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Original poster

Can I refuse housing association renovations?

15 replies

Jadely98 · 07/09/2021 14:37

I'm with a housing association who sent me a letter December 2020 to say they intend to work with a renovation company and completely redo our whole kitchen. Rip it all out, put brand new everything in. At first I was excited but after being messed about for ages I'm beginning to grow bored.

The first time just after Christmas the kitchen was scheduled around February. They cancelled due to changing covid rules. Fair enough.
Then finally schedule for August! They rung ONE day before at 1pm to cancel and I had to wait for another letter with the new date and change my two weeks off for September 7th.
Today, I wait all day. Everything in boxes, cats in a room all morning upstairs etc... I wait until 1pm and ring their office. They say the site manager will be in contact and the site manager comes to the door and says someone was meant to phone me to cancel and it's now being done from the 14th! I have too much anxiety to complain there and then on the door but will be complaining. I had to text my manager for shifts for this week and ask him to move the dates further. I feel like I'm becoming inconvenient to my manager. I'm just completely stressed and starting to wonder. If the work is just aesthetic and not an emergency can I legally refuse it now?

OP posts:
SouthOfFrance · 07/09/2021 14:43

That's really frustrating I agree. Especially with work. BUT... then again, I presume its free? A free kitchen is worth so much I think I'd be inclined to put up with it but also put a complaint in.
But YANU to be annoyed. Hope it looks good when it's done!

BasiliskStare · 07/09/2021 14:50

I wouldas @SouthOfFrance says try to put up with it - - kitchens can be expensive - but once done quite nice

I would rather have a better kitchen if it can work . Even if you are paying for it yourself it it very inconvenient - I would speak to to you manager and explain the situation.

I wish you well

OhRene · 07/09/2021 14:57

It's really annoying but just let them get on with it. A new kitchen is well worth a bit of hassle.
Do you have a neighbour you're on good terms with? Could they hold a key and let workers in for you? The crew who did ours were lovely and I had to go out one day so asked the gaffer how long they would be there and would they lock up for me and hand the key to my neighbour for when I returned. They're usually happy to have the householder out anyway so they can get stuck in.

We were also pissed about when it came to starting the job but in the end it was well worth it. I just regret not demanding a second wall of cupboards. My house had been altered in the past so was missing a huge larder cupboard so the extra bank of cupboards wasn't needed for the other homes on the street and the housing said no. I could have got them if I pushed though. Instead I had to fork out nearly £400 for matching ones later direct from Magnet. And there's still not enough.

Original poster
Jadely98 · 07/09/2021 16:20

I understand that I should have it done. But my question is am I allowed to refuse to have it done legally? As a tenant x

OP posts:
ChequerBoard · 07/09/2021 16:37

Why would you refuse though? Don't you want a new kitchen?

Yes the re-scheduling is annoying but it's booked in now for a couple of weeks time so you will have it all done and dusted very soon.

I think you'd be better to stick with and see it through than put it off. Who knows when the HA will be in a position to offer you a brand new kitchen again?

Original poster
Jadely98 · 07/09/2021 16:56

Our old kitchen isn't in such a terrible shape that we would feel awful if we missed out the opportunity. I feel like the hassle of them messing us about and me losing money from rescheduling is what's making me lose interest. I live with my mum and brother who are both NHS workers and have also tried to move around their schedule for this. I just work retail and my manager is pretty understanding but for them especially due to covid it's not ideal. I just sit here thinking is this stress over a kitchen really worth it all? I just think about the kitchen day and night because of my anxiety wondering when it'll be done.

Hopefully they don't cancel it next week.

Thank you for taking the time to reply to me I do appreciate it a lot x

OP posts:
Whitefire · 07/09/2021 17:07

You can refuse, though it is usual to refuse prior to surveys etc. You might not be added into any programs again for years though. There are many a tenant who refuses all works and they are only done when the property becomes void. However, you are almost there, a new kitchen is a pita, but it will be great when it's done.

And it is not a free kitchen as such, the rent paid covers repairs and maintenance and there is defined timescales for things to be replaced.

SouthOfFrance · 07/09/2021 17:08

Yeah you probably can, you'd have to check with your local authority. I'm sure they'd be pleased to save the money so I can't see them saying no.

I'd just be hesitant to cancel it as you might not get the chance to get one for ages if you refuse now.

Even if you were paying for it yourself in a home you owned chances are you'd have been mucked around with dates etc, I don't know anyone whose had a new kitchen installed where everything has gone smoothly!?

Ostryga · 07/09/2021 17:11

I wouldn’t refuse, you’d likely be put at the bottom of the list for any necessary renos in the future.

I mean, it’s a free kitchen. I have been fucked about by my builder - a 4 week project that’s been running for 13 weeks now, and I paid £25k for the privilege. I think you just need to suck it up.

rattlemehearties · 07/09/2021 17:16

Why are you taking 2 weeks off work for the kitchen works? What have I missed? Fine, someone might need to let them in on day 1 (or not if the HA has the keys and permission?), So what it causing so much hassle?

Ostryga · 07/09/2021 17:18

And don’t take time off work for it, the builders need you out of the house so they can crack on. You definitely don’t need to be there.

ISpyCobraKai · 07/09/2021 17:21

I believe you can refuse, but then they won't have anything to do with repairs going forward.
I got one, but the person in here before me refused both kitchen and bathroom and I had to fight to get them, even though the previous person had nothing to do with me.
My occupational therapist fought for me, but the woman in the opposite flat was refused.

mumwon · 07/09/2021 17:35

Op they may well be suffering from issues regarding deliveries & stock
its affected a lot of companies particularly those involved in the building & allied trade
It may well be out of their hands

OhRene · 08/09/2021 16:49

Our HA tenants could refuse but it's a 15 to 20 year wait for the next kitchen replacements. Even if it's in good nick now, it may be coming to the end of its life in a few years and you'll be stuck with it.

Sapphirehale00 · 04/01/2024 19:32

This happened to my dad and me, around the same time, they said that they were gonna renovate the kitchen and bathroom, we are still waiting after 3+ years so we presumed they were never gonna get it done, I was at uni most of time but now that I've finished I'm looking at the state of kitchen and the bathroom and it is terrible before when we moved in they literally painted the bathtub as the painted the tiles. I don't know what to do to get the housing association to renovate the kitchen and bathroom cause the state of them are annoying me. It is deep cause if I actually had the funds I'd do it myself🙁

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