Council checking up on temporary accommodation?

[cherrybakewell90]

Hi everyone,

I’m moving into stage 2 accommodation next week. I’ve been in stage one for almost two years in a hotel with my 2 kids and the council never did any checks beyond requiring all residents to sign in a daily register at the front desk. Now I’ll be in a flat in a block (originally purpose built) and I’m wondering if they ever come and visit to check up on people? I’m with the council in central London but the property is run by Notting Hill Genesis.

What do I do if I’m at work and they come and I’m not there to open? Can they just randomly turn up like that? I think I’m just so anxious about the unknown and being kicked out or something because of the last few years of uncertainty! I don’t want to get anything wrong.

does anyone have any personal experience or knowledge?

The third point on the contract says “the council by its representative(s) may enter the accommodation at any time.” - does that literally mean it I’m out at work or out for the day they can just let themselves in while I’m not there?? What about privacy?

also I really want my mum and dad who live in a different city to be able to visit me now that I’ll have two bedrooms it would be nice to finally invite them over even if the place isn’t amazing - have you been allowed to have guests?

What would they be checking on? Why are you so worried? I don’t think they can just walk in Willy nilly but sounds like you have something to hide?

I'd guess it means if they need to do a repair in an emergency they'll be knocking on the door and letting themselves in if there's no answer. They're not going to leave water pissing through the ceiling for hours, for example, whilst you finish your work shift.

Like any tenancy they can give 24hrs notice of wanting access for non emergency reasons and if you don't make yourself available to let them in they'll let themselves in.

Housing officer will come round to knock weekly to see how you're getting on. If you're not in it's no big deal and they'll go away, unless they've got concerns then they'd insist on access or to meet with you etc I guess.

Check your new tenancy agreement to see what it says about visitors (and everything else - you're supposed to read these things!), you can also ask the person doing the handover of keys, who will be from the council's tenancy department. Probably best to let the housing officer know if you're having visitors for a week or so, so they don't start wondering if you've sublet the flat and living elsewhere, if visitors are home and you're not.

Make sure your visitors understand the tenancy agreement clauses since you, as tenant, are responsible for visitors behaviour. With temporary accommodation you have no rights as such to stay there beyond the basics. It's easy for them to get rid of you for tenancy breaches so make sure you don't do any. Here, for example, you're not allowed to keep or consume alcohol on the premises (or drugs, obviously, since they're illegal), which is an unusual tenancy clause but I guess helps to keep antisocial behaviour under control.

It's fine to work, nobody official is going to be against you because you work.

That’s not a fair thing to say. I’ve been in temp accommodation for two years signing in everyday to prove that I live there worried that if I miss a day of signing in we’ll be out on the streets again. It’s fair for me to worry about things like this. I just want a private space for me and my kids so the idea of someone letting themselves in while I’m not there threw me off a little bit.

Some basic info from Shelter is here:

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/homelessness/temporary_housing_when_homeless

My own observation is that people in Temp Ammom provided by a Housing Association are, in terms of being left to get on with their lives, not treated greatly differently to the HA's own tenants. Obviuosly though without the same rights they have as tenants.

Have whichever Council placed you there provided a statement of the terms and conditions of your occupation?

If you've got specific questions or worries then I'd suggest giving Shelter a call.

When I worked for a LA homeless team, we did home visits and had keys to all the flats stored centrally. Our contracts said similar but I think I let myself in 3 times, 1 missing person (had tried multiple times to get hold of them, window was open during freezing winter so property damage at first...state of flat led me to call police), one ignoring us whilst they hid their dealer in the wardrobe (multiple neighbour complaints) and one had collapsed and was unconscious (visit arranged, not answering door unlike them, tried calling, looked in window and saw broken china on floor
...colleague brought keys from office). Usually unless there was a specific issue, they'd always be arranged at a time that suited. We used to try and hand over the keys ourselves or text/call/email if not so we'd met people at least once. Obviously people who didn't need support/referrals to other agencies got seen a lot less than everyone else because when your caseload consists of 64 households with varying situations/needs you have to triage.

Visitors we mostly had a blank policy against however if people asked if it was possible for family support to stay temporarily I'd usually be able to convince management to sign off on it.

Best bet will be to ask whoever gives you the keys.

Thanks for your reply. They won’t even be handing me the keys in person - its in a small black box that they’re going to give me the code for on the day I need to move.

On MSE forum someone recommended changing the locks as it’s not always certain whether the people before me have made copies of the locks - just for security reasons. Is that something the Housing Officer should arrange or should I do it myself? I have two young kids so want to feel quite secure.

also my family all live up north and haven’t been able to visit me for two years while I’ve been in a hotel so does that mean they can’t visit during the day or are you talking about overnight visitors?

thank you