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.

This sounds awful.

Have you been in touch with building control at your local council?

Their rules may differ to where I live, but they insist on a kitchen having a minimum worktop space. Another regulation they had was that a cooker had to have a worktop either side for safety reasons. I used to work with plumbing and heating for the local council. These regulations were not part of any gas or building regulations, but a minimum requirement the council had set, for landlords.

Another route you can go down is that it's discrimination that your flat isn't suitable for you and your child. On the basis that if you were disabled and moved into a standard home, it would be adapted. Works both ways. I refused an adapted property from my council. They said they'd take me off the register, so I asked them to make it suitable for me. They quickly backtracked.

You could also get on the housing register if you need to move for medical reasons, or if you have a job that isn't in your area, or need to care for someone that doesn't live in close proximity.

Ive been on the exchange since March, not one person has ever messaged me. I sent a message to someone enquiring about a multiswap and they just sent me “No” back

This is why I’m so fucked off with them. They’ve stuck me in this shit hole and I can’t even get out. I’d rather be back in the refuge, that self contained flat was bigger than what I’m in now

See I was wondering about this but I didn’t wanna say it incase it sounds like I’m being discriminatory. Because in effect they’re forcing me to live as though I’m disabled. I might use this as my trump card. Thank you!

No advice but I am fucking angry on your behalf except swallow your pride and publicise it. Nobody should be living like this.

@CoconutSky have no idea what your home is like, but if anything is causing you to strain and get a bad back for example, it's not providing you with a suitable property. Just keep fighting!

Oh, I forgot to say.

Don't make phone calls to the HA or the Council. Do everything via email. Phone calls don't exist and don't mean anything to them. They play nasty legal games and they play very very dirty. Take no notice of delusional people who will tell you that 'the council helps people' or 'but housing associations are charities that help the vulnerable' blah blah. No they're not, they're slum landlords and my one used on of the most expensive and cut throat solicitors in Europe to defend against my tenant action. They don't want tenants getting the idea that they can enforce repairs and they'd rather spend a million pounds fighting little me than open the floodgates to a million other people wanting repairs.

Since you are posting here on MN, I assume you have the skills and technology to email. If not, go to your local library and ask them for assistance to send emails. Cease attempting to speak by phone to anyone.

You absolutely must make all contact by writing only and also do not accept incoming calls from the housing or council, ask them to keep communication in writing. Otherwise a solicitor can't help you.

Buy a day diary and make a note of all interactions, incidents, events, phone logs, report numbers etc.

You could also, if you can afford it, ask a professional surveyors damp specialist company to come and do an assessment of your flat - you will need to pay them probably for an assessment and suggested schedule of works. That would back up your argument but it won't be cheap - this is the sort of thing a solicitor will do for you if you can get one.

Could you move in with your mum and save for a private place?

Go to the press, it'll give them a kick up the bum.

Thank you! I’m already on that, paper trails only
They’re absolute shits aren’t they. “Not for profit” but run like businesses!

They absolutely are not allowed to blame D&M on lifestyle, so they need to be challenged on this.

There is a chance that the tray for the shower has been installed wrong but as it is under the flooring then it is hard to tell. Do you regularly clean the trap out?

When was your complaint to the ombudsman? The big push on D&M was from about November 2022.

There’s no tray! It’s just a hole in the floor. Apparently “it’s up to disability standard, even if that is the minimum”

Complained in January 2023

@CoconutSky I must admit it is making me rethink the wet room being fitted in my house/

Can you go and see your MP at a constituency clinic?

Agree, no more phone calls. Everything in writing.

If you persist with Citizens Advice they have some very experienced and helpful people - you just need to get allocated to the right person. So keep trying, make a written summary of what you have done so far (from your posts here) and let them have that. If they see how long you have been trying you should get give an advisor to work with you. But when you just ring the first time it doesn’t always seem like this - you have to persist with them.

Lots if people have mentioned it, but you don’t seem to have done social media? You can set up FB and X accounts in a pseudonym in minutes. The you can use photos. Let us know on here (by DM if necessary) and we’ll share the posts.

You’ve obviously tried so hard, but because of the bastards that they are, a lot of your efforts go nowhere. This thread can hopefully help you target it a bit more.

There should be some kind of tray underneath the floor, though all you will see is the trap.

Have you made an official complaint to the HA? - The way complaints have to be handled has changed recently as well.

I’ve exhausted their complaints process. Went to the ombudsman and everything. Complained first about wet room. Then did a damp complaint and tried to tie it in together. Waste of time

@stomachameleon oh no don’t be put off! wet rooms are great if they’re functional, you’re more likely to get a good one than bad!

I'm so sorry and I totally get you. We think we've won the lottery when we get housed and we end up stuck in a trap.

The very worst situation any tenant can get into is 'intentionally homeless' so whatever you do, make sure you don't!

One thing I will say is this - that since you now have a social housing assured tenancy (did they give it you for life? Or is it a renewable one?) you're on the better side of the fence because legally speaking your HA is your landlord and as such you have legal rights that come under the Housing Act and the Landlord and Tenant Act.

Also good news is that since you're in an HA and not a Council property, you can use the Council to enforce against the HA. If you were in a council property you'd not be able to do that.

If you make enough of a stink, they will eventually either let you bid for re-housing or move you out for repair work - this is called 'decant' and I have never heard of anyone actually being 'decanted' and the work being done and then moved back. What they actually do is decant you and leave you where they put you. So if / when the time comes, be very cautious as to where they decant you. But that is a long long way off.

I'm sorry to say this but now you're housed, you're going to have to see being moved as a long term plan and you're going to have to fight and chip away at your case steadly, slowly, and consistently day in day out and it could take months and years.

Because it's a long term slog, you need to do it as effectively and efficiently and powerfully as possible - the way to do that is know your rights, know which legislation your rights are covered by, make the correct contacts in the correct departments and complain in writing the most effective way using the formal complaints procedure - Stage 1 Local Resolution, Stage 2 passed to management, Stage 3 Housing Ombudsman.

I have been through this myself several times now (currently in my fourth social housing tenancy in 15 years due to 1) violence / 2) disrepair - unfit for habitation / 3) stalking, harassment and ASB) and still need to move again due to violent dangerous ASB neighbours. My last flat I swapped it as the stalking was personal to me and it was a nice flat so I found someone else to exchange with. So please believe me I have total empathy but whilst you're fighting you've got to keep this situation liveable and comfortable for yourself and also manageable and keep your spirits up as best you can.

Just adapt the wet room. What can they do? If they kick up a fuss, show them all your evidence.

Ugh Ombudsman corrupt as heck.

Solicitor and legal action is your only recourse now. Or use the council against them.

Have you been to your go about your mental and physical health?
Have you been to your council ?
Havw you contacted environmental health. ?

Oh yes this is always a good idea too - go to your local newspaper. You'll need to do a sad face photo probably though, they generally only like articles with a photo of the tenant in local papers.

I can’t adapt it. They said no. If I spend money on it, I’ll have to pay for them to come in and put the same bathroom in. I can’t do it

We don’t have environmental health. We have housing standards. They told me to email them all the issues, they forwarded it to HA and HA said new floor and extractor fans.

I’m tempted to speak to my GP because I feel extremely down in here. I’ve no optimism or get up and go, but apparently they don’t take any notice of GP letters or MP letters anymore.

I can’t go in the paper, I’m too embarrassed!
@LittleMissSunshiner they do sell you a dream don’t they, a secure tenancy, cheap rent, repairs etc but what they don’t tell you is that they’ll shove you in a shit hole and when you want to leave said shit hole, you can’t!

I’m pretty sure that if you walk away, they will class you as having made yourself “intentionally homeless” and won’t help you any further.. :( I’m sorry for your situation, it does sound thoroughly miserable and I hope you can get it sorted! Like others have said, MP, or the local news might be the way forward 💐