Limited council tenancies

[Biscuitscoco]

Council housing only for two years Guardian report

Surely this is wrong?

we are due a new kitchen in 3-5 yrs. atm i am permantly fxing the things, rehanging cupboards, fixing broken kickboards, etc etc. they did replace the floor earlier this year though as the old one was lifting and you couldnt walk in there without cutting your feet to shreds.

they refused to replace the broken toilet, so went skip diving for one as had no cash . when my dad removed the old toilet it literally came out in 2 pieces. so i now have anatty avacado green downstairs loo. its very tempting to find a matching sink and call it retro-styling lol. i think some lemon yellow tiles in there would look really fetching lol.

When we moved in, there was not a single shelf in the place. At all. We had to buy brackets and shelves, units, etc. There was nothing on the bare floorboards, several of which were also covered in broken glass. The windows had been smashed, the council replaced them and left the mess.

No curtains, lightbulbs, light fixture coverings.

One room was painted bubblegum pink and covered in multi-coloured Playboy stamps.

Some of the walls had so much mould and damp we had to do a fungacide wash, then a damp proof paint, then paint.

Graffiti all over the wood floor in one bedroom.

No white goods. Meaning you have to buy a washing machine, cooker, fridge/freezer, etc.

And it was miles over the one DH moved into in Edinburgh.

back in the day of ex mil,she informed me the council used to do yearly checks on the state of their properties.

Yep, I remember the checks as a kid too. But then it was a nice estate. People had gardens with flowers and well kept grass, some people even grew vegetables.

Now the same estate looks like an absolute pile of shit.

Northerner, it is very standard here, when an occupant leaves a property, to pull everything out - all floor coverings, anything they added (cupboards, shelves, pegs, any improvements they made, etc).

The tenant leaving pulls that out Expat of the council?

OR the council, not of.

often the council will pull it out. there is some progress though, as lately if a tenant leaves carpet in good condition and properly fitted they will leave it in place for the next person.

My HA pulls everything out - carpets, shelves, curtain rails etc. We actually don't have any flooring in some rooms as we can't afford it.

you might not even get the 2 years to save riven,if you get a job a month before the situation is re-assessed!!

moonunit, i havent replaced the floor in the living room. ebcause the sticky tiles the people put down before we moved in actually look like wood flooring and is hardwearing. i just need to buy a new rug for the room.

I spent about £2k doing up my council flat, carpets, wallpaper, etc
They did rip out everything, broke my heart because it was less than 6 months old and there was no need for it.
Back OT, in some ways I agree with this policy.
I was allocated a council flat as a single mum but within 12 months I had a good job, was back on my feet and had bought a property. In theory I could have kept the flat, lived in it and rented out my house making a considerable profit and unfortunately I know people who have sublet their council houses. Or they charge a couple of grand to exchange with somebody in a flat for a house, knowing they can get the house back anytime because the other person has no right to be there.
As usual a few ruin it for everybody else.

"If you enter a tenancy agreement knowing that it is finite then you can plan accordingly. "

It makes it hard to plan at all, and means massive disruption.

"If you restrict the ability of private landlords to let short terms, what I presume you mean by "improve security" then you will drive some private landlords away from the market.
"

The sort of landlords who would be driven away from the market would be the sort who would never have allowed their tenants to have security anyway. Amateur landlords tend to be a nightmare for tenants. Providing people with homes is not a hobby.

I remember a friend moving out of a council house, she left laminate flooring throughout (they pulled it all up and chucked it). I was quite surprised when we moved in here that they had left all the garden knick knacks and hose reel etc. They actually fine you round here if you leave fitted carpets etc.

I know they say it's for new tenants only but for how long . Although I suppose you can't change a signed contract on a whim and nobody would sign a new contract would they.

'We actually don't have any flooring in some rooms as we can't afford it.'

We don't have it in any as we cannot afford it.

We just sanded and cleaned and mopped as best we coul. There's a rug in the living room. That's it.

The council usually rips everything out, Northern.

And I mean, everything.

I don't know anyone who hasn't invested a lot of money in their council flat/house, mostly for things that are standard in private lets (such as white goods).

Every day it seems the govt are finding new ways to shaft us!!!
Every single day I read something new that makes my blood boil.

Why do I bother?

I worked hard, got a degree, did my post-grad, only to come out 2 years later with no job, and no prospect of one anytime soon.
If I retrain they threaten graduate tax and higher uni fees.
If I stick with what I have I could be waiting another 2 years or longer, as they cut all the jobs n teaching, nursing etc (all the previously 'safe' jobs to go into)
If I go ask for help (benefits) I'll get shafted.
If I don't it's going to be a very interesting few years! So it's back to bar work now, or waitressing - something I worked at for many years in the hope that I could leave it behind someday. What's the bloody point!?

We rent privately because we are 'fortunate' enough to not have enough points to be considered for a council house for the forseeable.

So now we are paying over the odds for a house with a short contract, which the landlord could decide to sell at any time, a house we paid a huge deposit for (which we will probably lose due to 'cleaning costs' - you know, the things that landlords generally claim when a tenant moves out, even though we always leave a house in as good as or better condition than when we found it).
A house which essentially comes with no security over the length of time we will be here for - and with no chance of being able to buy our own house any time soon due to huge house prices, deposit rates being higher than dh's yearly salary and various other loopholes.

We can't decorate, change the carpet, do up the garden etc. We can make this a home, but it is a limited home as it is not fully ours.

A council house at least would have offered us long-term security, the ability to change the decor/ make it our own and let us know where we stood while we are trying to save for our family home and raise 2 small kids, giving them security too.

But no!

Shafted again!

Will we ever afford our own home?
Will I actually now be working as a well-educated barmaid until I am 75 (or whatever they decide to raise our pension age to by the time I get there).

Sold down the creek again.

Also, I'd rather buy my own white goods. At least they would be mine at the end of it.
Not the cheapest and best that are ill-repaired or poor quality that don't do the job!
Carpet that withstood my rough and tumble ds.
Lino that didn't rip every time someone stood on it.

And then having to explain to grumbly landlord why his cheap shitty lino needs replaced! And him taking it out of my deposit money (and I guarantee he takes more than the lino costs!)

white goods i dont mind paying for, as they are mine iyswim. and think they should be paid for by the tenant.

but would be nice to be able to just pack up your old house and move into a new one like we did when moved from our owned flat to rented. since then its been awful.

I have my own white goods (except for oven which is fitted here).

'Also, I'd rather buy my own white goods. At least they would be mine at the end of it.'

So that you can get those moved or have the hassle of getting rid of them after two years?

They weigh a lot.

The idea of having to move them along with private tenancy is appalling.

Having lived in so many private lets myself, I never paid hte last months' rent because they were going to keep my deposit anyhow.

I was very good at disappearing, too .

I know, that's the shitty thing though, right? Can't buy white goods as so many landlords have them and include them as part of the let and they often won't move them, so you have to get rid of your own. Which would be ok, if they were decent white goods.

I have a washing machine at the mo that cuts out mid-spin and foams everywhere and an oven that both burns and flattens cakes.

And that's them fixed! Apparently!

It would be nice to have some quality goods.

I tried the disappearing thing a coupe of times too!

It's good til you need references!

Madness for short assured tenants to be buying white goods. We've been forced to move every year or so. Different white goods fit in different homes. Moving them and fitting them would make the moves even more of a nightmare.

I don't care how much they weight - there's no way I'd give up my huge fridge freezer and 7kg washing machine (bought while still with exH) - or my dishwasher (bought after we split up the first time with some of my money I got when my Granddad died).

Hell no.

Of course, none of the people making these decisions has a clue of some of the ramifications of private letting beyond possibly being moved on every 6 or so months.

Stuff like books. A lot of people used to discuss their book collections.

I'd be so jealous because I couldn't keep any books, except a precious few, even for the wee ones, as they are heavy to move.

Certain hobbies - they're a hassle to move.

Especially because most private renters who are working poor that I know have to move themselves, they can't afford to hire the job out entirely.

Things like tables and chairs for family meals - if they're not in the let you generally just go without them.

Plus the whole school thing. You could have kids having to move schools a lot.

Of course, the Tories will thing this is fine.

Why? Because the bottom line is that the party belief is that people are poor through their own personal failings. It is always their own fault they are poor.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to suss that out. I don't know how anyone ever believed otherwise. It's a party originated by the landed 10% to keep the peasants from overstepping their station.

Duh.