Housing association, overcrowded

[Hailly]

Hi all. I'm looking for some advice.
We have been a housing association tenant for just over 11 years now. The last 5 of these years we have been classed as overcrowded as my children are different genders. When I first approached both the council and my landlord, the only option that they said was available was house swapping. So, I signed myself up to multiple swapping sites and social media groups and really put myself out there. But the rejection was horrid. Even though my property is in good condition and in a sort after area, no one and I mean absolutely no one wants a top floor apartment, even though it's only 3 floors.
Me and my partner have moved into the living room, but it's an open plan living room/kitchen. My partner works nights, which basically means the living room and kitchen is out of bounds as he's sleeping. Having no communal space is creating a real separation in the family. We've looked in separating one of the bedrooms but this isn't practical. One of the rooms would not have a window, and floor space would be tiny for two growing teenagers.
I have recently approached the council again. They told me that I would need to re-apply and sent me a link. Going through the application it dawned on me that I was infact starting the whole process again. I really don't understand why I'm having to do this when I was already successful in securing a lifetime tenancy. So I didn't complete the application.
I'm really worried that during this process, on paper would they think we should be OK and no longer eligible for housing. In this case, what will happen to my current tenancy? We have both worked really hard over the years and are no longer on any kind of benefits (except child benefit). But we still live paycheck to paycheck and not really been able to save. We are constantly cutting bills where we can. In no way could we afford to leave housing and go to private rent, we would be in a worse off position then before joing housing in the first place. This whole thing has made me feel vulnerable. I feel trapped and like I'm massively failing my family and I'm struggling mentally. I don't know where to turn.
I'm hoping someone here has had the same experience and can point me in the right direction.

Your current tenancy won't be affected at all.

The odds of you actually being offered somewhere (when sleeping in the living room is regarded as having a bedroom and you have sufficient other rooms for siblings of opposite sexes to not have to share) is not as high as you would like, however.

Could he sleep in one of the bedrooms during the day?

He can, but that means during we weekends and school holidays, they can't go into their room during the day. What ever we do makes things complicated

I don’t think you’ll get anywhere with it OP, the living space is classed as a bedroom for their purposes. They don’t have houses to keep upgrading families when they decide to have more children than they have bedrooms.

This is what we are afraid of too. Even though it's an open plan space.

I get this, but i didn't have more children while in housing. They knew I would be classed as overcrowded within a few years at the time.

It’s a beggars can’t be choosers situation- at least where we are. There just literally isn’t the houses, the updated info for my area is that it is currently a 9 year wait for a 3 bedroom property, if you want one quicker than that then it’s house swap or private rent.

9 years for a 3 bed. That's crazy! It's a shame that people who can down size don't to support families who need it. But I also understand it's their home.

You need to apply to the council again and/or get different jobs if possible.
Applying for a council property takes a very long time and actually getting a property takes a good while so the sooner you are on the list the better.
I have the opposite issue in that I have a 2 bed and only need a 1 bed, nobody wants a top floor flat even if it's bigger!
I'm on house swapping sites and have had only one interest which was a bedsit!
I'm also on the council list but going to be honest I'm not just going to move into any 1 bed so waiting for a property that's suitable first - somewhere similar safety wise where I am and distance to work as I walk, no point saving money on rent if I have to pay out in petrol/bus fares!

Go for it, fill the form in, make a fuss.

You just never know, something may well come up even if you wait a bit.

In fairness, again I can only speak for where we are, it’s really not made easy to downsize. I know multiple people who are still in 3 bed’s and are now in retirement and would love to downsize but they would need a 1 bed bungalow or 1 bed ground floor flat for example, there’s not enough of them to go round so even though they want to downsize they can’t.

It is a case of put up with whatever you’re given or if you’re not happy with it then go private if you can’t swap in most places now, they can’t give what they haven’t got.

17 years for a two bed in my area and only because of disability. The rules on overcrowding were more than five unrelated adults in three rooms.

I work for a council, in our area ( south) we just don’t have enough properties. It’s shit, but hanging on for a mutual exchange is probably your best bet. ‘Making a fuss’ gets you precisely nowhere, I deal daily with people who think if they shout enough we will move them. It doesn’t work like that - you are currently considered ‘adequately housed’ and we would tell you to check you are receiving all your benefits, signpost you to back to work/ upskilling initiatives, join houseswapper or rent privately. Because frankly, those are your only options.

Im sorry, it’s so depressing. Our council doesn’t have enough one beds to downsize people to either, and most people starting out on their social housing journey need more bedrooms as they have children, so they are all waiting on the 3 beds currently lived in by 2 retired people who can’t move because there are no 1 beds. We have recently built a load of 1/2 bed flats but they have all been offered to the people who have been living in rat infested temporary accommodation for 3 years or more. Which I do understand. There’s just not enough to go round.

Unfortunately to get a new council or housing association property you are relying on someone else giving theirs up, and in the current climate that's unlikely unless someone passes away. There are no where near enough properties due to right to buy. You can go back on the register but you are right, it will be like starting again. Yes you are overcrowded but unfortunately so many other people are in a much worse situation so they will take priority over you.

The HA I work for has a wait time of around 10 years for a 3 bed, we have so few of them and people just don't give them up!! In fact, some London boroughs it's more like 15 to 20 years.

And making a fuss gets you exactly nowhere, we get hundreds of people "making a fuss" every week. We get dozens of letters from MPs about their constituents overcrowding, yet none of those will magic a new 3 bed house out of thin air. We just simply do not have the stock (and my HA has around 75,000 properties, we are up there as one of the largest HA's). We don't hoard the big properties for shits and giggles, despite what the daily fail faces might want you to think.

Although, I would point out you say you're living paycheck to paycheck now. How exactly were you planning to be able to afford the higher costs even a social housing 3 bed brings??

My brother was in the same situation and partitioned the bedroom, so the two children had their own space, both with desk / bunks to maximise space / storage. It was enough, with the family actually using the living space more communally, so it had a benefit too. Tight, but an affordable option.

You might as well get on the list as quickly as possible OP.
It might be a long wait but if you're not on the list then you've got no chance.
It won't affect your current tenancy so don't worry about that, just get the application filled in.

Good luck.

I live in a 1st floor flat which is also the top floor.

Have lived here nearly 18 years.

Approached HA and then council and did all they suggested about moving and home swapper etc.

But no one wants to move from 2 bed to 2 bed. It’s either 2 bed house and don't want 1st floor with no lift or already in a flat and want house or ground floor.

I approached council again and asked about being rehoused and she must have “I dont want to put you off” at least 4 times in the conversation.

Sent me the forms but I decided not to apply.

Told it’ll be a 3 year wait.

Doesn't sound too bad. But I’m not asking to move because of overcrowding. My son is disabled and uses a wheelchair.

we can’t move to private because landlords don’t have any legal obligation to make the adaptions he needs.

As our council have now moved away from bidding she basically told me I’d have to wait until a GF flat turned up that’s adapted and it’ll be anywhere within the town (which is huge!).

All the new buildings being built won’t be allocated to us and adapted. And they are no longer building adapted homes for those with disabilities waiting.

So I didn't bother. I will get a better report from adult social care which states exactly what ds needs and hope that helps but until then I just have to accept help for people in need of it no longer exists.

This has been discussed on MN before - so many people in similar situations. Lots of people suggested using furniture / beds to give both kids a sense of privacy. Also using head phones for any tech/ music /tv etc. this sort of thing:

https://ugc-assets.mumsnet.com/images/202303/large-ayGTCVEJvPZ51ppV9ZJ7TtqqmWdqJTIKZyq34AUW.jpg

Around here you would have no chance via the HA, they consider you adequately housed, and they tend to wait it out until the kids move out.

I partitioned off a bedroom in my house to give the kids their own rooms. I used bunkbeds in the middle of the room and put mdf on either side to maximise floor space. The window went at the head of the bunkbed, so one side had a small section of window and the other a large part. It's not ideal, but it's the best solution for your family at the moment until you get a swap.

You have 2 choices - rent privately, or make your current home work. Both DC can share a bedroom - give them the biggest one - or your DD shares with you whilst DS shares with his dad. Seeing as he works nights, this might be the best solution.

I have several friends in a similar situation. It's looking like the elder children will be old enough to move out before they actually get their own rooms I'm afraid.

I think you need to put kids in room together & give DH space to sleep. There are loads of ideas on how to do this on Facebook & lots of people use IKEA Kallax. So hopefully they wouldn’t need to see each other & they might just need to go to bathroom to get changed. I don’t think having communal space inaccessible due to DH needing to sleep during the day is ideal.

Most 3 beds houses have lower rent than our 2 bed as it comes with service charge as we live in an apartment building.

Certainly looks that way reading all the comments!