Social housing - newbie

[Dalamane]

Our landlord has given us notice to leave his rented property after nearly 10 years. We have been allowed to register on housing list under homeless service, we have pets and can't get anything private rented due to our circumstances.

So we've viewed about 10 properties and bid on 3 that we thought were OK, the others have been in varying states of too disgusting to even consider stepping in never mind living in. I'm not opposed to cleaning & freshening up by any means but these properties need deep cleaning by professionals, surely from a health & safety perspective before new families move in.

We viewed one yesterday that we thought had potential but looking thro the windows changed that, it looked like a ghetto, scruffy beyond just unclean.

The back garden was a good size but resembled a piece of land where squatters had lived, remains of fires, piles of bricks, stones, rubbish and dog excrement everywhere - we have a dog who we clean up after so been there, done that.

Have others experienced this when looking at council properties? Do they clean any of this mess up from when they advertise properties to when they invite you to view - or are you expected to accept a property as it stands.

Just looking for advice from those who've been through this

Hi

We are at dire strait as the private place, due to no repairs and harassing neighbours, and became ill.

We have been extremely fatigued with searching for suitable flats and really run down but really want to run away from here.

Got cats, on hb and getting a possession order,.... Really shattered due to multiple health issues plus this, but can't find a place.

Some sites are not genuine and I am very scared and lost.

Can you please help me on advice.
Thanks

well I am not 'being funny' but to be frank you are lucky to get offered places.
I am homeless (officially) and on the housing list, and the only place I got offered was a place in sheltered housing. (I am 53).
If I was offered a place that needed painting etc., I would bite off the hand of the person offering to me, tbh.

Usually there are a few basic rules such as:

If you don't bid on a certain amount each week, they'll bid for you.

Priority groups don't get to turn down a place unless there's exceptional circumstances

Being in a priority group can lower the one waiting however you don't tend to get a choice.

When you bid, what number are you ranked at? You've said you have viewed properties, was this official?

I think you've not looked into this enough but it can totally depend on your council. Could you give the name of your council at all then people may be able to give more focussed advice

i don't even think this is real.
How could you view and turn down 'about ten' properties, and still be on the list?
Answer - you couldn't.

I think the OP just wasn't bidding on them from what I can make out

“Looked a bit rough”? Maybe they have been living in a B&B with a shared toilet

You sound delightful

It is a genuine post, we're not all experts in how council housing systems work, unlike some who think they know it all.

We have been and continue to bid every week but we're not high enough up the list yet to get near the top, so all we can do is keep bidding.

You only get to view inside a property if you're shortlisted after bidding, we haven't got that far yet.

We go and look at properties from the outside/look through windows, get a feel for the area - which we have been advised to do by the council.

I think that covers all the put-downs, insinuations, assumptions and judgements so jog on unless you've anything else of unimportance to spew up.

Thanks to those who actually offer support.

There are other housing options out there that are secure- so you don’t have to rely on social (council) housing which is increasingly harder to get.

Have you looked at housing associations? The quality is often better. Also consider council run private letting schemes eg let to Birmingham.

There are a variety of tenures- social rent, affordable rent, shared ownership/ shared equity when you can save a bit for a deposit. Private rental.

There isn’t really a national source of information- you’d have to look for local advice. Birmingham has a decent housing options website which is good for general advice:

www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50094/housing_options

People spend years on council waiting lists, never getting a property. So better to consider other options sooner

Thank you, I appreciate your post and suggestions. We've looked at all other options, just bidding and waiting. Hopefully we'll get somewhere before xmas, fingers crossed x

Sorry it's not worked out yet Op. have you had to move out of your previous home yet?

I know nothing about social housing but work for a large company that provides flats and houses for rent in the private sector. So intereted if anyone knows

1)why wouldn’t the social housing landlord use the deposit of previous tenant to do a professional clean.?

2. why do social housing landlords rent to smokers and those with pets surely they realise this is going to leave the place in proper repair.?

Las on point two, it's because social landlords are renting houses not as a specific money maker but as a long term home. It really is designed to be more like home ownership than renting for those who cannot buy. There are many many social housing tenants who spend their whole life in the same property.

Pets are good for improving peoples quality of life. There are private landlords who understand pets are important for people too (I have one, who let me rent from him with 2 dogs).

Also with housing association properties, they do remove rubbish left behind but it's always the expectation that the new tenant will clean and decorate as necessary, just like if the tenant had bought the property. Tbh the houses are that sort after there is no reason for the housing trust to clean the property between tenants (other than to remove rubbish which may be hazardous). Whereas private landlords are appealing to a different market and charging much higher rents, there is no security that you will be able to stay and thus people aren't interested in a property they would have to massively clean and decorate, yet could have to leave a few months later because the landlord wants the property back.

@Lasvegas on point one at least for my LA/HA's there is no deposit to use for a professional clean.

Tenants pay the first months rent upfront but there's no deposit like in private renting.

@lasvegas in social housing there are no deposits. How do you think homeless people pull together deposits

And people can smoke in the house because it’s their home. The council/ HA don’t dictate what they do like small time landlords.

Op as you know now social housing isn’t provided in the same condition as private and the council are under no obligation to provide a number of basics such as flooring, curtains etc so factor those in.

You’re clearly already looking at houses with drives and big gardens so I don’t see why people are focusing on that. There is plenty of social housing in many parts of the country and neither gardens nor drives are unusual

Actually las Vegas thinking about it, I’d you work for a private landlord surely you realise the landlord can’t use the deposit for anything? It’s not their money

HollyBollyBooBoo

No we're still in same private rent, turns out the notice he gave us in june wasn't legal, he didn't return our deposit, it hadn't been in a deposit protection fund. He re-issued notice, returned deposit & we were due to leave 10 October. Still hadn't got anywhere by then so got legal advice and they said second notice wasn't legal either, landlord wouldn't be able to apply for possession order anyway until he gave proper Section 21. We told him we weren't leaving & he was furious, we're still here, he can't do Jack S* but we're still bidding anyway

Thanks for other posts. 3 months into this and have learned a lot about all things social housing, private rent, advantages & pitfalls, how bidding & letting works and most of all if you want to know anything, ask - half the answers you get are half-truths the rest is blatant lies. Emotionally it's been absolutely dreadful, landlord is a downright liar on a good day, SHELTER have been brilliant, council appalling, it's a horrible minefield.

This is only my experience, i'm no-one special, will help anyone if they're going through a tough time, what really pees me off is kicking people when they're down x