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.

why more fool me? my kitchen is better than any kitchen they would put in and they're that cheap they will be ruined in a few years

I work in insurance and normally just for a kitchen we wouldn't offer accommodation- however with the fact that it's a small house, health concerns, your children etc I would offer in those circumstances.
I'd speak to your housing I don't know their policies but it seems fair that they offer you somewhere to stay or some help at least towards food costs etc.

Explain to the housing officer how difficult it will be for you to be in the home while the work is being don and ask to postpone until March when you can all decant to the static.

You will find that it’s a whole kitchen upgrade scheme and you won’t be the only house in your area to be having a new kitchen!
where I live we had 9 houses done and it took 4 days to do the complete job in each house, so you’ll have a carpenter in one day and do what he’s got to do and then when is work is completed he’ll move onto another house, same with flooring people/plumber/ tiler, so no doubt yours would be the same
so by quoting 2 weeks they’re on about the whole scheme

To clarify - yes they are completely removing the tiles. I asked them when they came over if it wouldn’t be possible to just put Lino over them, but apparently no they have to remove the tiles. For a small house it’s actually quite a decent sized kitchen/diner, more than half of the ground floor, so there’s quite a few tiles there.

And no I’m perfectly content with the kitchen I’ve got. It’s clean, everything works, nothing looks scruffy or is broken. I understand it will need to be replaced at some point but with my health as it is at the moment it’s really not an ideal time. So to be clear, I didn’t ask for the kitchen, I don’t need a new kitchen, but I’m not allowed to say no to it.

I've been in similar situation for two months rather than 2 weeks. I understand you can't eat out all the time, but you can still prepare food in the microwave and on an electric plate. Tell your children it's like camping. That's how I did, we survived on food heated in the microwave, prepared on a burner and occasionally take-away. About the noise : that wont be two weeks. They need a full day (max 2) to take out your old kitchen, and yes that will be noisy. Then they will potter around to prepare the new installation (not much noise). And then they will put in the new kitchen (max 2 days, medium noise level). You'll be perfectly able to rest, especially since those teams don't work past 5 p.m. so plenty of time for a relaxing evening and night.

@Sennelier1 thats not the case, did you see my post earlier this evening with the timescales from the HA?

Go back and read the posts about her neighbour

Its always in the winter I suspect because its cheaper Our windows were done in January 2004

how is a travelodge better than their own rooms?

Satisfied now @Frasers

God, there are some nasty fuckers on this thread!

It's nice to sit safe in the home you own, and be all I'm all right Jack about it, but most of us, including me, are literally only one bad car accident away from being disabled and living off benefit. A bit more compassion for someone living in what sounds like quite a shit situation wouldn't come amiss.

Can the dad take the kids?

@pineapplecrushed - DC1’s dad is ill himself with cancer. DC2 doesn’t have a dad (zero contact court order and PR taken away due to abuse).

Jesus @SENwoes im sorry to hear that

@JenniferBooth yep got it all going on 😩

Why on earth would you spend £25,000 on on a kitchen in a house that doesn't belong to you ??
And if you do indeed live in a housing association house you would know they could probably replace streets worth of kitchens for£25,000

Haven’t RTFT. It’s a massive pain in the bum and I sympathize, OP, but I suspect that you’ll have to grit your teeth and camp out upstairs. We redid our kitchen several years ago with two younger children and my recommendations are similar to PP’s:

Get/borrow a two-ring hot plate and a sloe cooker.

Wash up in the bath- paper plates are also a good idea

Ask the contractors to put the fridge in the hall at the bottom of the stairs so you can run down and grab things without going near the building site!

Of course it’s worth asking about alternative accommodation, you may be lucky.

We had a flood a few years ago which left us with no kitchen at all, just bare brick and no ceiling for almost 12 weeks due to it going through the insurance.
We just set up a pasting table in the dining room, used the microwave, slow cooker, toastie maker etc, washed up in the bathroom and just got on with things.

Yes it was a massive pain in the arse but we ended up with a beautiful kitchen at the end of it.
Also as someone who has worked in homeless and temporary accommodation services, I really don't think your need outweighs that of someone who doesn't have a bed for the night, sorry 🤷🏼‍♀️

@Nnsphynx22

i'm housing association and just spent 25grand on a new kitchen myself

So you did

This is assuming that they stick to schedule !

you've obviously never brought a kitchen before they're bloody expensive. and it may not be my house but i live here and i want to live in a nice house. just spent 15grand on nice garden too lol

If you are talking to me, yes I have bought a kitchen before. But I don't believe anyone would spend £25k on a kitchen in a HA property.

I conclude you are either lying, or stupid.

Er - yes it is!

Councils do not directly have their own housing stock anymore. It is ALL done through housing associations. “Affordable rent” is what people know as council housing.

If this is part of the decent homes standard. The housing association must offer storage facilities for your belongings and yes you can ask to be rehomed temporarily but I can assure you most if the temporary homes they use are not very nice an din bad areas. You'd be bets off in your own home. I've just been through it. They stored all boxes (provided the boxes for me to pack) and paid for a removal firm to store hem. They have contracts with removal firms. They also took my washer, chest freezer etc. They left my main fridge freezer which they worked around, and covered with dust sheets. I was able to access it at night when they'd gone. We are in a small bungalow and it's very cramped. We set up a small corner in living room with our smallest air fryer, microwave and kettle for the two weeks. It was hard but well worth the wait. You also say there is no choice this isn't normal with decent homes unless the current kitchen has been identified as dangerous. Usually you can choose and if you refuse them you don't get to have it until next time your due. If you move out they'll do the house on empty. I'd read your HA's decent homes policy well. Sounds like they are trying to make Thier life easier. But there's basic standards they have to abide by.