How long are council housing waits for growing families?

[99Samblaze]

Hi
We moved to a one bedroom flat in Stockport a year ago. I had my son and now expecting again near Christmas. How long did people wait to get a council house of flat.
We can’t afford a two bedroom flat on the private market so having council house would help a lot.

Thank you

Why is your husband's van insurance so expensive? Thats crazy money.
It sounds like he is getting ripped off especially for Stockport or he isnt telling you the truth.

It's only him that has no recourse, not you.

I think you're being foolish, you have a house you'll be a very lovely band as any roof over your head is a low priority

Have a few more sprogs and then complain that you are too overcrowded

But they are cheaper than private rentals are around here. And you have it for life.

No, I understood that she has reduced her hours and saying she feels broke …..

I have not the foggiest, could you move areas? I know a family who got a council house in Wrexham with only a year wait (don't know what their point system is).

You need remove the idea from your head that you are entitled to a council house. You can afford a 1 bedroom flat so be content with that and make it work. Why should the rest of us pay for you, unless you are in dire straits, which you are not? Maybe you’d be better off moving to your husband’s country?

Have a look at this site - https://www.stockporthomes.org/find-a-home/rent-a-home/homechoice/chance-of-getting-a-property/

Honestly you stand no chance . Its at least a 10 year wait and children are expected to share until they are teens snd even then youd still have to wait on the list
Why have more children in these circumstances???

Why the snotty response ? If she has recourse to public funds then she maybe entitled to join the housing register to bid for a council house or wait for a direct offer. Whether she will get one is a whole other conversation

The problem you will have (taking your questions as genuine rather than just trying to annoy people) is that until at least baby number 2 arrives, you are 'adequately housed' therefore you would be very low priority on the housing register. Then after baby number 2 arrives, you'd still be low priority as you'd be told that you and your husband can use the living room as a bedroom and the 2 children can share the bedroom, that would then remain the case for a long time if both children are the same sex and I think up to age around 8 if different sexes (different council have different rules) Perhaps its time to think about moving to a cheaper area or looking at how you can organise your living space better .

As others said you wont be high on the list so guessing at the moment your child is in with you

do you have room to add a cot in your bedroom ? If not then kids have bedroom and you will be sleeping on a sofa bed in the living room

or if living room is larger look to swap that for bedroom and all 4 sleep in there if you don’t want to sleep on a sofa bed

Surely social housing counts as towards no recourse to public funds. As his sponsor you signed up to support him, which means housing him. Him coming to the UK and you getting pregnant and needing a council house counts as requiring public funds.

now pregnant again not planned

I think maybe the lack of planning according to your means is your problem.

Many people have terminations because they can't afford a second child.

Many many more make sure that their contraception is absolutely watertight ie pill plus condoms, etc etc.

I really hate benefit bashing - but at the same time I really hate the way that some people think that some things 'just happen'. They don't - we all have choices and responsibilities.

Personally I think the councils need to go back to how it used to be for people wanting swaps or have someone monitor it. Although there are many waiting to size up, there are hundreds wanting to downsize and if the council got themselves together, this would solve a massive area whereby people could just swap, but they stopped it and produced homeswapper which doesn’t really advertise itself, or good old facebook where there are so many dedicated pages you lose yourself.

And although Labour had IIRC 13 years in which to amend or repeal that law, for some reason they didn’t. Could it possibly be because they thought it’d lose them votes?

Added to that, Gordon Brown gave a massive boost to buy to let, by allowing mortgage tax relief for landlords, while abolishing it for owner occupiers. Labour actively encouraged the private rental sector - I dare say because they thought a mass of extra private rentals would absolve them for having to bother about providing social housing.

They hadn’t banked on both property prices and rents soaring into the stratosphere, though.

You'll be fine in your one-bed.

The baby can share with you for the first 6m-1y, then the children can share a room until the eldest reaches puberty, or until adulthood if the same sex.

And even then, they could have a room each age 10ish-18, and you could have a sofa bed in the sitting room.

Congratulations on your baby, and wishing you happy years even if it's in your current accommodation.

It doesn't work like that OP!! You're sponsoring him it's your job to support him.

You’re the one in your 30s going for a second, unplanned pregnancy that you can’t really afford or house properly.

At least those girls were teenagers.

Are you sure you are eligible as he has no recourse to public funds?

either way a living room counts as a bedroom if you have one and children are expected to share until a certain age of same sex, so a one bed flat is not over crowded.

Yes I was responsible for the finance but when he came here but once the person is in UK either they or myself would have to meet the income threshold. Yes he earns 30k but problem is with expenses of baby and now our rent is being increased we just will really struggle with two bedroom. We have already cut down drastically.
problem is his work involves carrier goods and you have to get special kind of insurance to insure the goods. He also passed his driving a year ago.

So I should have just done what they did?
You know what what about I separate with my husband and go on UC that way I would not have troubles with money. Your right maybe I shouldn’t work after maternity.

Thank you but that sounds depressing.

Why do you keep saying "not planned" as though it's some kind of trump card?

I'd suggest learning how to prevent not planned pregnancies and stopping at two.

Stockport has relatively affordable housing to begin with.

What will have to happen is that you'll all have to share the current flat until you can go back to work. Once two of you are earning you'll be able to afford the rent on a 2 bed flat or house.