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.

Aw, gwan. Pretend it is.

How big's your TV?
I bet it's massive, right? Fucking huge, yeah?

@IncompleteSenten takes up the whole wall mate, obvs. It’s like screen 2 at the odeon round mine.

Mine actually was screen 2 at the Odeon, bought it off this guy at the working men's club

Full sky package, I assume. And smokey air from all the fags giving it a really good atmosphere.

I sincerely hope there's a sofa in your front garden or you're simply letting our side down.

Why would I want to swap?

No it wouldn’t but then I own my own house so no one dictates to me. But because I do I
eouldnt even get one cupboard for free. So ungrateful.

how do you know I’m not? Bit presumptuous of you.

threatmatrix

Would you swap your privilege for a cupboard?

I think your life sounds very hard op, you have chronic fatigue, both children autistic , don’t get on, and not able to be in education, one father with cancer, another a domestic abuser, a dog, two cats, no family near by, and a long distance boyfriend who lived in a house share, and you are financially having to live on benefits.

i understand why the thought of this would be daunting, as it will be two weeks of upheaval and people in the house. But you’re right, it’s better to be there.

if it helps, the upheaval is the moving the stuff in and out of the kitchen and it being out of service. Move everything out and get your boyfriend or kids to help you, everything into the living room.

find a space for your microwave and air fryer, buy some paper plates, cups and plastic cutlery off Amazon, enough for 2 weeks, for you all, inc your boyfriend , say using 4 a day each, place the breadbin somewhere on a surface. Same as the kettle, Keep things like ready meals, butter, cheese , milk, outside,it’s cold enough, and buy things like pot noodles, tins of things, to eat.

just the three of you then shut the doors and stay in your rooms all day, only come out for the loo or to go into the living room to make something to eat, I think from what you say, you all spend times in your rooms anyway, the workmen will come and go,

generally they will start about 8, finish by 4 latest.have 3 breaks in the day. In the big scheme of things a couple of weeks will pass quickly, and it will be interesting to see the new kitchen take shape, each night after they leave.

then you move your stuff back in and it’s done. 💐

It probably won’t take 2 weeks for everything to be unusable you’ll be allowed to use the sink before the flooring is finished etc. so it won’t be that bad hopefully. I don’t know anyone who has needed to move out for a new kitchen (I’ve had two). You can cook perfectly well with a microwave and a kettle for a fortnight. Perhaps get the kids to pick a microwave cookbook from the library for ideas.

Also if it’s happening soon see if you can get a super cheap break somewhere. An apartment at Butlin’s (full kitchen) including entertainment for all of you is £52 last week of January. You’d spend that on heating at home!

You are not getting your kitchen for free. The amount paid in rent over the years not only pays for the cost of the house, probably more than once over, but also for new kitchen and maintenance. That is what you pay your rent for.

If it would be school term time, could you book into Butlins or somewhere similar for a fortnight. If the kids aren't in school anyway you are not tied to school holidays so make the best of it. It's probably a lot cheaper than AirBNB. We did a term time holiday when the kids were tiny and it was cheaper than a Travelodge with no entertainment would have been. If you self cater, the kitchens are pretty reasonable.

It amazes me what people expect when they’re already receiving so much from the state. You’d really be in a pickle if you were a home owner, how would you manage without someone else to sort your problems?!

She isn’t a homeowner though, so why would she put herself in a homeowner’s shoes?? She’s a tenant, and therefore her landlord IS there to sort her problems. When the boiler in the house she lives in breaks, the landlord fixes it. When your boiler breaks you rightfully fix your own boiler because it’s your boiler.

They might not be in a position to temporarily house her, but she is more than reasonable to ask her landlord for help.

She pays rent.

You are being v unreasonable.

No, she isn't.

Totally embarrassed for people saying HA tenants have their homes funded by the state.

Please go and do your research, that isn’t true, HAs are funded purely by rental payments.

Other people aren’t all disabled in a house though are they? Other people aren’t being told they must have something they didn’t ask for. She’s not being entitled to wonder if as a disabled person she has any recourse for help.

sorry if this has already been suggested.....
There is a charity for your health condition, (The ME Association) could you contact them and see if they could help?

I think she is. She is going to have an upgraded kitchen following a small amount of inconvenience.

if she had a flood in her kitchen making it unusable but the rest of her property could be used, the housing association’s insurance wouldn’t cover alternative accommodation.

if she was in her own home, a private let of social housing it wouldn’t be unreasonable to be provided alternative accommodation. At most she could ask for a discount on her rent or some food vouchers to help her get food delivered whilst the work is under way.

her landlord is investing in her home, to add the cost of a second rent to this would make the work unaffordable & would ultimately mean less upgrade work was carried out in properties.

im sorry you will be inconvenienced op, but you should appreciate the cyclical improvements your landlord is carrying out.

And with the new 'affordable' rents they're in line with local housing allowance with is based on the cheapest private rents.

I live in a private rental and a friend who lives in a HA place has higher rent than me for a similar property! She has a 2 year contract but is still expected to provide her own carpets, curtains, kitchen appliances... Mine are all included in my rent. My landlord would also not force me to have a new kitchen I didn't want as I'm entitled to quiet enjoyment of the property and could just refuse entry to the workmen!

Op I'm HA tenant they did my bathroom and kitchen In 10 days the have to tell you the worst case scenario about the length of time it can take admittedly my bathroom and kitchen are very small for a 3 bed house I also have 2 autistic children fussy eaters the lot I'm sorry but you just have to deal with it if you go away while work is being done it may delay it as you have to give workmen access to your home

All those PP's saying "well homeowners.....". Homeowners can choose whether or not they have a new kitchen so any disruption is because of their choice. OP CAN'T CHOOSE, IT'S BEING FORCED ON HER so any disruption is not of her choice. Even I (a simpleton living in HA accommodation), get the difference so why is it so difficult for those who own their homes (so obviously so much more educated 🙄), to see that?

@WhatTheHeckyPeck - I am a homeowner and I would love for someone to come along and tell me that I can have new kitchen cupboards next week installed for free! I'd happily put up with the mess for 10 days...
Point is, OP is lucky to get these and 10 days disruption is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Many people can't afford to have a new kitchen, even some social housing has kitchens in dire need of updating.
I understand that the upheaval is huge for OP's family due to disabilities, but it's still a 1st world problem...

No they won’t. Why would they. People have assured tenancies. They can stay for life. To install your own kitchen saves the HA time and money. They are glad that people are looking after and respecting the properties.