Help with council housing

[Mumoftwo367743]

Hi - I would like some advice. I have been in temporary accomodation for 5 years provided by my council. However I have had to deal with mould, damp, mice, bed bugs and now silverfish! I have two children (age 4 and 3). One of my child has autism and one of my child has asthma which was caused by the mould and damp in my temporary accomodation. I Have bidded on a total of 300 properties and I have not once been shortlisted or offered a viewing. My next door neighbour has Been in the same accomodation as I have but she stayed 2 years and now is being moved and she has only one child - whereas I have stayed for 5 years. I feel like that is so unfair considering how I have bidded on more properties then her. I am at my wits end, I just can’t take it anymore. I have sent numerous of emails to the council about moving me but they just ignore me. Please could you give me advice or if anyone else has been in a similar situation. This is now effecting my mental health.

Had you gone through your council’s complaints procedure first?

Please get in touch with Shelter or the CAB. They will be able to check if your LA is adhering to their own housing policy. They can help you look at your options realistically.

Find out who is the housing officer for your area & what day the bidding panel takes place. Whenever you bid for a property ring your housing officer the day after to find where you have come on the list. The person who shouts loudest often gets what they want.

So you moved into shitty accommodation 5 years ago as a single person and since then have had 2 kids and are still single.

Where is the father of your kids, why can't he help?

You can imagine the frustration of a housing department being asked to provide 3 bedroom houses in an already overcrowded city by people who refuse to take personal responsibility where they are literally no more houses and for every vacant property there are probably hundreds of bidders.

We could go into a discussion about how all the council housing was sold off and there I am in agreement that the councils have found themselves in this situation because they chose to profit from right to buy years ago.

The situation is shit all round. I would second the suggestion of moving outside London.

@THisbackwithavengeance yes, having a child or two doesn’t magic up a nice council house nowadays. Especially in London.

I opened the window, held my breath as much as possible, sprayed it quickly, then got out of the room and shut the door for a few hours. I've got asthma and didn't want to be breathing this.

Until very recently I spent years working for the housing department within a council.

5 years in temporary accommodation, within London, is not considered an exceptionally long time. Many people are eventually offered permanent accommodation outside of london (sometimes miles and miles away), due to the simple fact that there are SO FEW properties available. If you want to stay in London you are likely to have a very long wait.

With regards to your neighbour - there will have likely been circumstances within her situation that you are not aware of, that placed her as higher priority than you. Councils and housing associations are heavily governed by external bodies, ensuring that housing policies are adhered to.

In the different housing organisations I have worked in, pest control has always been tenants responsibility - unless the infestation is in communal areas of a block of flats etc.
You have been given some great advice up-thread in how to treat and prevent infestations (if they are confined to inside your home only).
Low income families can often receive highly reduced rates of pest control is needed to come out (in the event of an infestation within the property).

Many homes do get mould - you can use mould detergent to clean. How large is the affected area? Where abouts is the mould?
Keep a window or two slightly open when you can, or vents permanently open. Do you have extractor fans fitted? Do you dry clothes indoors? Could there be a leak from somewhere?
Once you have gone through the above, and of the mould comes back I advise contacting your council and asking for a survey to be carried out on the mould? Could a health visitor possibly visit and contact your council regarding the damp and mould?

You could follow the advice from other posters and keep emailing/write to your MP, but the fact is, you will be offered permanent accommodation when you have the highest priority out of other bidders. Priority takes into consideration length of time on the list, and also banding. We had contact from a local MP occasionally, but a letter from an MP is not going to help someone push in front of others on waiting lists, or magic up a property quite simply.

This really isn’t the case, I’m afraid