Also, HAs and councils proactively help people downsize and offer incentives.

The HA are unlikely to rehouse the OP to a property that will be over-crowded, private rental may be an option, but the OP has already explained her difficulties in doing this.

@Topofthemountain agreed. In my area op would not be allowed to do this and make herself overcrowded.

@JenniferBooth if you have a degree you can train on the job.
Tbh I don't see the problem with signing off and being a student if you are going to do a course that results in the job.

Tbh op -

You've said it yourself.

• The HA/council won't move you. Give up on that. The UK has a huge shortage of homes, especially those for social rent.

• You are bankrupt so renting privately is unlikely to be an option.

• you know that the source of the moisture is the wet room set up. This means that your only solution to improve it, is to ensure that all water in that wetroom, leaves that wetroom.

So:

• does the sink drainage leak? If it does, stop using it and only use the kitchen sink.
• if the water from the shower is collecting and not flowing away down the drain, you need to find a means that contains the shower water, amd directs it down the drain.

In your shoes I'd be filling a washing up bowl with the shower head each day amd washing with that, with the window open wide to ensure any water vapour leaves. I'd have a shower at your mums every few days, or at the university there will be somewhere that has shower facilities you can access. Get a baby bath to use for your DD and ensure its draining directly over the wetroom drain. Run a humidifier constantly to dry out the room. If you remove all water it will dry out.

No - its not ideal. Its quite crap. But no one is going to fix all the problems and it may be better than it is now, and in the meantime focus on your degree & job, save every penny so that when the bankruptcy goes off your record in 6 years, you are ready to move on.

There have been laws on financial abuse for a while now. @CoconutSky Is there a way this could be looked into as your bankruptcy was caused by your ex financially abusing you. Womens Aid should be able to advise.

In your shoes I'd be filling a washing up bowl with the shower head each day amd washing with that, with the window open wide to ensure any water vapour leaves. I'd have a shower at your mums every few days, or at the university there will be somewhere that has shower facilities you can access. Get a baby bath to use for your DD and ensure its draining directly over the wetroom drain. Run a humidifier constantly to dry out the room. If you remove all water it will dry out

UK Housing in 2024 ladies and gents!!!

Posters are only trying to make suggestions for the immediate here and now until the issue can be resolved. It might be once the floor is lifted to be replaced an issue becomes apparent. The OP has also been given suggestions of how to look at how to deal with the issues down more official routes, but the here and now is to try to stop the issue getting worse.

Sorry I haven’t replied.
There is no way to stop moisture, wet room isn’t watertight, no matter what I do it doesn’t stop

I’ve had to go to the doctors today to try and get some form of antidepressant. I’m not washing using a washing up bowl, I barely shower as it is and I’m walking round with all sorts of skin issues.

Ive spoken with women’s aid, unfortunately cos the debts are in my name their hands are tied.

They’re coming tomorrow to drill my kitchen cupboard door on for the 8th time since 2022.
The door is pitted and mouldy, will they replace a shitty fucking door, no, but am I allowed to replace a shitty door. Still no.

Im speaking with shelter tomorrow, I want out of this hovel by hell or high water, im not living like this.

@CoconutSky I really dont blame you Fucking ridiculous in 2024

Maybe it will take an ITV drama before tenants are listened to.................

Good luck speaking to Shelter @CoconutSky
I really hope they can give you some solid guidance or links to the right support

Not had chance to speak to them as helpline is busy. Started course of antidepressants today cos all I have done is cry.

If you do have the funds and inclination to fix/replace things simply ignore the rules. They can only evict you and then the council will have to find you another home. Or you can take them to court for unlawful eviction What could they say to a judge? That they evicted you for fixing things they would not? 😂

My brother was recently contacted by his water company to do a survey to see if "they could help him save water" They did report back to the council their findings, which included that THEY should fit him a shower (he is disabled but only has a bath). So, it may well be possible that they will comment with horror on the state of your bathroom if they see it. Worth try?

PS. Are any of the other tenants having the same issue - that would indicate that it is a repairable fix rather than a design issue.

If you’ve been evicted they don’t house you. And if they do it takes ages. I don’t want DD in temp accommodation because they’re all pretty much hostels.

No other tenants are having any issues because their homes are normal. Mines not. It’s all adapted. They know it’s not repairable, they know what the issue is.

@CoconutSky it can't be any worse than what your in now surely?

Have you spoken to the student Union? Or asked about applying to another council?

@ftp I agree re sorting/fixing things yourself. When we moved into this rental the toilet seats were wobbly because they were the wrong shape for the actual toilets. Our landlady takes 20 years to do anything so we just bit the bullet and did it ourselves. I said can we do this and she said yes, no probs. We picked up the bill but at least it got done.
Same for leaky kitchen tap; paid a plumber to replace.
It is a long-term let so worth doing.

I can’t fix things myself. They’re adaptations. I can’t touch them. I can’t rip my bathroom out and create a bigger kitchen because it’s in breach of my tenancy. And as much as I hate this house I’m not having my child in temp accommodation full of addicts and people fresh out of prison. My situations bad enough and I’m not making it worse.

My student union can’t do anything because it’s not uni accommodation. Only thing they suggested was shelter.

If the accommodation is unsuitable can't you go to the agency you rent it from to point that out?

It's a housing association, not a private letting agent.

Can't you make it worse and thereby force the issue

Op I would pay for a surveyor to come round and assess the property and write a report about it, then send the professional report to your housing association if an independent surveyor finds evidence of damp and mould. Also ask your gp to write a letter (you may have to pay for this) if it's possible that your skin issues are caused by your living conditions. And ask them to confirm your mental health is definitely affected by your living conditions. Then photocopy everything and send it all off in an email.