14 replies to this topic

[silone74]

Hi we are at the moment living in a private let bungalow which we where wrongly advised to take by the council housing officer we where basically told it would be our only way of back to live in the area even though we had backing from both my GP and my partners GP and my OT and social worker at the time to move near to our family,to cut a very long story short I need to know if there is a solicitor that any one could put me intouch with that could advise and help in the housing situation we keep getting fobbed off by the council housing team and the social worker and OT have both backed our application for re housing I am sure you will understand a private let house that is addapted are few and far between it was only by pure luck we found the bungalow that we are in now but it is not suitable really for a family.
I am not sure what else to do to seems to be an up hill stuggle to top it off we live on benefits and have to put £180 a month towards the rent even though the same housing officer that told us to rent privatly told us the rent would be paid in full.



Si

[silone74]

Well we will be officially homeless at the end of august as the landlady requires the property back and after numerous attempts to get the housing officers to actually understand that our situation is not the standard one and that they cant just stick us in a b an b they still keep to the same story that they have no stock of houses that could meet our needs??????????????????????????????????????????? bus shelter with misses and too young children it is then?????????????????






Si

[beckwar]

Gosh this is a rubbish situation for ya. I have had similar problems myself with housing I've now been on the council housing list for about five years they have never even once contacted me with any suitable accommodation. When I applied to them they wanted to know what areas you want housing in so I asked them what areas they had accessible housing in. They had no idea, apparently don't have any such information on what accessible housing they even have! All they could say is that no accessible housing was currently available. I have been living in a privately rented flat, it is far from ideal but I have had to make do. It is frustrating that the council don't adapt an existing house to make it suitable for you rather then waiting for an already accessible house to become vacant which could take who knows how long. It'll be due to cost wont it. You can get grants to adapt your home to make it accessible even if its a rented property but what private landlord is going to want to let you do what may be major alterations to their property! Have you applied for housing with any local housing associations? I have had more luck with those than the council.

Have you ever contacted shelter? I have dealt with them in the past and they have been very helpful they will advise you on the legal side of things I suggest you get in contact with them if you haven't already http://england.shelter.org.uk/ they have a free helpline number 0808 800 4444. You could also try citizens advice.

Good luck

[silone74]

Hi beckwar thanks for the reply, we have sent every councilor in this area an email explaining the situation only having one reply to us telling us they will try and help but can't promose any solutions, he said he gets hundreds of email about housing but ours was the only case that he had come across and so contacted us back. I have spoken to some one from housigaid.org.uk and they had some very interesting points to make that I will be brining up when we meet the housing officer again and will be also filling the OT on some of these points.
You may find they can help with your situation they are part of community legal advice we now have a housing caseworker to give us advice and help this all came by luck rather than any one telling us about them and I hope we can get sorted.

I hope you can get things resolved too. It all seems to be a fight to get things done.



Si

[silone74]

This morning we had a meeting with the housing officer at the town hall and came away feeling kicked in the teeth we where told that they would not addapt a 3 bed house as they are family homes meant for families even though I have a partner and two young children they don't see us as a family??????????????????????? the wheelchair is all they see????????????????????????????

Just goes to show being disabled and having a family is not acceptable.



Si

[zena]

 silone74, on 18 May 2011 - 12:16 PM, said:

This morning we had a meeting with the housing officer at the town hall and came away feeling kicked in the teeth we where told that they would not addapt a 3 bed house as they are family homes meant for families even though I have a partner and two young children they don't see us as a family??????????????????????? the wheelchair is all they see????????????????????????????

Just goes to show being disabled and having a family is not acceptable.



Si

This is disgusting but typical of social housing officers. I used to live in scarborough and spent ten months in b n b homeless in 1992 so it looks like nothing has changed on the East coast. I know the housing officer will happily let you find yourself somewhere new before you become homeless as they can then ignore you until your tenancy comes to an end again. I would hope a charity like Shelter would help you. I would have thought you could get legal advice to challenge the housing officer for giving you wrong advice about housing benefit although it would be a slow process. Shelter may have a list of solicitors who specialise in housing advice. The council won't act until you are homeless which obviously you really can't go that far although it is usually the only way they will take responsibility Catch 22.
In wakefield we have a housing aid service but i don't know whether you have that? Or the CAB may help if Shelter don't. Or contact your MP before the summer break and ask to have a surgery with them and tell them how the council are treating you. Do not accept their 'you're not our problem attitude'. Good Luck.

Sorry fired off my reply hot headedly without seeing the other posts. Hope you both get your situations resolved.

[madhouse73]

Am in similare sort of situation to you.Currentley rent a 4 bed bungalow which I rented as one of my sons has some moblity problems .Was on council list prio to my surgery but was quite happy to sit it out here .

Following the surgery property is no longer suitable and they will not do adaptions even if landlord agreed ( can not get wheelchair into bathroom and no ramps .) But have been told that by law i have to have 4 bedrooms tried to argue that well a 3 bed be fine becuase either way going to need 2 downstairs bedrooms or a floor lift.stair climber anyway .

But like yourself been told sorry we have no adapted properties and infact we have no 4 beds that we can even consider adapting .so in meantime as Hb caps come in I have to pay extra £200 a month and like you it is not like we can go and rent a house somewhere else where rent may be cheaper.Shelter was good but basically said unfortunatley I have to wait and bid like anyone else when a 4 bed comes up and hope I ahve more points than the next person

Edited by madhouse73, 29 May 2011 - 09:19 AM.

[silone74]

After informing the local press and getting a solicitor through housingaid.org.uk contact them on 08454565985 we ave now been given priority on the housing list and they are now going to find us a three bed house and adapt it to my needs.
Madhouse73 the housing aid have been brilliant and they also gave some advcie about being classed as homeless but in a home this would apply if the property you lived in effected your helth and by the sounds of it it does indeed do that in your case and the council will have a duty to help as it is not down to yourself the property became unsuitable for your needs and it will without dout be effecting your mental physical health to remain in the property give them a call they are specialists in housing and have help no end with our situation we are now waiting for a property to veiw and the council have accepted us as homeless even without the 2 months notice that we will not recieve until the 26th June this is down to the fact we are classed as homeless in a home they have to help you and just knowing a smallamount about the law helps when the housing officers know very little abou there actual job they read from a script that will try all they can to put off council housing and try and make you believe the only way to get housed is private letting, I have learned so much in the short time we have been in this situation just fro talking to housing aid and it does work when you mention there name in meetings and then when they get intouch with the housing department thinks start to happen.



Si

[madhouse73]

Thank you will give them a call .

[silone74]

Well we have been offered a property that unfortunatly is too small but my OT is of the opinion that the council don't have any where else and we might have to accept it even though it is ot suitable for our needs, I spoke to the solicitor and he said we could take it and wait again for some where else to become available but why should we have to take an unsuitable property I did not ask to be in this chair but other families get housed in proper housing and we get the scraps???? What do I do????




Si

[allister]

Hi Si

Just found your post and can 100% fully understand and sympathies with you and your family.
I have been down the same road as you and have had no option but to take the private landlord route.
However, this landlord is heaven sent.. and i can do anything to the property.
The property is a 4 yr old 4 bed dorma style bungalow. 2 dble , 1 single and a large bathroom upstairs, large kitchen/diner, large lounge, bedroom and wetroom downstairs.

The wet room doesn't currently work for me, so i have applied and been granted a full grant for it to be re designed and refitted. the landlord has willingly given his consent for ANY adaptions to be made to the property, in or outside, so it is suitable for my needs! After the wetroom has been done, I have been told by my OT and the council to reapply for another grant to have the kitchen redesigned so i can use it as well as my partner.

Whilst i have no kids, the 4 beds are all used, I'm downstairs, my partner is upstairs, the spare double is used by carers or my mum, and the sigle room is a valuable space - -- the dreaded junk room so i'm told !

I've asked for a stair lift but as there is a bedroom downstairs they will not provide one for me. That bugs me because the downstairs room is not big enough to take a double bed and leave enough space for my chair and other furniture. it means that after 25yrs we now sleep apart which is unfair.

like you, our previous property wasn't chair friendly and couldn't be adapted to make it work for us, we were told that we would get full rent assistance but don't. We have to put £270 per mth towards the rent! considering that i get incap and dla benefits, & my partner had to stop work to help care for me so he gets carers and income supp, its a huge chunk to find each month, but its worth it for a better quality of life.

We tried all the housing assoc's and with close family links in two adjacent counties it gave us a larger area to go at with council housing, but all i was offered in 14 mths was a tiny one bed first floor flat ( a rabbit hutch, barely big enough for a single person )in a warden aided complex for seniors. I'm 46 !! we also have two small dogs, and were told to let the dogs go if we wanted a council home as it would make their job easier to find us a property!!

Its a joke. Most people think you make all this stuff up, they can't comprehend the specific needs we have, and feel we should be more flexiable.

I sincerely hope that you and your family are successful in securing a suitable new family home, one which meets your needs, and isn't a compromise with you loosing out.

Good luck M8, all the best.
Al

Edited by allister, 22 June 2011 - 12:04 AM.

[silone74]

Just to update the stuation ad thank every one that took the time to post and it seems we where not the only ones in this kind of situation not that it makes me feel any better more like makes me feel like the laws need to be looked into and changed when it comes to addapted housing.

We actually moved into a brand new built home that the council offered us,now this house is a dorma style bungalow with wet room down stairs that is perfect for me to use its really spacious and we use what would be the dinning as our bedroom although I am unable to go upstairs as the council don't see it as a priority our two boys have now got a family bathroom upstairs with two big bedrooms so they don't share anymore thats great for them as they are getting that bit older and need there own space, I have total access to the front and rear garden that previously was not possible in the old property I could only use one door to get into the bungalow as the other had 4 steps to the door.

Now to get this property I did an artical in the local paper and had the backing of a solicitor which I would advise any one to do if they are in a similar situation because if we had not done what we did we would still be living in an unsuitable home and facing homelessness at the end of August now at least I can sleep at night with out worry and actually am finding a new lease of life being in a brand new house has made all the differance in my state of mind and although I can not get upstairs I find myself very at ease with the rest of the house, this is the first addapted properties this council has every built and to give them some credit they have made not a bad job of doing it although not perfect for full time wheelchair users it is more than a fare start.

Now that we are in a council property the full rent will be covered by housing benefit but seeing as the rent is not that much different from the private rented bungalow I can't see any reason why they would think we could afford the extra rent from a private landlord but coucil property they pay the full ammount it makes little if no sense at all to me.

Any way as I have said before if any one needs housing advice and help get intouch with housingaid.org.uk contact them on 08454565985, we found them by accident but ended up being one of the best help we could find.


Si

[brockit79]

hey, I too was/am in this situation. I have had a lot of help from DIAL (disability information and advice line), who provide advocacy, amongst other things, to disabes like me.

With their help I am also being moved soon. Big fat complaint letter to the chief exec. Tho housing's OT's JOB is to make sure a place is suitable.

Glad you got sorted. The past 2 months for me have been rotten, worst bit of the paralysis journey, all down to housing.

B

[madhouse73]

glad your sorted and yes I have been told same thing that any adaptions be a downstairs bedroom and wet room for me and they will not put anything in for me to get upstairs .But am arguing as need to get upstairs to see to the children and clean etc .As is only me and youngts has epeilepsy .Be intresting to see what happens next

[silone74]

I am glad we are sorted and to be honest Madhouse73 there really is no option but to have access to upstairs for yourself if the youngest has epilepsy that in itself is the only reason you should need to get to them to adapt,my partner has epilepsy and it was due to this that we had to move back to the area we are to have the much needed support from our families and although she is on medication as you will be too well aware there is no magic tablet to actually stop the fitting and I need to be able to get to her when she has a fit to make sure she is not going to get hurt and she is able to breath when she is coming out of the fit so in your case I would see no reason for you not to be able to access the upstairs of your property.

I know I have said this in posts before but I can not recommend housingaid.org.uk enough and when the words solicitor is mentioned to council they seem to get a little out of sorts LOL and also the local press did us no harm at all thats if they don't adapt for your needs.

I hope all gets sorted for you and keep us updated with what happens.


Si