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?

I would get a damp surveyor in. At this point it is critical.

If I were you I’d wait just until you finish your course and can work full time.

I'm really sorry for your situation. Could you afford to privately rent?

Do you have anything from your doctor to show that your current housing is adversely affecting your, or your daughter's, health? Otherwise, it seems your only option is to look for an exchange - could you expand your search area even slightly? Your adapted property should be a bonus, sometimes a three-way swap is possible (seen one going through locally and I think they found each other on FB groups).

OPs previous thread

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/amibeingunreasonable/4976675-to-just-walk-out-my-council-house?page=1

I would walk out. What notice do you have to give?

Put your stuff in storage except for a few clothes and rent a cheap studio flat for the short term until you get yourself sorted. Despite your bad experience don't be put off by wet rooms as they can be amazing if installed properly.

I would just leave. Is it really worth years of your life being so miserable and living in what seems like awful conditions. Just because it’s a secure tenancy, it doesn’t mean that you have to live this way. Would you be able to private rent?

Some of the rentals have come down round here now. And I could afford it.

I just see so many horror stories that I didn’t know if it was worth doing. Thank you @JenniferBooth for linking my original thread. Xx

Have you spoken to Shelter? Sorry, OP.💐

No worries Dont want you to keep getting comments about not drying clothes indoors

If it’s just you and your daughter can you take the small room and let her have the big room for her toys etc?

Myself and @CoconutSky have discussed having a protest outside the office on Monday morning 🤣🤣
We live alarmingly close 😵‍💫

Is the whole building that is damp?
Ask your neighbours and if they have the same problem then maybe get some group action.

No not whole building, so only 2 ground floor flats have damp. Ours are smaller than all the other as we have compromised rooms to make way for the front and back doors

That indicates that your dehumidifier is not powerful enough. My house had very high humidity, and when loss of income combined with fuel cost increases meant that I couldn't afford to keep the heating at 21 degrees black mould started to grow everywhere.

I invested in a dehumidifier that has a 4 litre water collection tank and the ability to remove 20 litres of water from the air in a day. For the first few weeks I had to empty the tank a few times a day, as the humidity gradually decreased from 90 to 70 and finally, now that all the excess damp has been removed from the curtains, beds and other fabrics it runs 24/7 on a "smart" electricity saving setting ethat keeps the humidity below 50%, and the tank only needs emptying ever three or four days. There's also a laundry setting that is brilliant for drying duvets and pillows indoors overnight.

It has a HEPA filter and UV filter which are brilliant for removing pollen and viruses from the air. You do have to remember to vacuum the filter and wash it every now and again if you want really clean fresh air indoors.

It would be a terrible shame to lose your secure tenancy for the want of a decently efficient dehumidifier.

For ages I didn't realise that I had to clean the filters on our dehumidifiers. No wonder they weren't working properly 😒

I live not far away so I’m familiar with private rents in your neck of the woods - you’re talking about £1K on average for a two bedroom flat. You’d get some housing benefit but I don’t know how much. Have you done the maths?

But I wouldn’t leave secure tenancy unless it’s an emergency. Also, the truth is is that as a single mum who works part-time and has a child you won’t be seen as an attractive tenant by some landlords.

It’s a 20L dehumidifier.
I get people’s points about a secure tenancy but this in fact is part of the issue. It’s secure in the sense I’m bound to it, I can’t just go on rightmove and find something. The flats 50sqm so I don’t see how a 20L dehumidifier can’t shift the damp.

Coconutsky can you see yourself being able to earn more money in the next few years? Maybe when uni finishes? If so, maybe stick it out a bit longer if you have to. If you really could afford private rent now just go for it though.

I wonder if the housing association would be forced into sorting it out before anyone else could move in, if you just walked out.

Sorry to hear your situation, it’s truly shameful of the HA. I came across this while looking up something else for work.

localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/sharpeedge/804-sharpeedge-housing/60237-government-statement-provides-update-on-awaab-s-law

I was just skimming your old thread OP and I'm sorry the property is unbearable for you.

I know you have pages upon pages of advice, but as it may be not realistic for you to move for a while yet, I thought I'd share what I would do in your shoes.

As it's just you and DD, I'd quit using the second bedroom as a bedroom. I'd do up the main bedroom as just your DD's room, so she has a nice space and all her things, and so you get a break once she is in bed in the evenings.

I'd get myself a nice sofa bed, day bed or similar and make the main living area into a multifunctional room that acts as your bedroom. I'd use the small room for storage space so you don't have to have a wardrobe taking up space in the living room; in fact I'd use your DD's wardrobe and share it (get/keep your current full sized one) and use the space room as an organised storage space to keep your living area clutter free.

I'd get a pantry style cupboard from IKEA (they do cheap ones in a variety of sizes and what I like is they also do a variety of depths within the same range so you can get shallow ones that don't take up too much space) behind the kitchen door (in the living room), feed an extension cord wire into the back of the cupboard and have your kettle, microwave and bits that can't quite fit into your kitchen in here.

I know you probably don't have much disposable income but the Metod pantry cupboards start at £72; you could also look on freecycle, gumtree etc.

I really hope things look brighter for you, I think you've had a really hard time of it and that can make less than ideal situations seem insurmountable.

@CoconutSky there were lots of posts on the last thread suggesting that you go to the Media and a couple of people have mentioned it on this thread as well.

You would be able to maintain your anonymity as I know that is a concern.

Apologies as I've missed it but is there a reason you won't consider this? My local newspaper regularly features articles about HA/Council residents living in situations that sound very similar to yours. I know one resident personally and she said her HA swung into action after an article was published (it took another 6 months but better than nothing..). You could try a national newspaper like the Guardian (better than the Daily Fail) which has a long running series focused on this issue.

I think this thread will go in the same direction as the other one with people genuinely trying to be helpful with suggesions re humidifiers, opening windows, can you get a FT job, do this or that etc but those soutions were all covered in the previous thread so it's going around in circles. Trying a nuclear option like approaching a newspaper might be the best way foward at this point?

Jigsaw need to be named and shamed otherwise I can see you opening a third thread in 2026 with the same problems...

I wouldn't give up a social tenancy in England right now. New legislation is on its way to protect the rights of private renters (rightfully so) but when similar was introduced in Wales, it led to many landlords quitting the private rental sector and evicting their tenants. Now the supply of private rentals is squeezed, prices have shot up and landlords are requesting guarantors, months of advance rent, professional-only tenants and everything that makes it hard for the average family to rent. Plus LHA is being frozen for several years so won't keep up with the rise in rents.

If Angela Rayner won't answer, phone her, go to her surgery. It's literally her job to represent her constituents - don't let her off the hook.

I have been referred to their new team to assist in damp and mould. Someone is dropping a clock off tomorrow that reads humidity levels and tells me when to open a window.

Apparently I could be opening windows too much or not enough.
I genuinely feel distressed with these damp inspections because it’s just constant gaslighting I end up so frustrated and upset I’m in tears.

How many inspections have they done? It's a fairly simple thing to establish the cause of damp. What did the last inspection reveal?

Gaslighting is exactly what it is they know damn well what the problem is Its also another stalling tactic