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.

Environmental health through your local council? I leave in a HA and they are taking the pi** so many issues. They book me a consultation appointment a month in advance. Then they come and then it takes another month to do call in another person to look and then another month to call in another person. I've contacted environmental health and they can force HA or do the work themselves

I can’t afford private rented and wouldn’t pass a credit check due to my ex getting me in debt.

You have no choice but to stay right now then.

Do not make yourself homeless as a you will not simply go back on the council list.

I was in an awful situation a few years back and my council home was not fit to live in and so I was on the list to be rehoused but usually hundreds down the list.

I looked at my local area banding details and due to my circumstances I was actually able to go back on the council list (even though I already had a council home) and bid for properties that way.

So see if you can go back on the council list and what criteria you need to be closer to the top.
It will likely take a while though still.

In the meantime:
-look into exchanging - sites like Homeswapper can be great! You may get a lot of time wasters but there have been some great success stories.
-look into shared ownership or right to buy. It sounds far fetched if you have bad credit but it’s a lot cheaper than private rent and you have more choice.
-look for jobs that come with accommodation. As long as you’re there for a certain amount of time and it doesn’t look like you’ve made yourself intentionally homeless, then if you lose your job you can go back on the list.

I wondered whether they might be the case with the bathroom. Bloody hell. Another option if you can afford it is to get the wet room redone yourself. Basically it needs to be tanked properly.

Re. Kitchen - could you put desk tops on legs over the cabinets to give you some surfaces. Not fixed to the wall?

I’m sorry that you’re having to deal with this.

It seems that the wet room being poorly sealed is the cause of the damp. Hence why they are redoing it.
I totally understand why you are very upset and emotional about it but you need to present clear evidence of the issues and keep a log of communication with them preferably in writing.
It might be worth contacting the guardian as well as places others have suggested.

Have you contacted Shelter for advice?

Social media is your friend here. Watch out on your housing association social media for a post about repairs/damp etc and then put a picture of the mould and what they have done about it so far. Get all your friends to angry face/shocked face it. You will probably get a reaction from your HA. Worth a try.

Can you afford to put in a new bathroom yourself?? I replaced my bathroom for £3k 2 years ago. £700 for the suite and the rest on labour.

edited because I read your updates about not being allowed :(

@Maray1967 i literally can’t touch it, I applied for permission for both kitchen and bathroom and was refused. Even me saying to hire someone externally was refused. Only thing I can do to both rooms is paint

They aren’t redoing the wet room. They’re laying new flooring. Skirting board is rotton in there and that’s staying, the plug hole that’s in the middle of the floor is staying. The rotted door and tiles are staying. They’re not doing anything except putting new flooring down and the extractor fan in kitchen which was the biggest waste of time.

If you can afford it (I paid for mine on PayPal pay in 3) buy a Dehumidifier as these are excellent at sucking all the moisture out of the air and eliminating damp. Even waking up with condensation on the windows is now a thing of the past.

For mould, washing walls in white distilled vinegar (inexpensive and less smellier than bleach) is very effective at killing the fungus. I experienced mould for the first time last year as I couldn't afford to have the heating on...

Hope this helps.

Can you name and shame? Your HA sounds awful compared to mine. Maybe they'll even pick up this thread, you never know. Shocking lack of standards on their part.

I’m on the exchange. Not even had the offer of a viewing. No one wants flats and even if they did the adaptations done to this have made it worse. It’s not a case of “small kitchen” There are no worktops, no cupboards. I can’t have a kettle, microwave or toaster bigger than the £3 ones. I’m using my cooker as a worktop. The whole shithole flat has been adapted rendering it completely unliveable for anyone other than a disabled/elderly single person.
There isn’t a single soul who’d want this, according to an inspector I shouldn’t have been offered it anyway as it’s adapted. I couldn’t turn it down as I was in a refuge.

So it’s not a case of “small kitchen” it’s a kitchen that isn’t useable.

It’s Jigsaw Homes North

I don’t understand why an able bodied person has been assigned an adapted flat anyway, it’s incredibly difficult for disabled people to get anything accessible.

Could you use the fact that you are taking up a property that is likely to be needed by a wheelchair user as a reason for them to rehouse you?

Ombudsman are coming down like a ton of bricks on damp and mould complaints at the moment. So if you still have damp and mould start the complaints process again and then go back to them.
If you walk out and leave then you won't be helped as homeless and may not be able to go back on the housing list.
Can you get a kitchen trolley on kitchen to use as extra work top etc?

This was actually my argument. I said to them over the phone last yesterday that I’m literally taking up a property I don’t need when there’s someone who could be desperate for adaptations who are stuck in something unsafe. They just said I’m adequately housed and to go on the exchange.

There’s no room unfortunately. Tinned stuff lives in my wardrobe! That’s how small we’re talking

So sorry you are in this situaton OP. Have you tried looking at wet room water barriers like this. They're cheap/removable. Also adding a shower curtain to contain the spray using a pressure fit pole (no screws required) (or screwing a circular one to the ceiling).
Agree with pp about investing in a really good dehumidifier like this. We had a serious outbreak of mould (ie thick green furry mould all over the inside of cupboards and black mould appearing everywhere else) but a good dehumidifier completely sorted it, although they're not cheap.

If you cant afford private and you walk away from HA/Council, where do expect to call home for you and your little girl?

Keep complaining, everyone knows it's the squeaky wheel that gets the oil.

In the meantime, try to beg, borrow or steal a dehumidifier.

I'm sure its really hard trying to keep on top of damp, but you can't make yourself homeless. Please don't.

I wish I had an answer for you.

Please contact Shelter for advice.

Believe me they wouldn't put you in a Travelodge. You'd end up in a cockroach infested shit hole like I was and if you think it's bad now, the councils idea of adequate temporary accommodation is fucking awful. Just keep hounding every avenue, they will get sick of it sooner or later and sort it out just to be rid of you. Making yourself homeless is really not a better option I promise you

I agree with this.

Can shelter help with this kind of thing? Because I’ll be honest I don’t want to live here, the damp can be sorted but the space and other issues won’t be. The flat was empty for months as well, apparently a lot turned it down so it appears they didn’t care who had it, whether able bodied or not.

Could you post a photo of your kitchen OP? People might be able to make helpful suggestions if they can visualise it.

Have you tried any housing disrepair solicitors? I’ve seen a few ads recently, no win no fee type places.
I was in a horrible HA flat a few years ago and it wrecked my mental health. I struggled to get a private rent for similar reasons to you, but somehow managed to get one. Paying double my old rent now but worth it for a happy home. Have you looked into something like loqbox to try and improve your credit? I really feel for you, I hope things get better for you soon xx

I agree, can you post images , folks can potentially help. I don’t understand how you’ve no work surface.

I understand it’s hard, but you were homeless in a refuge, you can’t sleep on the streets, the council won’t home you again, inc a travel lodge. It’s this or the streets.

so post some images and let’s see if we can help you make it work.