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.

@saraclara THEY wanted Monday 22nd (which is fine but i DID tell them i can only do Mondays and i suggessted Monday 15th but they were booked up but fair enough. At least they phoned me first.

They might not be insured for her to stay there off peak

Oh ffs! Again, we would all love that but the new kitchen will be paid for in her rent. Every time the HA upgrades your property they increase the rent. As a homeowner would you love someone to come and put in a kitchen of their choice at a time you don't chose then charge you for it?

I really wish some of the homeowners on this thread would wake up in the morning to someone ripping out their kitchen and when they question it the contractor says "what are you complaining about Its free"

Bit like that episode of One Foot in the Grave where Victor wakes up and finds the builders have bricked him and his wife into the bedroom

Reading some of the comments from the last few pages has been so eye-opening. I knew that some people looked down on people like me, but have never seen it said so blatantly.

I’m in a similar situation to the OP, in a HA house, have a long term disability which affects me physically and mentally, and in my previous private rental there were many problems with the kitchen, bathroom and windows so at some point we had to have them all replaced. Everything was on their schedule, poor quality materials, rude, disrespectful, loud workmen. No choices at all. We were left without a bathroom for 3 nights and had to use a local restaurant’s toilet. The estate agents weren’t interested when I complained and just told me to “wait it out”, and made it clear they thought I was being precious.
No access to any type of kitchen while they did that room. We had to stay with relatives who were 10 miles away and we don’t have a car so it was difficult and they weren’t too happy to host us in all honesty.

They didn’t do all of the works at the same time btw, so we did get breaks in between.

It was an upheaval so I genuinely do understand OP, the lack of any control at all is difficult. Please do push forward with a meeting and escalate this, you don’t deserve to be treated like this.

Some of the comments - please do try to have some empathy if possible for the reason why this is hard. It’s the complete lack of any choice or control at all. Being FORCED to put your kitchen goods in the garden in freezing weather, being FORCED to have no access to your kitchen for 2 weeks, being FORCED to have a kitchen in a style you’d never choose yourself, being FORCED to use a company you know nothing about. When you have a long term illness or disability your home is your sanctuary, and losing that feeling for several days can have a huge impact on your health.

I already feel I am “rotten” and “scum” for not being able to work and living in a HA property, I have so much to offer and am so ambitious but my health won’t allow me to get out the front door some days. I feel like giving up sometimes. Please just know that your words can cause these feelings to get even worse. Is that what you want to put out into the world? We have so little time in this life, I can’t imagine spending it putting those feelings onto others who might be struggling.
Just something to think on anyway, basically remember your humanity.

As long as they would then hear that their mortgage was increasing as their home had been upgraded for free then I agree!

@SENwoes yes I did read your schedule - now. Sorry, didn't see it before I responded. I still think staying home is the best option because you and your children will still be in the comfort of your own bedroom(s) and bathroom. That would beat a Travelodge for me! As I said before, it will be a bit of camping, but after all it's only two weeks. And the plus is : when the workers have finished certain chores you will be there to supervise if all is according to plan ánd to do a quick sweep-through and put out some trash!

We were left without a bathroom for 3 nights and had to use a local restaurant’s toilet

Wow Can you shit to a timetable because i certainly cant. I go when i need to go. Its called being a human being Those contractors and agents didnt even see you as human. I wouldnt be able to shit to a restaurants timetable. I would have probably had to shit in a bucket. THEN i could have placed said bucket in back of their works van ...........hey mate its free. If people ever treated me as less than human like that i would behave like one to their detriment.

OOh imagine the AIBU there could have been from the restaurant owner AIBU not to let the tenants keep using my loo

Ignoring all the batshit crazy people in here...

OP just to reassure you, it may not be as bad as you think. We had our kitchen done last year and I carefully chose the week a year in advance, and booked into the local pub with the dog for the worst days. Job sorted I thought ...

Teen (ASD) found the changed location worse than the mess and stress at home. As we all did. So we cancelled the remaining nights and came home. Teen even did online exams (homeschooled) during the work and we survived on frozen food reheated (could a neighbour store food in freezer for you?).

I didn't have a kitchen foisted upon me but chose it, but even in the weeks before I regretted the whole thing and wanted to cancel. It wasn't fun but it was bearable and just a few weeks and I am now enjoying a nice new kitchen.

Mark the days off and do what you need to to survive - my plan b was to have a trusted friend take the teen out as much as possible if you could do that too?

Best of luck.

Yes it was a pretty crazy time. It’s more complicated than I explained in that post because they believed the bathroom issues to be our fault, I actually had a thread on here about it at the time! So that justified them a lot more with saying we’d have to suck it up and manage, because they felt we’d brought it on ourselves. We hadn’t and tried to take legal action but didn’t get anywhere. Long story.

Yes it made me feel less than human anyway, you’re so right there. I’ve actually felt much more respected and been treated better since being in a HA house than I ever did via private rentals.

Lol about the restaurant owners AIBU I could definitely imagine that! 😂😂😂

As i said upthread my late neighbours kitchen took NINE MONTHS Would you still be happy then.

Not turning up on days they are supposed to.............check
Turning up randomly on days they arent supposed to and expecting you to drop any plans or appointments you might have..............check
Only doing two and a half hours work then buggering off again until the next time. I take it you would be fine with this

Actually we better get ready for more of this crap As many home owners on here have said they cant afford to have their kitchens done so companies and contractors will look to social housing tenants as an income stream.

@NCforthis000 are you also FORCED to live in a HA home?
Because I think that if the HA wouldn't upgrade their housing on a regular basis, you would most likely be FORCED to live in an unfit for purpose home.

And no, I am not buying the line of it's of poor quality either. Yes, the new kitchen cupboards are probably basic quality. But nevertheless they are new and they probably are a tiny fraction of the possible rent increase... in the grand scheme of things really a 1st world problem.

@Sinuhe You arent buying that its poor quality Really Where the fuck have you been. The Grenfell residents complained about poor workmanship FFS. And you obviously think its fine to leave someone without a toilet

“are you also FORCED to live in a HA home?”

I kind of am. After the private landlord/estate agent did all of the works I mentioned, they decided to evict us. We also lost our deposit through no fault of our own so didn’t have anything for securing a new private rental. The only option was to go on the council waiting list and they only work with housing associations. Very grateful and lucky to be here, but I didn’t choose the area, the house or the timeframe for any of it, I loved the place before.

Now I’m too ill to work at all and my partner is my carer, I also recently lost my PIP so we really do have the bare minimum and can hardly afford food/heating.

I agree though that it’s a first world problem in that so many people have things horrendously worse than me and the OP too, I’m genuinely so grateful for all I have.

The estate agents weren’t interested when I complained and just told me to “wait it out”, and made it clear they thought I was being precious

Were their offices carpeted. Could have been a nice blank canvas 😉

Agree. It really is poor quality sometimes, both the materials and the work itself.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/jan/17/aysen-dennis-aylesbury-estate-battle-misuse-planning-law-high-court

True, but it is worth asking.
If not, can she delay the kitchen till the park IS open?

@Ariela I think that yes that would be better, Its getting the HA to agree though,

The caravan is a definite no. I wouldn’t have any electricity or water. I will ask them about delaying it. It said in the original bumph they sent through that it had to be done by the end of March. It’s an outside company that’s doing it so I guess they’ve got a contract with them until then.

If and when I choose to redo my kitchen is someone going to rehouse me? No.

Crack on and stop whinging.

Oh my god....cancel the cheque indeed!

She doesn't wants new kitchen for the millionth time
And if you wanted a new kitchen you would arrange at YOUR convenience

Comprehension skills are not your strongpoint are they?

2nd paragraph from the OP

I don’t have a choice in this

I don’t have a choice in this

I don’t have a choice in this

How many more times do you want it pointed out to you

the OP HAS NO CHOICE IN THIS

FFS.

My thoughts exactly! Been there, done that! We survived with our microwave on a sidetable in the livingroom 😜 As I told OP, you'll still be in the comfort of your own home, your own bed and bath. And it's only two weeks!