To leave social housing to private rent.

[CoconutSky]

I’ve made threads about my social housing flat
Ground floor, adapted, ridiculously small kitchen and full of what they describe as “condensation”

I keep complaining, asking them for a move and I’m getting nowhere just being stuck on their allocations bidding list when their larger properties only go to homeless nominations

I am depressed, anxious, miserable and full of anger. I can’t exchange, decorating has been a waste of time as the mould has just ruined it all

Has anyone got any experience of leaving a social housing property for a private rental?

Do you run a dehumidifier for the condensaation?

I would move if it’s making you unwell. Life is too short to feel depressed everyday imo, and who knows what the mould is doing to your child’s lungs.

I think I remember your previous thread. Is this the place with the crappy 'wet room'? Apologies if I'm thinking of something else.

It really does suck OP. This is one of those threads that make me wish I'd won the bloody euro millions last night so I could just wave a magic money wand and sort you out!

My advice would be to not move though, sorry. Private renting is an absolute shitshow at the moment and you will have v little security.

This is the kind of issue that could do with an MN campaign really. It's appalling that you and your dc are being left in housing of this condition.

I run a dehumidifier every day. House doesn’t go under 80% humidity.

do you open the windows every single day for 10-15 minutes as well? I guess you have been told this before but fresh air really oes help a window vac can help remove the water condensation. I know it won't alter the size but if you have a life long tenancy it might be worth looking at tiny house you tube to try and things of ways of reorganising space
wall paper doesn't cause mould but wallpaper on top of mould might help it spread

I remember your other thread, this situation is crazy because adapted flats are like hens teeth - I don't understand why your LL doesn't offer you a different place so they can repair and let out the adapted flat to someone that actually needs it.
Have you contacted your MP?

Tiny house YouTube would be well and good if I had any room to actually put things.

It’s hard to let in general, that’s why I think personally

I presume you've already done all you can to tackle the condensation yourself while you're waiting (and pushing) the housing association to sort it out - opening windows, heating on, dehumidifier when it's too cold to open the windows, etc? I know these things are expensive but they are a hell of a lot cheaper than what it would cost you to go into private rented.

Lots of housing associations are fitting ventilation units to deal with damp and mould too. Is this something you have been offered as if not it will be worth raising? Apologies if you've done this already.

Have you looked at shared ownership at all? Some councils now offer a 10% share (so you could get a mortgage for 90% of 10% if that makes sense) and if you're in receipt of housing benefits you can use them towards the rental portion.

This is what’s swaying me towards just handing the keys back and looking for private.
She’s spent 4 years here, she’s 5, 4 years of being cramped in a mouldy shithole, 4 summers of being stuck inside whilst the dregs all smoke bongs in the garden, 4 years of no room and no safe space to play or be happy, alongside a miserable mum

I’ve got passive air vents. They are a waste of time. Mould still growing even with the vents.

If you're moving towards a full time job once the university course is finished/your child is older then I'd maybe set that as the goal for when you can move out.
The other option you have at this point is going to the press with pictures of the mould to shame the housing association.

Unfortunately I think you will struggle to rent anywhere decent if you are claiming Housing Allowance. Landlords are still funny about this and because of the demand for private rentals they can afford to be picky .

Have you been to a surgery?
How long ago did you email?
Have you contacted a councillor too?

I think I'd keep fighting.

Do you have a dehumidifier? Running that would cost less than the increased rent if you go private.

There's no guarantee your conditions would be better in private, plus higher rent and insecurity.

While you decide what to do, clean up the mould with chlorhexidine (at 2% strength if you can get it), or high strength alcohol hand gel. You can find instructions online.

Have you had your own assessment of the problem?

Sometimes people don't succeed with complaints because they are not consistent and they complain, then have a break, then start again.

If you are running a dehumidifier and it is 80%, that is not condensation. What did the solicitor advise you do to force repairs?

Have you tried contacting the housing executive within your housing association/council?

This sounds so difficult and I honestly don't know what I'd do I your position. I think I'd be tempted to just give it up, but the thought of not being able to afford the rent would be worrying.

Have you had a look at any private rentals? That might be a good start. See what's on offer and run through the numbers with a fine toothcomb.

I dont mean to sound prying, but why do you work part time and would it be possible to increase your hours? If that's not possible right now, when would you be able to go FT? In an ideal world, you'd hold put until then, but I compeltel understand why you'd want to move now and I would too.

I see we live in the same area op. I’ve been applying for private rentals since January with no luck - also a single parent and student. They are all inundated with applications and landlords are choosing the highest earners. So even if that’s your intention, I’m sorry to say that you might struggle to get a private rental. I have seen some companies on local Facebook pages that are offering to take up cases like yours to fight against HA repair issues, though you may have already tried this route. I’m really sorry you’re in this situation. Do you have any family you could move in with? While you save up say 6 months rent? As that can sometimes persuade a private landlord x

Sunk coat fallacy. If by going private you'd be happier then go for it. What's 5he point of having a secure tenancy if it's tying you to somewhere where you hate living?

Have you tried the local media? Or threatening to? A dad at my youngest school did this and it forced them into repairs.

Otherwise pay for a mold company assessment yourself and then take it up via solictor for repairs and recompense.
Unfortunately some private rentals are mouldy too or in disrepair. But some aren't. You could look on OpenRent to see the market

Everyone's situation and perspective is very different, but I have recently gone through a situation of myself and my neighbours causing a big fuss a couple of years ago about my living situation due to a downstairs neighbour taking on the 1 bedroom flat that adjoined to my nice little maisonette in a lovely area.

It was bad and both myself and others did complain a lot about the neighbour and drugs, ASB etc, but truthfully I was also motivated to complain because I was sick of the property. I'd had a surprise third pregnancy, the house had no in built storage and one room was downstairs which we didn't make good use of so it felt pokey. We didn't have adequate storage furniture and we weren't making best use of the space at all, and the property needed repairs and new flooring desperately.

We were eventually moved and it was awful. I spent every day of the last year and a half wishing I had seen the benefits, realised what I had instead of focusing on the negatives.

After much begging and pleading and several strokes of good luck, I've been told I can return to my HA house and I'm so extremely grateful.

I know this post is very me me me, but I can't express in words the grief and loss I experienced giving up my secure and safe home. Yes it needed work, yes it wasn't ideal, but I've realised I could have done so much more to improve what I had. It's only actually going through with leaving and dealing with a much worse situation that made me realise how good I had it.

OP, given the current climate and given that you are in a densely populated area, and with the uncertainty the rent reform bill will bring for a while, price increases and such, I would be ever so careful about giving up a secure tenancy.

What if you were given a really similar property in a high rise but 16 floors up instead of being on the ground floor? What if you can't afford your new also mouldy flat and end up in a B&B for 3 years?

It's so difficult, but you would be leaving the frying pan for the fire.

There are so many avenues to explore first - and I'm sure you have.
However there is nothing to say that you'd get a better service in private rented (often worse).

Stay put. Keep on at them.

I had a friend that left HA and went private it was okay for a few months.
Then the landlord was selling she had to move same happened again after a year in the new home.
She then had to move again as the rent went up she had awful problems the land lord would not fix.
She then found another home 4th one that worse but cheaper but landlady was awful.
She said none of the home felt like home because she was never sure if she had to move.
Dealing with all the above with 2 children.
It took her 6 long years on a bidding site to get offered a flat from HA again and she grabbed it yes it was second floor no garden but it was her home it was security and no worries of having to move again she said she would never go private again.
She`s been in her flat 12 years now no plans to ever leave it.
I dont know what private is like now but i would try and swap with someone first if you can.