Pending council house offer!!

[Summerpepsi32]

Good Morning all :)

I know this probably should come under homes etc however I posted in there b4 and no traffic.

So after a long time (5 years) of moving from piller to post ( bnbs, hostels caravans and temp accommodation flat) after being served a section 21 no fault eviction 5 years ago!

My children and I have been shortlisted for a property through our local housing bidding site!!

I recieved a phone call on Friday afternoon from the housing team asking if I am still interested in the property as I have come number 1 out of 205 people!
Of course I said yes although was not given the number of the house just yet!
I do know the road it is on and the town it is in.

I was promptly sent application forms through by email and asked to provide bank statements, I'd, birth certificates etc.
I've been asked to make sure they are all sent in by Monday afternoon.
I've completed everything I need to and sent all the information needed back to them.

So I could do with some advice really from others that have experienced similar. I am feeling super anxious over my application and hoping nothing falls through, I suppose because I have bid every week for 5 years and no luck I'm feeling it's all a bit good to be true!
Is it likely this is now ours now?

Does anyone know how long the turn around is in this process? I am currently sat looking at all our stuff in our flat thinking I have so much to pack and move, by myself as little to no support, I need to book a removal company, which without an official date is impossible!

The housing team said tenants were still occupying the property on friday, however thier tenancy ends this weekend!

I havent been given a time frame at all it's just all been left up in the air.

I have no idea what it looks like inside, not sure if I need to buy flooring etc.

There are so many things going through my head this weekend.

Very grateful and excited dont get me wrong, however also very anxious , overwhelmed and worried about costs.

I will have to book and pay for removal company, rent upfront, flooring if needed and obviously food day to day expenses which is tough when a single parent.

The lady on the phone also said it's not yet yours until we go through your application so dont get too excited, however I have just logged into the council housing bidding site to look at other properties and it says you cannot bid on anything as you have an offer pending!! This looks good doesnt it??

Apologies for sounding all over the place with this post, I am so shocked, excited however also quote scary , not sure why I'm feeling this way tbh, I'm sure it will all work out fine! Any words of advice would be fantastic !

I cannot believe we will be getting our own home finally!!

🥳😮🤯😬

They have nominated you for it and you are now pending them verifying your application.

As long as you have no rent arrears, asb action against you or criminal charges you’ll be fine.

As for how long. Well it’s impossible to know. When current occupant moves out it’ll go to voids. Could be turned around in a week or good be several weeks - depends on how good the Housing Association are / whether the property needs any major works ( kitchen/bathroom etc).

Thank you, no rent arrears at all. Good references from all landlords also , not got a criminal record or had any complaints in any properties so thats positive.

Thank you :)

As for flooring. Bathroom and kitchen should be done.

The rest you can expect to need to floor unless the previous tenant didn’t have pets and carpets were in good condition - some HA’s offer to “gift” these to you.

They’ll arrange a viewing soon and some try and do sign up on the day. Check the allocations policy though. You often aren’t obliged to do this if you want thinking time - however most Lettings’s teams will try it.

Also are you in temp homelessness accommodation at moment?

Yes and high banding

We have been in emergency and temporary accommodation for 5 years

Keeping everything crossed for you OP. I love that you’re so excited. 😆🤞 🥳

Great news!

If you're in receipt of housing benefit, you can claim HB for both properties on a cross over for up to 4 weeks. That would allow you to plan for things like painting, decorating, flooring and removals if you can manage it before you actually move I to the council property.

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/benefits/claiming_benefits_for_two_homes

Also, the council can provide you with vouchers for decorating - it'll usually be a delivery of paint from Dulux or Johnstones as far as I'm aware. You'll need to buy brushes and rollers etc. You can pick the paint colours!

Thank you so much for this , I will look into it tomorrow morning

Fantastic to see sometimes so positive @Summerpepsi32 😀 🥳
Get a look on fb marketplace for furniture/whitegoods in case you need any.

Tell the dc school as temp upheaval may affect a bit.
But YESSS!! Hurrah for you!!

No advice but wanted to wish you all the best in your new home! 😘

Super pleased for you. I’m in similar circumstances and I also work in housing.

What will happen next is it will either happen really fast or it’ll slow and then happen really fast! Lettings’s will look at your application, make an offer , do a viewing ( sometimes viewing then offer) and often they are then waiting for voids to say ready. Often it’s a Thursday afternoon it’s ready then a Friday sign up. They need to do any works, EICR and Gas safety check.

Best you can do is sort your stuff, discard what you don’t want, pack up as much as possible and rally any friends and family to be on standby.

Speak to the move on team about any support with rent in advance ( have they said it’s needed).

Do you need a cooker or other household items?

I’d go and do a drive by on the property too. It’ll be obvious which one it is if people are moving out.

Fingers crossed for you! Please post when you move in

Each council/housing association does different for redecorating. Some packs even have brushes and rollers in them.

I have been waiting just over 3 years and came number 1 for a property on the 6th May. On the 8th May I received the formal offer letter and sent in the requested ID. I'm now having to wait for the property to be ready for viewing.

The property is currently empty and they have so far stripped out the kitchen and bathroom but nothing has been put back in yet. It appears to depend on the condition the property was left in and how much work needs doing before you can view it. I'm not anticipating a viewing for at least 3 weeks, but you can book removals in advance even without a confirmed date.

I have found a removal company who knows I don't have a date yet and allow you to book in advance then give you flexibility to change the date as you need to until you get the official moving date from the council.

It's massively exciting but I can see by the progress inside the property that it won't be ready for a while so I'm trying to not worry too much because I know it's already been offered to me and I'm going to be taking it.

I often noticed that properties I wasn't successful bidding on before seemed to still be empty weeks later but now I have a property waiting for me I can understand why nobody moves in for a while because every property is different and some need more work done than others before they can be let to a new tenant.

Good luck and enjoy your new home 🏡 x

Thank you , and yes they have said a months rent in advance is needed. Yes I need a fridge freezer as ours broke a couple of weeks ago.

I worked as a support worker with vunerable families experiencing domestic abuse/ homelessness for years , however due to the upheaval, moving around alot and stress I had to leave. I am hoping to get back to a similar position in the future. I have a couple of other friends working like yourself within council ( not housing) and they are also in the same position , in temp or emergency, after being served a section 21 eviction , it is getting worse in my area it seems.
Good luck to you in getting your forever home too :)

Mine took months to move into, the kitchen, bathroom, internal doors were all put in new as they were old/had holes where fists had been put through them.

The walls were grim and nicotine yellow, we sugar soaped and lined every room with insulating lining paper (this is £££ but makes a big difference to heating), and just painted every room white, personalisation came later as white is cheap and quick.

Be aware that council houses often suffer from damp, this is often because people have papered over vents to keep the heat in so you'll want to locate those or get some cheap room dehumidifiers in each room particularly if you'll dry clothes indoors in the winter.

The council don't tend to leave flooring incase it has fleas etc. Tapi does 0% interest. I like their Grande range it's thick, but posh laminate / lino so is soft and warm underfoot opposed to wood laminate and is easy to care for, the downside is heavy furniture can mark it. Prior to actually getting flooring down as DD was a toddler I bought a load of those Eva foam squares and used those instead.

It's exciting though, well done.

Great news! So happy for you OP! You’ve gotten great advice already just wanted to cheer you on. Good luck with the move

Start looking on Freecycle, Freegle, Nextdoor, Olio etc for things to furnish your lovely new home. Be polite and prompt and the odd person may even deliver.

Informing the school is fab advice! I didnt think of that, thank you!

That's amazing I'm so happy for you!

When I moved out of a bnb hostel to my council offered flat, I was told about it on the Tuesday, signed all forms in the office on the Friday and I got my keys a few weeks later after they put in a new bathroom and kitchen. I thought it was ready just to go the day I signed the docs but obviously I didn't realise they'd have to get it in all perfect condition for the next tenant first

Congratulations on your new home!!
I didn't have my door number either but when I knew it was empty I went round to the street and one of my new friendly neighbours told me which one it was :-)

Thank you, and congratulations on your new home 🥳 that's interesting about the removals being so flexible

Congratulations 🥳 I’m so pleased for you! All the time your rent is paid, you’ll never have to worry about another eviction notice ever again.

Get a notepad out and start making lists. Utilities, tv licence, gp’s surgery, schools, family & friends, insurance etc will all need updating and/or changing. Get down to your local supermarket or shop and see if they’ve got any boxes you can have. Start putting newspapers to one side to wrap plates etc in. It’s time to start going through toys etc and getting rid of anything that isn’t needed anymore.