Do any owner occupiers have experience of living in an area that is undergoing the Decent Homes programme (replacment of kitchens/bathrooms, double glazing etc)?

More specifically, do the council offer the chance for ex council properties which are now owned to be part of the work carried out?

I know the cost wouldnt be small but maybe cheaper than doing it yourself and perhaps more reliable...

TIA

:D

Contact details for Decent Homes here. http://www.sheffieldhomes.org.uk/decent-homes/decent-homes-contact-information

Foxhill is having the decent homes work carried out and not once have we been approached and asked if we want any work doing. They went to the effort of dealing with the wooden fascias and soffits next door but didnt approach us. We had to ring and complain though about the mess they left in our gardens they soon came and cleaned up though.

Contact details for Decent Homes here. http://www.sheffieldhomes.org.uk/decent-homes/decent-homes-contact-information

Thanks for the link, I just wondered if anyone had any experience of it.

Do any owner occupiers have experience of living in an area that is undergoing the Decent Homes programme (replacment of kitchens/bathrooms, double glazing etc)?

More specifically, do the council offer the chance for ex council properties which are now owned to be part of the work carried out?

I know the cost wouldnt be small but maybe cheaper than doing it yourself and perhaps more reliable...

TIA

:D

You are right, the cost wouldn't be small, in fact it would be far better to obtain quotes yourself from recommended trades. I have seen some of the prices being offered to builders by various councils for these improvements. There seems to have been a shift away from putting the work out to tender, to the councils setting prices and offering the work out on this basis. The prices appear to be extremely generous, possibly the object being to attract higher quality builders, sadly this is rarely the outcome.

I remember seeing in the Star,only a few weeks ago, a report about a woman who lived on either lansdowne or exeter drive maisonettes.

She was an O-Occ, and she was outraged that the council wanted to charge her 6 grand for replacement windows, through the better homes renovation thingie, when she could have got the equivalent windows (style/ quality etc) for about 2/ 2.5 grand.

Because it was a huge communal block, I believe the council wanted her to have their windows installed, for uniformity of appearance.

Thanks for the responses, seems it would be the better option to sort things myself.

Cheers