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.

@CornishPorsche So if the housing is unsuitable she can go to them?

Did the kitchen cupboard get fixed today? When are they coming to do the bathroom floor?

Have you massively cleaned out the trap? Do your other plugs slowly drain?

How old is your DD? Get a Social worker.. they will assess if the property is making her ill.. and work on your behalf with the HA.

If only the OP had thought of that.

Thank god you were here!

My property isn’t making her ill. It’s making me mentally ill

Yes they’ve put the door back on and within an hour it was slipping again so I’ll have to tell them. I haven’t had an update re floor. The floor isn’t coming up, it isn’t being re configured it’s literally being replaced they’ve told me they won’t be doing anything. It’ll be fucked again in 2 years time.

@FuckingHellAdele Well if it is genuinely unsuitable the HA has a duty of care? The situation is just as bad, if not worse, when privately renting. Private landlords can pretty much get away with anything!

Hi. What if you get a note from your GP to say that your living conditions are detrimental to your mental and physical health? Would the council need to rehouse you in decent accommodation? Maybe worth a try

Could you give up the tenancy and move in with your Mum then go back on the housing list?

I would be tempted to go to one of those papers/programmes that take up cases for people.

It's disgusting what they are doing. It isn't a shower room, shouldn't have skirting doors, floor should slope away from the doorway etc etc.

A vent that doesn't work for 3 months, what a bunch of bare faced lies.

I’d be making myself homeless apparently. The funniest thing is the vents been in 8 months

So the 3 month thing is still a red herring and is now a valid point for you to add to your formal complaint.

Don't get mad, get factual. Pretend it's an essay requiring full research and evidence in the footnotes and write above the head of your housing officer in a complaint. Have you done that yet?

If the vent has been in 8 months go back to the Ombudsman. Say it hasnt fixed the problem and the floor has not been replaced. Email the CEO, I gave addresses for you., with pictures.

Hopefully the antidepressants will mean you have the energy to fight again.

I’ve done it. Spoke to them all. Went from “extractor fan will work in 3 months” to “floor will fix it”

Nothing fixes it. I can’t even have a blind up in my kitchen cos of this stupid fan

So give up. Sulk. Walk out the house. Fuck them, eh? Be beaten....

Or get onto the complaints team afresh about the shit bathroom, piss poor repairs in the unsuitable kitchen, lack of adequate kitchen provision for you and your DD.

If you give up, they don't give a fuck. If you keep complaining, and doing it factually and calmly, you'll have way more chance of getting things sorted. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. They rely on people just going away and putting up with this.

Go to the paper. Explain you can't have your photo take because of DV and escaping a nut job ex. They can work with that. Take photos and send them in yourself to get them interested. Copy in the HA and the MP to the emails with the paper.

Right this is my last ditch attempt before I swallow my pride and go to the papers.

I am phoning my housing officer again tomorrow and laying down the law

This house is not suitable for anyone other than a single disabled person
I cannot live as a disabled person
I am depressed and my mental health is plummeting
Extractor fans do not take months to work and the configuration is all wrong
I understand they can’t remove adaptations therefore it’s their duty to allow me back on the bidding list to find somewhere suitable. If not I’ll ring the MEN.

Making a mental note. My mum has DD tonight because I genuinely have never ever felt so low in my life. I’ve even phoned the Samaritans for fuck sake.

I'm not surprised it's had such a horrific effect on your MH as well as a mouldy property they are gas lighting you.

The wet room isn't a wet room.

The mould and damp is not down so your lifestyle it's due to inadequate ventilation and a leaking bathroom as there is no shower cubicle and it has NEVER been converted to a wet room.

The extractor fan has not solved the issue.

It is not suitable for a non wheelchair user with a child.

After your phone call put it in writing. I would list in that the heating you use, the dehumidifier you use, the tumble dryer you use, use of the extractor fan and windows and lids on saucepans etc.

They told me mould in kitchen was due to not putting lids on pans. I don’t even use pans cos I’ve no fucking work top to cook anything anyway so I don’t know how they’ve come to that conclusion lol

Hi OP,
I'm sorry you are feeling so low. But it sounds like you are also finding your anger. Yes tell the housing officer you are making an official complaint now and in 48 hours will be going to the papers (maybe local paper?).

Ask the paper to be anonymous (because of your dlmestic violence concerns) and the story fir them is not just the property but the lack of interest/response from your housing provider and the effect on your own health and mental health. Try to get angry rather than sad.

It's just all a standard reply they are trotting out!

I would quote any standards etc they should be adhering to. Plus the new law just passed relating to mould.

There is clearly something wrong above and beyond just the crap bathroom such as pipes leaking or something causing these ventilation issues.

@CoconutSky not trying to sound patronising but keep going. You will get there! You have lots of support on here!

When I was in this situation, I was banging my head on a brick wall until I got a housing disrepair solicitor.

The law only applies to tenants if you can enforce it. If you can't enforce it, they're not interested. They lie, they double cross, they will look you in the eye and earnestly assure you that action is being taken when it absolutely isn't... it is gaslighting and mental abuse.

If you can't find a housing disrepair solicitor, then I'd think about what other 'big guns' are available to assist. Starting with your local councillors and MP. If you can, attend their drop in face to face surgeries in person.

Agencies like Shelter etc are really amazing but they're mostly in the business of homelessness prevention (after a landlord has served eviction notice) and sadly, as bad as your situation is, they're not going to classify you as homelessness prevention, it's always going to be classified as 'disrepair' and / or 'housing advice' to help you get back into the housing register and bidding for alternate properties -or- requesting a medical transfer (this can be a tricky too).

In my local authority you can go onto the council website and put an application in online - can you do that?

Universities often run free legal clinics and make take on the case for you.

This is awful OP. Sorry if I've missed it upthread, but I hope you're being seen by your gp? I'm not sure how old your child is either but I wonder if you still get support from your health visitor. I know it's not your child that is getting ill, but your mental health is important to her and maybe health visitor and/or gp letter might add some weight to your case as well as your mp. You're doing amazingly all things considered.

It sounds like it would be just as awful for a disabled person was living there, so it's not like they wouldn't be having to address it.

If the kitchen was adequately ventilated open pans would not be an issue - although I am sure that, given the issues, if you did boil an egg for example, you would wipe any damp caused down.
It is true that heated steam will migrate to the coldest surface, so if you boil a kettle, the steam might find its way to the wet room in a small home if it is the coldest room, but only if the kitchen is not properly ventilated.
Is the floor of your wet room adequately sealed or is the damp staying around the walls?

No the wet room floor has big splits near the skirting. It’s not sealed. Theres a window that opens and a massive extractor fan in the kitchen window, which is another issue, it sticks out that much I can’t even put a blind up and I’ve absolutely no privacy at all.

I don’t use the hob now really just for literally boiling an egg or making pasta/veg for DD. If it can’t be cooked in the oven then it’s not being eaten. It’s just ridiculous.

Housing officer is ringing me on Monday. I’ve just lost my shit down the phone completely, probably gonna end up losing it again. But needs must, I refuse to live like this. I can’t live like this.