Caporegime
- Joined
- 7 Apr 2008
- Posts
- 25,957
- Location
- Lorville - Hurston
lol was about to say ha!
Forced out of our home with nowhere to go
- Thread starter Mujja
- Start date
lol was about to say ha!
I guessed that 'm' was supposed to say 'my'
Caporegime
- Joined
- 7 Apr 2008
- Posts
- 25,957
- Location
- Lorville - Hurston
This would be my choice although you'd need a solicitor on side who will nail the council for not making suitable arrangements.
It's a private lease which just happens to be from the council. Same rules should apply as if it was a non-public leaseholder.
I'd be tempted to move the family into the council offices and not move out until I was satisfied the alternative living arrangements were satisfactory. Plus ring the local rag first, they'd lap something like this up.
Quick update.
We took photos of the flat showing most of the issues. The was cracked wall socket with a hole large enough for a childs finger, photos of the mattresses and others showing dirt etc.
Had a meeting with property management at 2 who still argued they had done all they needed to and the flat was suitable. After showing them the pictures the realised we weren't being fussy and imagining all these issues. Within an hour all mattresses were replaced with brand new ones and cleaners sent in. It was supposedly cleaned before the keys were handed to us.
Finally some good news at the end of the day. Only to pick the kids up from school and the youngest had a small toy stuck up a nostril so the next 2 hours spent at a health centre.
We took photos of the flat showing most of the issues. The was cracked wall socket with a hole large enough for a childs finger, photos of the mattresses and others showing dirt etc.
Had a meeting with property management at 2 who still argued they had done all they needed to and the flat was suitable. After showing them the pictures the realised we weren't being fussy and imagining all these issues. Within an hour all mattresses were replaced with brand new ones and cleaners sent in. It was supposedly cleaned before the keys were handed to us.
Finally some good news at the end of the day. Only to pick the kids up from school and the youngest had a small toy stuck up a nostril so the next 2 hours spent at a health centre.
And so could you if you move away from the dump you live in, lol £750 a month, you struggle to get any sympathy from me as well
This is great. I was a little bit concerned that people were being sympathetic at the start of the thread to someone who was relying on the council for something (e.g. sponging off the state, and not acting desperate enough as judged by their Daily Mail Little Book of Moral Codes) and not earning enough to purchase a detached mansion with cash, but it came round as the pages stacked up.
Good news (apart from the last bit!) hope things improve for you quickly now and you are back at your own place before too long.
The lease advisory board gave us details of a tenants act where the landlord had to provide details of their insurer with a copy of the policy. We requested this information but they have 21 days to respond.
Everyone we spoke to, the CAB, lease advisory board and around 5 local solicitors, all said our case wasn't straightforward as we weren't homeless and the landlord was the local authority who most likely self insure.
The argument was if they aren't able to provide us with clean, safe accommodation they should rehouse us in a hotel or bnb. They have fixed most of the issues with the flat. They have made it clear several times they won't reimburse any costs and I don't think it worth the trouble to try and claim back the cost of last night's hotel etc. Just want to get back home as soon as possible and to their credit they are working as quickly as they can to make the roof safe.
That's wrong - they will have a block insurance policy with a commercial insurance provider like Allianz and they have to provide a copy to you, check the Council website or otherwise speak to housing management / legal department. You should also get a copy on each annual renewal and payment of your service charges.
What about your mortgage payments etc? The whole reason for insurance is to cover scenarios such as this.
What about your mortgage payments etc? The whole reason for insurance is to cover scenarios such as this.
Soldato
- Joined
- 25 Mar 2004
- Posts
- 16,017
- Location
- Fareham
I have met mujja in person (sold him my old soundbar). Can confirm seemed like a nice guy! Good luck sorting this out mate!
Not everyone has that option, and being driven out of your home is quite a traumatic event. Then for the misfortune of being in a block owned by a housing authority (I'm sure it's not council now) you don't get treated like any normal human being and put into a hotel until it's sorted?
Anywhere else would have real insurance and he'd be in a clean hotel now. I'm not saying a stay in a hotel is nice, it's awful actually, really hard to live. But it seems better than living in flea town on the meter sleeping on a blood stained mattress.
Property management said the repairs are being covered by the insurance so the costs won't be passed on to us in increased service charges. But they aren't allowed to use the insurance to rehouse us, only send us to the housing team.
Glad you've had some progress. Let's hope they get you back home sharpish!
Hmmn
Cracked wall socket, 5 min job, less than a fiver! If it was me I would just do it. It isn't even worth wasting the time for a phone call (Esp if I am phoning from a mobile)
Mattresses, I dont know how I would feel about sleeping on any rental mattress. But if I was that bothered I would just buy my own, they are not expensive.
Other than that, yes, sounds like a dump, but doesn't sound like anything that wouldn't be mostly fixed with a days effort and a scrubbing brush! (And it doesn't sound any worse than standard issue student houses from the late 70's I remember accommodation that was like the house in fight club! Yes THAT one!)
You have been provided with alternative accommodation at very short notice. Treat it as an adventure, get the children to help making it a home. You never know they might just astonish you. Where is your Blitz spirit? Are you British or what!
If this was going to be our home for 6 months then we would fix it up ourselves. Think of this like moving into a hotel and being asked to bring your own bed and clean the room and replace broken electrical sockets and the shower.
Or if your nice new car is in an accident and the courtesy car is a dangerous banger with crap all over the seats with dodgy tyres. Would you buy your own tyres, fix any mechanical and electrical faults etc, knowing you will only be driving it for a week or two?
What would I do with a whole load mattresses after a few nights?
Or if your nice new car is in an accident and the courtesy car is a dangerous banger with crap all over the seats with dodgy tyres. Would you buy your own tyres, fix any mechanical and electrical faults etc, knowing you will only be driving it for a week or two?
What would I do with a whole load mattresses after a few nights?
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Jesus wept. Jealousy much?
Glad you're getting it sorted. I would definitely seek legal advice on the temporary housing situation. The council appears to be accountable and the conditions they have put your family in are unacceptable. Just because the department say they are "not allowed" to use the insurance doesn't mean they aren't liable to put you up at a reasonable standard. The fact they are the council is not particularly relevant here.
As a short term measure some cheap sleeping bags from a camping store may be better on top of the matresses (or even some cheap camping foam).
Associate
- Joined
- 11 Apr 2006
- Posts
- 830
- Location
- Yorkshire
Op glad you got it sorted. Alls well that ends well.