Council house/compensation

[Mummy289]

Hello,
Please don’t judge 🤣, live in a council house but both work and pay our rent…

We have 4 children, 3 with autism/ld/adhd.

Our concrete living room floor has perished. We have not had all the tests yet, but it’s either going to mean a concrete floor laid or the floor being re screened.
We are going to need to be out the house for a week, the council also want us to move all our furniture up stairs (hubby has a bad back and on reg meds and I’m not very strong 🤣). It’s a massive sofa too.
They won’t pay for storage.
They did suggest we stay, although we can’t get in our kitchen as we go through the lounge and my kids with asd would struggle to understand this.
The kitchen is tiny and I have a 2 year old who I can’t leave up stairs while I cook and walk around the front.
Is it to much to expect them to pay some sort of money for us to find some where to stay? I’m assuming for us would need to be a caravan site with WiFi (hubby works from home). Kids can’t cope in a hotel and need room. Esp as it’s a whole week. Would be close to there Sen school, as they can’t have time off.
Am I being unreasonable to not pay my self? It’s going to be winter when it’s done so it’s not a free holiday. But the kids are so fussy with food I would still need to cook, and do pack lunches etc.

You need to send a clear email to your council outlining all these things, and get them to tell your their policy.

Failing that, contact Citizens Advice.

I've a feeling you'll be told to stick and air fryer in your bedroom though, which is what a lot of people have to do during renovations.

Good luck.

It’s difficult as all have additional needs and I kid you not cook 5 different meals a night…
all our living room furniture up there and feel I’m paying rent for nothing when we have paid rent for a whole year to be infested with mice and slugs…

Second citizens advice.

Why on earth would anyone judge you?

I’ve no legal knowledge but it seems pretty obvious to me that you should be offered temporary accommodation and help with moving your furniture. Do your children have a social worker? Could they help?

Your housing provider should have a policy on moving out for repairs. They aren’t legally required to move you out but I would argue that the dust and disruption from this is too
much and not acceptable, I would ask for a house - maybe a holiday unit that’s not booked up for a week? These often have wi fi and you can cook. I’d see your CAB if you don’t get any joy. This is a messy dusty repair and I don’t see how you can stay,

Check if your house contents insurance gives you any cover or any insurance you get with bank accounts for example.

Thank you everyone.
@MrsSkylerWhite I did talk to my social worker she said for us to pay to go on holiday that week. But I don’t want to pay as it won’t be a holiday as kids will be at school (we have term time holiday booked) and hubby has no holiday left too book!
another issue is, thsi has been going on so long, the last month we have been told they will be inspecting to find out what caused it and it’s not happened. Most sites shut in November. November isn’t far now…

Do you have buildings insurance? That may include temporary accommodation.

I’m surprised at your social worker’s response. Do try citizens advice.

Usually it happens because the wrong screed mix is used. Don’t accept a screeded floor failing is anything to do with you. It will be shoddy building! I assume you have a floor covering over it. How was the faulty floor discovered?

and feel I’m paying rent for nothing when we have paid rent for a whole year to be infested with mice and slugs…

Unfortunately this is a separate issue so needs to be dealt with separately.

With regards to the 'holiday', can you search for an Air BNB near their school?

Councils are so strapped for cash, I can't see them taking your points into consideration unfortunately.

@SaffronsMadAboutMe it’s not separate the concrete floor is so broken that the slugs and mice and coming from it!!

@TizerorFizz it was discovered because we had slugs in the lounge. We lifted the carpet and there it was. The floor is cracking out wards and falling out… 🤦🏼‍♀️

they put a French drain in and we had a humidifier about 6 months ago but it didn’t work..

Our house is really well looked after we have spent a lot doing it up it’s always clean and tidy. I have had to pay £80 re buying food and storage containers as the mouse after our food in the cupboard.
.

In a situation where you can use every room in your house except for the living room, I can't imagine the council will agree to place you in temporary accommodation. For most people, up to a week of not using the living room is, whilst very inconvenient, not something that can't a be worked around.

I understand that there are circumstances which make this more difficult for you. However, I think you need to decide which is preferable, working around the repairs, or paying to stay elsewhere for your convenience.

If it's just a rescreed you need, I think it'll be a fairly quick and easy job. If they find they have to dig out and replace a concrete floor, then there might be an argument about dust etc - but even then, I suspect they'd just tape up the door and expect you to work around it.

@mrsm43s the issue is the kitchen. Everytime we need anything have to leave the house and walk around next door to the back.. I can’t cook and leave them and the ticket is really really small they can all fit in. I can’t take stuff upstairs and we will all be sharing a room as our living room furniture will take up 2 rooms.

And you feel we should be paying full rent for that too?
my kids are not going to cope 🤦🏼‍♀️, like 6 people in one room and hubby working in there and their needs 🤦🏼‍♀️. May only be one week but do feel we should be supported.

Right, but what have you done about it so far?

Have you contacted the council and told them everything you've told us?

If not, I'd get on with that email now and then take it from there.

There's nothing else to suggest really other than Citizens Advice and if that doesn't help, a local Air BNB if you have the funds.

Not being funny but people who own their house don't stop paying their mortgage if they need work done in their house. You just need to make the best of it, although it may be an upheaval.

@SaffronsMadAboutMe I was just seeing if I was asking too much….
we are in contact with someone that we deal from the council, his answer was stay with family but we have no one. 🤦🏼‍♀️.

One parent looks after the children upstairs whilst the other parent goes downstairs and cooks in the kitchen? Or relocate some cooking equipment (airfryer/toaster/kettle/microwave) upstairs and cook simple things for just one week?

I get that it's going to be a major ballache, but factually, you can use every room in the house bar the living room, so therefore I don't think this will meet the threshold for the Council to pay for alternative accommodation. Obviously, ask and see what they say, but I suspect that if you'd rather stay elsewhere whilst the work being done you'll have to pay for it yourself.

Ok, so when you told them you have no-one to stay with, did they close the enquiry? Or is communication still open?

If they've closed it then Citizens Advice is your next port of call.

@Whatevershallidowithmylife Someone always starts the divide

Their post wasn't divisive?

Do you have any advice for the OP?

It's not comparable to owning a house though, where the repairs are the owner's responsibility. OP is paying the council to provide her with a home and the repairs are not her responsibility. If a private tenant was going through this it would not be unreasonable for the landlord to pay for alternative temporary accommodation.

I suppose our issue is our kids disabilities.

He just went quite, his in charge of sorting this out so will see him again.

We have already lost money, as will need new flooring and sofa had to have new parts as the bottom rusted 🤦🏼‍♀️.

However it’s seems I maybe asking to much, and having 6 of us in one room as the rest will have furniture and with their needs and going around the houses to the kitchen is fine. Because the room certainly won’t fit anything thing else from the kitchen for 6 beds but we can all sleep on a king size I suppose.

Well actually they're only obligated to do so if the property is 'uninhabitable'. OPs only having flooring in a single room replaced.
Shelter's own website say so
https://england.shelter.org.uk/housingadvice/repairs/howtoreportrepairstoacouncilorhousingassociationlandlord/tellyourlandlordaboutproblemsduringrepairs

Also given that OPs children have ADHD and autism who's to say that temporary accomodation will suit their needs anyway?

A hotel wouldn’t they are use to caravans that’s why we won’t only look at that. We need an oven as they all have restricted diets.

OP, tackle the issue one bit at a time.
WFH - can your husband find somewhere else to work? The local library or maybe even council buildings , any spaces he can use? Also doesn't he have an office at all?

Food - could you borrow a neighbours kitchen , or maybe see if there's some community kitchen setup the council could pay for?

Accomodation is the hardest thing to ask for , if it didn't exist they can't magic it up but all these others are easier. Waiting lists are so long, why do you think they'd have temporary accomodation sitting around?