To ask to be temporarily rehoused whilst new kitchen installed?

[SENwoes]

I will preface this by saying I KNOW I’m very lucky to have a HA house, and I KNOW I’m very lucky to be getting a brand new kitchen for free.

So as above, I have work commencing on 22nd January to rip out the old kitchen and replace it. I don’t have a choice in this, according to the documents, I am unable to say no it’s fine, I’ll keep the old one. I’ve been told the works will take 2 weeks, as it also involves taking up the tiled floor and replacing it with lino.

It’s just dawning on me what a nightmare this will be. I have to completely empty the kitchen obviously, but there’s not really anywhere to put the stuff, it’s a very small house (just living room leading to kitchen/diner downstairs). The big appliances will go outside in the back yard apparently, but everything else will have to be boxed up and kept somewhere. I’ll have no cooking or washing up facilities, and no way of washing or drying clothes.

That’s all pretty standard I know, but my main concern is that I have a disability (CFS) and also both DC are diagnosed with ASD and currently in the house all the time as neither in education. We will essentially be trapped in our bedrooms for 2 weeks as we won’t be able to move in the front room as realistically that’s the only place everything from the kitchen can go. I need to rest…a lot, and the works will be noisy, which will also affect both DC as they struggle badly with loud noises and not being in a calm environment. They’ll also struggle with a team of workmen being in their space for 2 weeks, They both have completely different food aversions and neither of their limited range of foods is conducive to being able to batch cook and set the microwave up somewhere. Realistically it will mean a lot of eating out, but that’s not really affordable for 2 weeks.

Has anyone been in a similar situation and WIBU to ask the HA if there’s anything that could be done to move us while the works are going on? The only family member I could stay with is my DM but she’s a long way away and having works done on her own house which means she doesn’t have a functioning bathroom, so that’s not ideal really.

OP genuine question, what do you think other people do when they have new kitchens installed? We can't all expect someone else to pay to house us somewhere else for 2 weeks. We wash up in the bath, use the air fryer in the living room, eat off paper plates etc. I'm sorry if I come across as harsh, but the entitlement of social housing tenants is phenomenal.

Me again!

Please ignore any unkind comments on here - regardless of circumstances, we all have the right to have a peaceful and safe home.

Nobody should judge how you came by a housing association property, I'm sure some people would want to take back their harsh comments if they truly knew other people's circumstances.

My tenancy was a result of fleeing domestic abuse. I work (hard) and contribute to my community. I hope I never meet face to face the people who think I am lucky to need social housing, often one minute spent trying to make a housing association property feel anything near ideal would change their minds.

Nobody deserves to be treated as a second class citizen by people who don't walk even an inch in their shoes.

#treatpeopkewithkindness

If they insist on storing your appliances outside source some pallets so they’re not directly on the ground and buy sufficient plastic covering and tape on Amazon to ensure they’re waterproof. Also it wouldn’t take a carpenter very long to run up a frame for you.

A travel lodge for 2 weeks would be very expensive. Where will the council get this money from? You'd still have to pay to eat anyway unless you are expecting the council to feed you all too. There are no cooking or laundry facilities in a travel lodge. They have a restaurant for all meals. You'd have to pay for yourselves and that would be more expensive than a takeaway or a cheap holiday. I know this as I had to live in a Travel Lodge for 3 weeks after a fire in 2009. We had to use a launderette for all our clothing.

Then we had to move into a rented house for 6 months because Travel Lodge too expensive. Could you stay with family or go on holiday for a week?

You can actually pay to have a kitchen of your choosing fitted if you can afford it x

Again, the rest of us choose whether we actually want a new kitchen. We get to choose that kitchen. It's of good quality, to our taste and needs, and we schedule the work at our convenience.

Not one of those things applies to OP. She has no choice and no agency over what she gets and when. She can't even refuse to have it. And to top it all, the contractors are going to leave all her white goods out in the rain for two weeks and take no responsibility for them being damaged.

I'm not seeing entitlement or privilege in any of that.

YABU. I literally don’t know anyone who has moved out for a kitchen refit before?? Just make do.

@Winterday1991 genuine question - have you actually read the thread? Well done on being healthy enough to manage that, chufty badge is in the post. Also don’t know why I didn’t think of buying my own house, as a disabled person on benefits, please keep the good ideas coming.

Are you taking the piss? She's disabled to the point of being bed bound at times. Her children are both disabled. She's got no family to help. She's got no say in when this work is done. She has no control over who does it. She will have little to no choice over what gets fitted and she's been told to put every appliance she owns out in the garden for a fortnight and that if it all gets wrecked tough shit.

And you think there's something wrong with her attitude?

Take a fucking look at your own attitude.

@miniaturepixieonacid I believe the OP is referring to having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome not Cystic Fibrosis.

You misspelled cunty.

Anyhow I just phoned the HA and explained the situation, they tried to put me through to the kitchen team but no one was available, they said I’d get a call back hopefully in the next couple of days 🤷‍♀️

There you go op, @Winterday1991 has solved your problem. Did you ever consider just getting over all your issues and thinking about the poor homeowners 😭

@CombatLingerie correct, I have chronic fatigue.

@StopTheBusINeedAWeeWeeAWeeWeeBagOChips 🤣🤣 it’s so obvious now it’s been pointed out to me

A travel lodge would be the exact same as being stick in your bedroom. Except it would be one room, more noise and still no washing facilities.

Where have people been that they dont know whats going on in social housing. Hiding under rocks My late downstairs neighbours kitchen took NINE MONTHS. the fuckers would come in do a bit then bugger off on completely random days.

@SENwoes i feel your pain.

Tiny little flat is all the system says we are entitled to. The system will take the consequences next week when i have the electric check and there is NO WHERE to move furniture to. A double bed two wardrobes and a dressing table and the bedroom is full. Whereever you put the bed in the bedroom its under the light fitting as the room is so small.

How would it be any different staying in a TL? You wont have a washing machine or cooking facilities and you'll be in 1 room rather than 2. I guess the benefit will be you dont have someone around drilling and banging.
It's going to be tough but I think you're going to have to suck it up. I'd suggest prepping the children and planning some extra curricular activities like visits to museums, swimming, nature trail etc.
There's no 'temporary' accommodation available that would suit. HA dont book people into cottages or butlins..but you could.

Did you mean to say "the entitlement of SOME social housing tenants is phenomenal"?

Can't you take the rest of the day off?
Genuine question.

@SENwoes Travelodge unless you're suggesting separate rooms for each of you actually sounds worse than being confined to bedrooms, at least you'd all have your own space at home.
It does sound spectacularly shit though and I really feel for you.
Is it worth your mum contacting the site her caravan is on to ask if you can stay? I know they're not officially open but maybe that's just facilities/for holidaymakers. If she explained your situation they might be able to help?

So many of these replies are just unbelievable. Some people really live in their own bubble.

Most caravan don't open until March and wouldn't let someone come and stay outside of that. There's the electricity to connect for example.

Without doing the works the HA could be liable if anything untoward happens

Could you tell me how many people have gone to prison for Grenfell because ive obviously missed it!