Getting a council flat
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Have been invited to view a flat this week, and have been told I'm no 2?
I know they invite 2 others to view the flat at the same time, and I was wondering if there is a way how I could get to be no 1
I don't know how these things work, but I presume that if no 1doesn't turn up then I will become no 1, and if I like the place then I can sign the tenancy there and then.
Anyone have experience of this?
I know they invite 2 others to view the flat at the same time, and I was wondering if there is a way how I could get to be no 1
I don't know how these things work, but I presume that if no 1doesn't turn up then I will become no 1, and if I like the place then I can sign the tenancy there and then.
Anyone have experience of this?
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I hope they don't turn up then, or turn it down
But it also means Next time You will be no.1 i think.
Hope you get it
There is no way I will refuse it lol, hope to be in my new place by christmas ha ha
it doesnt automatically mean you will be no.1 for the next one if you are not offered this one. It depends on the needs level of the viewers and their points
Wow, that was lucky for your aunt.
I actually didn't think that I would even be contacted as soon as I have, so it was a nice suprise.
Your local housing provider can advise you on their policy if you turn the offer down, alternatively there should be something about it on your bidding website.
Good luck, i hope you get the chance to see it and accept it
What made it worse was the flat I was applying for was brand new. Fully fitted kitchen and bathroom and the living room was already pre-wired for sky plus ffs
What really put the cherry on the cake was the fact that this guy who'd applied for the flat stood there and said to the council woman that he was flying out to america the following week and that he'd be there for at least a year.
He'd turned up with what I assumed was his wife and daughter as well, and when the council woman made me & my mum go outside while they talked. Obviously he decided to take the flat, and I just wanted to leave but in hingsight I kind of wish I'd said something about the situation because it just didn't sit right with me.
I think now that it may have been some convoluted way of the husband and wife getting their daughter her own place.
But hey, onwards and upwards and all that. Good luck to the OP and I hope you don't have to go through what I did.
Here in Brighton, at least, it pretty much depends on what band you're on. If you're band A then there's a duty to rehouse you much faster than a band B. I was incredibly fortunate that I was a band B and was found a new home so quickly. I had seen that others had been waiting for much longer than I had. Whether this was because they'd turned down other properties, I have no idea.
On a band A you are not allowed to turn down a property unless you want to be taken down to a band B or C - it's meant to be an emergency, not a time to pick and choose.
You're right to feel that because it literally is nothing more than a meat market, especially if you're in the lowest, general needs banding.
I'm in that banding, but i'm lucky in that i'm near the top as i've been on it for about 5 and a half years, but even then, my local council seems to be dishing out Gold and Silver ratings like smarties and if someone in that banding decides to apply for the place i'm applying for, i've got no chance.
I think it is pretty bad that you are taken to view the property with somebody else on the list. With a private purchase it is bad enough having to view with other prospective buyers, with a council property, when you are presumably not in any position to make pro-active negotiations to favour yourself, it must be absolutely soul destroying.
One of my friends had to do a viewing with three other couples - they'd all been given the same time, as some people don't turn up & don't let the allocations/housing team know they won't be going. I went along with her to give an unbiased opinion of the house, & we were all standing outside the property at the same time waiting to go in, trying to either ignore each other or sound out who had higher points on the list. Once inside, we were all shuffling about the place, trying to get some private space where we could talk to each other without the others hearing.
It very quickly became obvious who was highest on the list, & the others had to first try to contain their feelings about the place in case the first person didn't want it & they got a chance, & then try to hold in their disappointment when the people in front of them decided they wanted it. The first person must have known they were going to take it, because they came equipped with a tape measure, pen & paper to make notes etc. Once they'd made their decision, the others had to leave immediately so that the sign-up could be done. The experience must be bad enough if you just want to move, but it must feel even worse if you're desperate for somewhere to live & have to watch a chance slip away from you.
That's what I mean. If you are in a position to negotiate, either financially or via your status as part of a vending chain, then you are at least in charge of your own destiny to a degree, you can at least try. To be at the whim of such a system, well I'm saddened to hear how it works...
it really did upset me because I knew as soon as I walked through the door I had no chance.
I wanted to leave, but my mum actually did manage to persuade me to stay just in case the other guy turned it down.
But, what makes it worse is that i know that if i'm in that situation again, I can't really refuse to go because you'd be handing the property over to the other person on a plate.
Just been looking at the flat and it looks so nice.
Do you think the council would carry out a credit check?
I know all councils are different but starting to worry as my credit rating is awful.
It sounds like really hard work. To the OP hope you get it!
No council will carry out a credit check on you, although i'll stand to be corrected if some actually do but in all the years i've been in the council system i've never heard of it happening.
You'll only be credit checked on a private let through an estate agents.
What i'd consider doing is taking someone along with you and just happen to randomly be discussing what a terrible neighbourhood it is - say you've read about the local crime rate in the paper, and if the person in front of you asks about it tell them, innocently of course, that you've heard it's not a very nice place to live.
Worth a punt
But then you might be lucky and the person in front of you might just turn it down anyway.
Think I will have to have that conversation with myself