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.

This is a major problem that has been coming down the line for a while. These new health and safety laws is basically trying to get 2020s laws to fit 1970s buildings, Like trying to get a square peg into a round hole.

OP could they possibly have made a mistake and are targeting the wrong house? I always thought when they did kitchens they did whole block at once so the builders were not waiting for each other. It just seems odd and unfair to you and your neighbours.

Ping meals you only need a microwave and a fork to wash up

I'm surprised at the tone of some of the replies. Yes for people in reasonable health with NT kids and some cash for non cook food/takeaways, paper plates etc it's a pain, but doable. For someone in the OP's position who is already feeling lousy, it's a very big deal. I don't really have any good suggestions, but can at least offer huge amounts human sympathy.

Good point Takeaways arent cheap these days. Even the price of fish and chips has gone up due to the price of the oil

And do you honestly think that HA tenants will get anything other than laminate?

Apologies I may have got my finish terms mixed up. I was meaning a better finish then the ones where you can peel it off as soon as it gets warm or wet.

Not all HA's are shit, yes they sometimes drop the ball but, against MN popular belief, not all staff are out to get the tenants.

Anyway OP, hope you get the kitchen sorted,

For your cats can you borrow a couple of big dog crates? Pop a small litter tray in a bed food and throw a blanket over maybe put some cat tv on for them I tried it with my cats when I had work done two were fine one flipped shit

We had our kitchen done a couple of summers ago, and it was tricky but we coped. I would ask about re-housing temporarily. If they say yes it will be much easier on you and the kids. If they say no, you won't have lost anything and can go back to either funding a cheap off season caravan holiday or something yourself, or just moving stuff to other areas of the house, which many people have to. It will be tricker for you, but you'll manage as well.

This.

This is what people do. ✅

They get on with it, and just put up with it. ✅

I wonder what they do in rented sheltered housing. Do they expect 80+ year olds to hump white goods and furniture around when they do inspections and fit kitchens

Literally!

I am AuDhd. My eldest has autism. At the time I was awaiting an operation and living with chronic pain and CFS, on my own with 2 children in a tiny 1.5 bed flat (the second room couldn't even fit a normal sized bed in it).
Our kitchen went on for 3 weeks initially and they came back for a 4th week at a later date cos so much was wrong.

I survived 🤷 I had all non essentials in my bedroom. Essentials such as microwave and kettle table in the lounge. I washed up in the bathroom. They worked around the cooker and washing machine attachments apart from the 2 days they had to rewire the entire kitchen and those days we had microwave meals.
I even made a cake for my son's 3rd bday with no countertops at the start of the second week.

I had no alternatives at all. But never once thought I'd need temp accommodation. It was a pain mostly because I struggled with lack of organisation. Hardly the end of the world.

Well done.

I really don’t think money should be spent on housing people in hotels when they are getting a brand new kitchen! It’s normal things that have to happen living in a house. I would love to be able to afford a new kitchen

Its not OPs fault that you have obviously overstretched yourself with your mortgage

I'm not blowing my own trumpet. I'm literally showing it can be done.

With the number of families in serious need, they should be a priority. Not someone inconvenienced for a couple of weeks over something that's really not that difficult to work around.
I have never heard of anyone being moved into temporary accommodation for the sake of a kitchen. And actually being someone who has been in that situation in what was an extremely dark period of my life, I think I'm well equipped to say as much.
If you don't like it, fine. If OP doesn't like it, fine. But there's people literally escaping DV being put into hostels with children because the HA can't afford them a hotel room to themselves. I'm not ashamed to say I couldn't care less if a kitchen causes a little disruption.

And actually being someone who has been in that situation in what was an extremely dark period of my life, I think I'm well equipped to say as much.

When I look back at the most difficult times of my life, my reaction is that I wouldn't want anyone else to have to endure it.
I find it odd that you think OP should, just because you had to.

It can be done, you just have to improvise. Look on the bright side, you get a new kitchen.

😂 not at all lol…just making a point that homeowners don’t just get to be re houses when they have a new kitchen. It’s a normal thing to live in a home at some point. Who on earth would foot the bill if everyone got re housed?

"it can be done..." by YOU
"not that difficult..." for YOU

For someone claiming to have a fluctuating health condition, you have absolutely zero understanding or acknowledgement that it can and does affect people differently.

@saraclara I will never understand that type of mentality...........ever.
We are at the point where we really need a bungalow. Because of DH. Do i blame the pensioners already in one? No because its down to the lack of accessible housing.
Yet ive seen plenty on here blame tenants already in situ for the fact that families (and its never those without kids that they are bothered about) are in temp accomodation or B&Bs. But lets blame the tenants already in situ and turn it into one big game of chess. And move people around like chess pieces. There is a lack of housing which is NOT the tenants fault. But there are also SIX HUNDRED empty homes on the Aylesbury estate in London. The SH haters arent interested in the homes that are empty though because that cant be blamed on tenants!!!!!!

It won't take 2 weeks don't worry.

It depends on the area we have spare houses in my area so it wouldn't be a big issue for the housing association

https://www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/housing-law/315-housing-features/54579-it-s-finally-here-a-digest-of-the-social-housing-regulation-act-2023#:~:text=The%20requirement%20for%20registered%20providers,other%20landlords%20to%20do%20so).

There are empty houses all over the country people really don't seem to get this while they bleat about no social housing stock there just isn't enough housing in desirable areas by people's family's by jobs in areas where there are lots of things to do Birmingham is tapped out so is London probably Manchester Liverpool etc but smaller towns? We have spare they don't advertise them and they don't give them out often enough but we had a social house empty for 12 months doing nothing we all had to flag it with our mp before they put someone in they had been on the list awhile but they were "adequately housed" in a flat there has been a three bed empty since October November time up here too empty its not desirable enough it's "close" to a good school but not catchment it's "close" to local services but not quite in walking distance so no-one wants it