Council want to house us opposite paedos!!

[Ilovepugs2017]

I’ll try and cut a long story short.
We are at risk of homelessness due to our landlord wanting to sell. Our section 21 ran out in July.
we have been bidding on properties every week with no luck.
The council bid on a property on our behalf in our local area (for personal reasons I didn’t bid on this particular property - issues with threats of assault from someone living on the same street as the one advertised).
anyway we were no.2 in the queue and couldn’t withdraw the bid which gave me huge anxiety. I’d even emailed the housing officer to say I didn’t bid for personal reasons.
2 weeks later which is today they have called and offered us the property. They have said if we refuse to take it they will help us no further!!
my partner has been to speak to a couple of the neighbours and they have said to be warned that a couple of convicted paedos live opposite the back entrance!

we have three young children how is this acceptable?
Im going to refuse the house and appeal!
anxiety is through the roof!! :(
anyone been through similar?

Although I agree with other posters comments re. their lack of employment etc. Why on earth should they be having to fix ceiling leaks on a rental property? They have a landlord, it's his property, they are paying rent - it's his responsibility. I know it's not cheap to replace a ceiling, first hand - with their financial limitations they had no chance. Honestly get real.

😂
are you for real?
Ive actually got a formal offer in my email from the council offering me the property.

my god 🤣

That isn’t the case here.
They actually try to house you when the section 21 ends to avoid you being evicted and ending up in b&b/temp accommodation.

Get real? They lived in a house with a leaky ceiling for two years, with three children. Op was highly amused at the suggestion that they could have had it repaired and either have the bill sent to the landlord, or deducted it from the rent payment.
Is that how "real" people do it?

Oops sorry miss.
maybe your the one who needs to grow up, nothing better to do than pick up on grammatical errors? 😄

Hmmm I’m pretty sure getting the ceiling and roof fixed would have cost a damn sight more than one rental payment. Get real yourself.

You have exactly just proved my point. The OP is asking for help/advice and the best you have to offer is to blame the OP and her partner for this horrible situation. Why bother posting if you really have nothing constructive to say.

Councils in different areas manage potential evictions differently, it depends on the amount of housing in the area and the demand for those most vulnerable. Larger towns and cities normally end up with people having to wait until actual eviction, less populated areas often don’t.

People are commenting based on their own experiences which I understand, but there are posters who are just being unkind. It amazes me that the most critical people that treat others the most unkindly on here are the ones that should be looking at their own behaviour more.

I’ve literally been in tears earlier this evening blaming myself for this situation when in reality it’s not my fault. The landlord has decided to sell up. Since we moved in (it was a hell of a mess when we first came here ) we have done loads of work on it and improved the property, always paid our rent on time, always communicated with them etc. My previous landlord going back around 7 years ago actually said when I left the property it looked a million times better than when they rented it to me, they were gutted I was leaving.
I always respect other peoples properties and try to make them into a lovely home for me and my children.
Ideally yes I’d have a lovely cottage that I own in the middle of nowhere with a huge garden for my kids to run around in but that isn’t my reality right now, maybe one day in the future who knows…

annoys me that other people have just assumed they know me from one post …

Yes we are just in a small town so the policies here differ. As a starting point their priority is to prevent homelessness…
They did actually tell us we need to refuse to move out once our section 21 ends otherwise we would be deemed as making ourselves intentionally homeless.

It's not your fault, it really isn't.

There is definitely some good advice here and maybe call the citizens Advice to see if they can offer any additional advice that isn't on here and then get into action. It is such a challenging situation.

Don't rise to the bait from the nasties on here. They are just behaving like schoolyard bullies.

I would email the housing association with your concerns but focus on the ex boyfriend as that is more of a threat then the alleged pedophiles.

I'd CC'D in your MP and any support you had following the threat, Victim Support?

I'd ask how they can guarantee yours and your families safety and attach evidence of the incident i.e Police reports.

Were you given any advice following the threats? I.e avoid that street etc? If so that all needs to be included.

Any verbal conversations with the HA need to be followed up with an email.

I.e.... Further to our conversation on xxx day, the following was discussed.

Also, is your anxiety officially diagnosed by the GP? If so l would include that as futher evidence....from a medical perspective....as a reason you shouldn't be housed near the Ex.

What tradie would work on a house without the landlord's permission? In what world would one month's rent fix structural issues with a ceiling and/or roof? How could OP have possibly afforded to pay it up front with only a part time income? Do you really think the landlord would be happy to reimburse them at all? I've had landlord's that get pissy because I didn't use their specific window cleaner/gardener.

This may come as an immense shock to you, but not everything is OP's fault. Take a nap. Have a snickers.

@Ilovepugs2017 I’m in college and my partner is in part time work at the moment as he works for an agency. We live in South Wales so the rental prices down here are generally cheaper to other areas. They were on average 500pcm now they’re charging silly prices 650-750 per month

I'm in South Wales. I'm a full time student. My rent is £650. I'm a single parent. I work up to 6 part time jobs on zero hours contracts. Your partner needs to increase his hours and you need to pick up a part time job too if you don't like what the council are offering you.

Accept the bloody roof over yours and your kids head and exchange in a year, just because you move there doesn't mean your stuck there.

Ffs people are so picky.

The nasty ignorance from privilege in some of these replies is awful.

Yes, asking for a guarantor has become bog standard for rentals in parts of the country (UK) now. Along with rocketing rents.

Yes, it's possible to study but be unable to work

Yes, there are parts of the country where work is scarce and/or wages are low. Not everyone has the skills or experience for walking straight into a full-time job. Finding work/better paid work/full time work can take time or training (that several posters consider a luxury!)

In those parts of the country, it can be that almost impossible to find work if suffering health issues so a college course may be a necessity for employment to become an option.

Council areas in Wales can cover a relatively large geographical area - I'd guess in South Wales the neighbouring options are more expensive with more demand. So bidding elsewhere may not help and moving away from any support may not be an option/would take time OP doesn't have.

Perhaps those unfamiliar with South Wales or situations like the OPs should move on to another post? Misinformation, disbelief, and condescension aren't going to help.

OP, you need to get proper advice from Shelter or Llamau (or both) about the threats made to you and your family and what your options might be. Send the council a copy of details of where/when you raised the issue originally (hopefully you did it in writing) and follow the advice from professionals. Avoid mention of hearsay about paedophiles to the council.

You’ve chosen to have three children so you have to keep a roof over their heads. You have no option but to take the property and get on with it. Get better jobs and start saving like everyone else has to

Oh and working round the clock in several jobs, with a partner with health issues that prevent work, and as a parent 3 kids isn't something everyone has capacity to do. Great for those who can. We're not all, the same.

But these points are relevant; they are why you can’t get a normal lease, which is the only way you can have absolute say over where you choose to live.

You can’t just scream children/reasons/anxiety and gain this control over a council house.

did you explain fully the reasons you don’t want to move there? Or did you just say for personal reasons? If it is the latter, you will need to go into detail and I expect provide them with proof that there is a risk to you and your family!

I haven't read the full thread, but in respect of their being 'paedophiles' near the property you are being offered. I am a retired L/A housing officer, as part of my job I had to attend MAPPA meetings and interview newly released prisoners, if you knew exactly how many sex offenders there are you would be astonished. I was privy to information about where ex-offenders lived and the nature of their offences, and believe me, they were everywhere. If you live your life not wanting to be near them, then you will have to live on a desert island.
Best to get on with your life and protect your children by bringing them up to be cautious. That is what I did.

@StudentMumTo3 then don’t put yourself in a position which requires those things to be able to live a half decent life

The entitlement to a council house is not whether you work or not! Anyone who meets the criteria would be entitled to a council house! I work a full time job and am in social housing and intend to stay here for the foreseeable! Maybe let’s be a little less judgemental and narrow minded! You never know you may find yourself in a position of needing a council house one day or a family member!

OP - Another option may be to move in and immediately start looking to do a house swap with someone?

Of you are concerned about these neighbours have you considered making a Sarah’s law application? If it came back with information that confirmed your fears that would give you more ammunition to use against the council housing you there and, if it didn’t, you should be reassured.