Anyone watching how to get a council house on channel 4?

[cleoteacher]

Is this a repeat or another new series ? I remember this sort of programme being on before.

Can't believe Emma. How entitled is she? People are on the streets and she's refusing a flat because it's too high up and not a great place to live. Surely with four kids anything is better than the streets!

She says she wants to get what she deserves. But it's not explained why she's unemployed. Surely you wouldn't risk yourself and four kids on the streets for a dog either.

Dirty cretins? Really?

Sometimes it's the only way you can gauge the level of pain the government are going to inflict and how soon. It's not looking good.

Yes, cretins. Their children were living in a filthy squalor with dog shit all over the floor. No excuse for that whatsoever.

That poor ittle girl of that awful, entitled junkie couple . The housing officer was lovely and so patient.

So pleased older guy got a flat pity his kids couldn't help him

It's all dog shit and ciggies, it does play to the

stereotype.

Junkie couple? I missed that.

Glad the older guy found a home. Was worried for him. He was deteriorating.

I can why the polish guy couldn't get on the waiting list but he has a point. He lost his job because he was homeless so is now on the streets and problem for another council. If they'd just given him a home he would still have a job and potentially be paying into the system and out of social housing and self efficient. He wasn't given the opportunity to not be homeless.

We need to build more social housing .

Oh yes sorry Romanian.

We re not stupid. Realise it is inflammatory and heavily edited. I said I was taking it with a pinch of salt. I ve already stated why I am watching it. Plus, there is nothing else on at all.

Where we are there seems to be houses being built on every spare patch of land and disused buildings being knocked down to build houses bloody everywhere. Surely some of these are going to be social housing? Seems they are building more.

Why aren't the existing properties being maintained? Don't get why that flat Emma's been offered is in such a state anyway. Was someone else living there before? Surely it would be cheaper and better for the council to keep them maintained rather than spending loads of money bringing then up to a habitable state?

I don't think it was inflammatory. It was a snapshot of life in housing offices in the south of England. there is very little property for rent. Emma clearly lived in a bought council house until she was given notice.

I think the council should have cleaned, repaired and decorated the flat they offered to Emma so that she would be able to move in easily. It must be disheartening to move into the remnants of someone else's filth. I was angry with her attitude of entitlement. the council can only give out properties that they have. they can't magic up houses or flats out of nowhere.

I was pleased to see that the staff answered the applicants manipulative statements quite calmly and told them that in some cases, they are responsible for their futures, i.e. take the flat, clean the house or leave.

glad the old man got a flat.

Yes I don't understand why in Emma's case they couldn't treat the mould, clean the floors, just gut the place and put down a new laminate floor and remove the ripped and mouldy wallpaper and paint the walls white. Would make such a difference.

cleoteacher that's what I don't get. Surely councils/HA's are under some sort of obligation to let somewhere adequately maintained. The HA flat I'm in is 50+ years old. So much emergency work has had to be done (leaks, floods, engineers to sort out drains) that I'm sure could have been prevented if things had been replaced before they burst/collapsed/disintegrated etc. When the ballcock in the water tank had disintegrated to the point that there was a flood, the damage caused was far more expensive to sort out then it would have been had someone thought to do a survey at some point on very old plumbing and/or electrical parts.

I don't think it should be up to Emma to decorate that place (and £200 decorating allowance wouldn't cover what needed doing I don't think). I reckon in addition to sorting out the damp and de-contaminating it, there should be criteria re the decorative state a place can be let in. If previous tenants haven't looked after it, that shouldn't be the new tenant's problem imo.

So relieved the older guy got a place. I think his situation shows how you can be just one step removed from homelessness (in my case a fraudulent ex).

I think they tend to show people a property, then once the tenancy is confirmed they will renovate just before the keys are given, thats what my local council does as sometimes properties aren't allocated straight away and can end up vandalised.

Housing associations have differing policies

These programmes may be "inflammatory and goady," but as a PO postcode resident, with a husband working right in the city, I can assure you that there is a HUGE population like those people. Huge. It's utterly vile. And yes the younger couple were complete and utter, filthy junkies. Poor kids.

I was so very glad to see the older man get housed, he seemed lovely.

But why did he get offered a lovely flat whereas Emma got offered such a shit hole? Doesn't make sense.

I agree these places should be done up to a habitable state before allowing a tenant to move in. You can't expect someone to live like that.

Couple with kids, unbelievable! Clean your house!! Then you won't be living on the street. Easy.

Presumably he was less picky with area and demanding the dog stay and one bed places are more often lived in by older people who tend not to treat them like crap.

The tenancy officer did say the mould would be treated and she got a decorating allowance. Not perfect no, but better than homelessness!

Maybe just the luck of the draw. Also Emma needed a place that accepted dogs.

Mrsskywalker.
I live in Portsmouth too and you are talking utter rot. Do not speak of human beings in such a vile manner. Portsmouth is no different to anywhere else and hating poor does nothing to help any of us.

This programme was heavily edited to make some people look 'worthy' of help and others as the undeserving poor. It's just dividing up working class people into groups that hate each other. It makes for sensational tv and keeps the society fighting each other instead of those in power.
Do you honestly think this was representative of any of these peoples real lives? No. They used these poor people in order to make a lot of money.

No I haven't and I doubt I'll bother. Sounds like more poor bashing for people to wank over.

Cleoteacher there is such a wide range when it comes to the interiors of social housing. There isn't a nationwide minimum standard it seems. On the street of the HA estate I live on, I've been in flats which have been totally gutted and refurbed smartly and have combi boiler gas heating. Others have 50 year old kitchen cupboards and bathrooms and ancient storage heaters.

Last year the HA surveyed all properties with a view to priority for re-furbishment and then decided it was unfair for some tenants to get everything and others to get nothing for years on end till their flat came up. Now more people are to get something their flat needs, which I think is fairer. As standards go, our estate is far better then most in the city I think. There should be a national minimum standard though. To put people into icy cold, damp and uninsulated places should not be allowed imo.

Where did it say that couple were "junkies"? I agree they should've just cleaned the house though, although I did feel bad for them re rent arrears.

The council did say they were going to treat the mould/damp before Emma moved in. Unfortunately they just don't have the money and resources to redecorate properties before people move in. (You should've seen the state of the house DH's cousin moved into, lucky she had family that could help out.) I'm surprised they gave her the decorating money in cash - I know when I worked at B&Q people had vouchers. Hopefully giving cash helps remove any possible stigma (and I guess it means you can buy things second hand and get more for your money).

I did think Emma came across as a PITA though.