To refuse a council property

[Violetroseyjane]

My children & I have been in temporary accommodation moved around alot for 3 years. I have to bid weekly on properties that become available through the council.
I bid on a property in a town 3 miles from me , the town itself its absolutely lovely.
So I realise I was number 1 out of 128 people, got excited drove to the address , however the council doesnt not provide a house number etc so I walked around trying to find an empty property.
There it was in all its glory an absolute s**t hole 😭 there is no garden as it is completely and utterly overgrown and I mean like a forest, both front and back.
I looked through the windows and from what I can see it has been treated like some kind of drug den, dirty mattresses and rubbish on the floor, two of the windows are boarded up with planks of wood. It's a very old council property too. The pathways leading up to the front and back doors covered in junk and rubbish , food containers, boxes, old toys , one of the small windows has been left open and u can smell the stench off wee as you get close coming from the house!
So the thing is I dont expect a property to be perfect in the slightest, howeve rthe amount if work needed to get this property up to standard would cost an absolute fortune.
I am a single parent & I an constantly skint now ! I work as much as I possibly can with little help with childcare etc.
How would I ever get this property decent enough to live in?
If I refuse this house I may get thrown off the list , atleast I will be told I cannot bid on a property for over a year and we are sick of being in temporary.
I'm in a pickle really.
I have not one person to help me with the garden.
What exactly will the council do to this property before we move in? Does anyone know? Obviously they must have to replace the windows, but a friend of mine has just said to me that is all they will have to do & clear some rubbish, they wont do the garden or anything and that will all be left to me.
Any advice over what to do in this situation please?

Just want to add my best wishes for your new home @Violetroseyjane .

Moving is in the top three of stressful life events so with all the uncertainty you've dealt with I'm not surprised you had a wobble x

Lots of good advice here, so nothing to add except all the love and luck for you and yours in the future xxx

We have a terrible shortage of family homes in this town. It's hard to find anything to buy but even harder to find anything to rent - nigh on impossible these days and judging by the comments on facebook, people are really desperate. But there's a multitude of airbnbs. It's an absolute blight. I would love the government to make it financially punitive to operate them.

You'll be fine OP, remember it doesn't have to be a show home on day 1, you can do a room at a time. Facebook marketplace and the freecycle pages are your friends.

Rude post. Council properties should be liveable!

The neighbour sounds nice chatting to you and end of terrace is good only 1 set of neighbours.
If it’s been an eyesore and garden attracts vermin you may find the neighbours are helpful and will help or lend you tools to get it looking better.
Definitely anything hazardous or pests should be removed before you move in.

Some charity shops are good for furniture, the ymca near us posts stock on Facebook and has some very good quality items.

Echoing this from @StillSeekingResponsibleAdult

It's very likely the neighbours haven't enjoyed living next door to people who've got the house into that state, so you will probably be welcomed with open arms. If the overgrown garden is effecting them they might offer loans of tools and practical help.

Once you get the place, get out there and start on the front garden. I bet you anything neighbours will stop to say hi if only because they will be curious about who has moved into the eyesore house!

Perfect opportunity to say with just you it's going to be a big job but you are getting stuck in, and ask if they have any tools you can borrow and that any spare seeds/ unwanted plants will be very welcome. (Gardeners always have stuff they've had to take out and hate throwing healthy plants away!)

Likely some people will offer their help as well but worst case you'll at least be able to borrow the tools and maybe get some plants too.

OP, you’re made The Scum.

https://apple.news/Av4-EDmOVRxe_1qpQfP7LeA

OP, why not see what state it is in when offered to you (surely they will.show you the property inside?) and see what they say about their plans to bring it up to standard. If they won't do much, you should find out online the names of some local councillors (ideally Labour/ Lib Dems ones) and ask them for urgent support as the council are giving you and your children a property which is unacceptable. If you have a local newspaper, get in touch with them if you are getting nowhere - with photos. A bit of pressure should ultimately help to sort any unwillingness from the council.

Ahhh OP I've been there and I feel for you. It is so daunting, after all that stress of moving around and bidding and hoping and all that unknown all you want is to be able to move into somewhere and relax.

I promise you though, that after a week or two of feeling settled in your forever stable life, your mind will have a lot more mental space to tackle any jobs which need doing. Try not to worry about it now and just think about getting into the place and unpacking for the last time in a long time. It feels more stressful now because your mind is still full of all the uncertainty and in survival mode from being moved all the time. People here will support you as you work through it at that time as well.

You can get flooring on pay weekly, or if you've get UC alongside your wage you could apply for a budgeting loan.

Can you hire a chainsaw without having done chainsaw training? The thought of someone untrained using one gives me the jitters!

Urgh I had a feeling The Scum would be all over this.
(that’s why I asked for my photo and post to be removed)

If you're a ket worker have a look at benevolent funds. There are often ones that support people with small grants, for things such as carpets/furniture. As well as this, there are funds from the council for White goods/beds etc that you can ask the housing officer to apply for on your behalf.

What is the scum???

I’ve not heard of this!!

OP I was going to ask that you keep the thread updated and share photos of your progress etc as I’m really excited for your new journey.

I was in a very similar position recently myself (also Cornwall) and I know how fortunate I am to finally be in secure housing and it’s lovely to hear that someone else is going to be as fortunate as I am!

The council surely will ensure its in liveable condition before they actually hand the keys over to you. I think you'd be crazy to turn it down, especially if its in a decent area.

Not connected to the op at all but the woman in the photos of The Scum article above wants to know what the going rate is for the tooth fairy and is she stupid for giving her kids £100 per tooth.
Well doh.......my kids got £1 per tooth (tooth fairy on a tight budget) but I think most tooth fairies probably give £5 per tooth? £100..............!

@Yellowbananasarebetterthangreen

oh you're a more patient person than I ! I listened to the very beginning then switched off so didn't find out the ' going rate ' .
£100 = more money than sense, or she's showing off / lying.

Many years ago after a relationship breakdown, I moved in to a HA property with my two children. I was lucky in that I had a great group of friends so I organised a cleaning and painting party. Friends brought wine and we ordered in Pizza and over a few hours we made a significant difference to the house, plus we had fun. Is this a possibility for you? Alternatively, concentrate on getting one room done nicely so that you have somewhere nice to retreat to and tackle the rest bit by bit.

Just another thought, if you need help with the garden, and can tolerate very religious people... The Mormon church encourage their missionaries to help the community. It may be worth contacting your local one? Xx

Take it of course and make it clear to the council that it needs to be completely cleaned and all the rubbish removed before you move in.

It has to be fit for habitation and like any tenancy needs to have gas and electrics safety certificates in place.

Ask them to do the garden as well as all the rubbish might have attracted rats so they should do it to make sure it isn't causing a nuisance to the neighbours.

You will be able to make the house your own after that even if it takes a bit of time.

Tbh some councils are horrendous. I work closely with mine and i have complained on behalf of clients, not unfounded either. My local council doesn't really clean properties...one woman moved in with her toddler, first day .she took photos...broken glass everywhere indoors.. broken glass in a cupboard floor...used syringes in same cupboard..poo smeared on toilet wall...broken kitchen cabinets so warped from the damp... structural damp...garden a shit hole...first night in she had a knock from what she presumed was for drugs from previous tenant. She expected property to be cleaned etc before moving in...nothing was done.Not all councils are great, theyre damn right horrendous and dont care.

You'll be fine. One week at a time.
Tackle the garden slowly. Work a bit at it every weekend. You may discover a green thumb and a new passion.

I've heard of similar stories, which is what worried me!

I had a similar experience moving from homelessness.

When they told me that I was being offered I went round to see it immediately and my heart sank.
The previous tenants had destroyed the property and used the garden as a landfill.

it took the council 3 months to clear and refurb it all. Not because they weren’t doing it, there were workies there everyday.
The upside is I had a brand new kitchen/bathroom as well as doors, skirting boards, light switches, you name it, they had to replace floorboards in 2 rooms and a cupboard.

I hope the council do a good job for your family moving in, you will hear lots of horror stories but as a pp said there was an act passed in 2023 setting minimum standards so lots of the stories are out of date now

Congratulations, you will be so pleased to have the security, no matter how long it takes to get it really homely (does take a while especially because of needing flooring/curtains etc)

Hi thanks for your message , Interesting to now know about the act oast in 2023 :)