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.

I have literally just had mine done, they finish the flooring on Monday.
My HA said it would take 5 days, they started in a Thursday, ripped everything out and then buggered off the whole weekend leaving us with just a toilet, no running water and huge holes in the wall to the outside in -6 weather.

We got by with living off microwaved food and take aways. Urgent laundry like school uniforms went to the laundrette.

It was loud, cold and noisy. Working from home was not fun. But we're on the other side now, bathroom is beautiful and the novelty of having a kitchen where nothing is hanging on by a thread is amazing.

They should let you choose the colours of the units, worktops and flooring.

Compensation for what?

Wowsers, @JenniferBooth ! That’s shocking stuff!

@SENwoes Housing ombudsman? They have a chat service which you can use on Monday - or email address below.

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I also have chronic fatigue and totally understand the crash lasting months. You poor thing having to try to pack up the kitchen. You say you have teens. Can they do it for you while you sit on a chair and direct them?

I'm assuming the disruption, being without a functioning kitchen for 2 weeks potentially, extra electricity and heating... Do you have any idea how cold a house gets when you have workmen coming in and out all day!

Every tenant is entitled to quiet enjoyment of the property and have use of EVERY room while they are living there and paying rent.

@HellsToilet

But isn't it just one of those things? A temporary disruption with something good at the end of it.

World's gone mad!

I had covid end of August and then again in October. Both times caught from colleagues at work.

It is one of those things but if you a paying for a facility you cannot use you are entitled to a refund. Why is this any different? For 2 weeks OP will not have use of her kitchen or quiet enjoyment of her home that she is paying rent for, she is entitled to recompense for that.

Unless it is in the tenancy agreement, landlords do not have any right to enter the property and upgrade parts of the house unless they are dangerous or in a state of disrepair which OP says it is not.

Yep. Seems its only breaking the law taking risks with electricity if its the tenants doing it!!!!

i think forcing refurbs on tenants (SH tenants in particular) will become more common. More and more homeowners cant afford to refurb (as stated on this very thread) so companies and contractors will turn more and more to social housing tenants as their income stream.

Can't you just say "fine, don't replace for another 20 years then"?

Just reading some of the replies on here about the standard of replacement kitchens, it sounds like the replacements are often of worse quality than the originals. Is this the case for you? It doesn't sound like you're getting much more than a few cupboards and a bit of tiling in any case? You might chose to put your own, better quality kitchen in if you're health improves over the next few years. Assuming this is allowed in HA?

Well today isn’t going great so far. I feel worse than I did yesterday and haven’t managed to get out of bed yet. I was planning on getting at least some stuff that I’ll eat for the next couple of weeks cooked today while I still have a kitchen, to go in the freezer but I can’t see that happening.

Nah. I think we're talking cheaper end "builders kitchens" and there's no shortage of new builds to sell their shit kitchens to. Can't see the likes of even Wren going after this market - you're only talking about a few cupboards and a worktop after all. There's a massive difference between the cost of a kitchen most homeowners would choose - with integrated appliances, full ceiling height cupboards, fancy taps, tiling, splashbacks, soft closers, granite or solid wood work surfaces - and 3 or 4 units, laminate worktops, steel sink and a couple of rows of tiles that's going into HA properties.

Plus, as @SENwoes and others have stated - this is part of a 20 year plan. They are replacing because the 20 years is up, NOT because they've got a good deal from the builder. It won't matter how much kitchen fitters target social housing- no way are they gonna replace a kitchen just for the sake of it.

Honestly, if I were you, I'd just delay/cancel it. I've been where you are - although not from CFS, but from poor mental health, and if you can't do it, then you can't do it.

It's a BIG disruption, any works on your home, but especially a kitchen, and especially when you're all at home 24/7. Does your kitchen NEED replacing? Or can you make it last a few more years until you're back on your feet?

Have you read the thread or even the OP's posts?
Do you not think within 33 pages someone maybe posted that very suggestion.

I don’t think I can cancel it 😞 they’ll be here first thing in the morning and I won’t be able to get hold of them today.

I looked up the name of the company that’s doing the kitchen and I thought oh that’s good, lots of good reviews. But it turned out pretty much all the good ones were from people that worked there or wives/partners of people who worked there (and said so which is weird). And some pretty shocking ones from people who had actual kitchens fitted. So I’m not expecting it to be great.

Good luck!
You will be fortunate if it only takes 2 weeks as I've known several people go through this and the duration is much longer due to slack workers, workers being on other jobs, problems arising, wrong parts ordered etc etc.
Fingers crossed it only does take the 2 weeks estimated time!

@SENwoes i have my electrical check tommorrow but the chances of a power cut here are high We ALWAYS get problems when its windy. Ive been threatened by the HA that i cant cancel it with less than 24 hours notice as it will be counted as failure to provide access. IF a PC occurs before his arrival i will just have to let him attend. (assuming they dont cancel it themselves) This HA has lied about tenants not allowing access for gas safety checks before when it was engineers not turning up. (it was even featured on Dispatches on Channel 4) so i dont trust them if i do have to cancel . BEFORE ANYONE STARTS yes i realise the electrician might decide its too dangerous to drive and thats fine. Im leaving the ball in their court because of their threats. Might help to not always be booking stuff like this in the winter.

@JenniferBooth yes that’s another element, the storm’s already getting going here and the kitchen fitters are based over 50 miles away so
who knows if they’ll actually make it. Weather warnings for tomorrow.

But I’m sure all my white goods would have been ok in the garden 😂

Yes its ALWAYS contractors from miles away isnt it.

Stupid wankers

My builders have worked around white goods (though in my case thats a washer, dryer and dishwasher, as the fridge and freezer already live elsewhere)... never a suggestion we put them outside, its been foul here through the whole build!

I think yabu. The housing association is providing a new kitchen free of charge and I do think that you should be appreciative of that. Everyone else has to pay for it themselves or live with a kitchen that is in disrepair because they don’t have the funds to pay for a new one. To then ask to also be rehoused ( presumably at someone else’s expense) whilst works are undertaken is a step too far. Yes work being done in your home is disruptive but there are ways to limit this. When we had our kitchen re-done, I picked up an extra shift at work, went shopping, went on longer walks, visited relatives etc. We used the microwave, ordered a couple of takeaways etc. Our tradesmen made sure we were only without our washing machine for a day or two. It is workable.