hi,

has anyone any experience about being rehoused by the council due to overcrowding?

My husband, 2 young sons (18 months and 4 months) and myself are currently staying with my mum in her 1 bed flat!!!

Council have awarded us priority but the 3 properties we have seen so far were unsuitable to say the least!

I now worried that they may take away priority if we don't accept next property.

Any advice would really be appreciated.

many thanks

helen

Hope you dont mind me asking but what are they offering you? a 2 bed or a 3 bed because they have now put restrictions on giving out 3 bed properties havent they?

Surely the council cant take away your priority if you turn down unsuitable properties because you will still be in the same overcrowded situation.

It must be a really difficult situation for you and your family all cramped in a 1 bed with your Mum, I really feel for you and your predicament.

I'm waiting on Sheffield to house me also but I live down south and havent got priority, I will have been on the list for a year in May and am curious to know how my chances are for being housed.

Its a shame we aint on first name basis with an allocations officer, never mind, I will be paitent and keep waiting.

Best of luck to you though, I hope you find somewhere soon.

Jo

hi jo,

there offering us 2 bed houses/masionettes as we have 2 boys and as you know 3 bed council houses are in very short supply in sheffield!

We were only awarded priority after my doctor, health visitor and the local surestart group got involved!! Before that we'd been on waiting list since march 2004. Some properties are allocated on waiting time of between 1-3 years but again are in short supply.

We've turned 1st house down as next to a walkway where local gangs liked to hang out drinking beer bought from the local 7-11 type shop. The other shops next to that one were boarded up and looked like a couple had been set on fire. It was an end house and anybody could walk straight into back garden and they refused to fence it off for us. The gardens were full of rubbish, broken beer bottles, old clothes!?! etc I turned it down because i had visions of flying beer bottles hitting my sons heads!

2nd property was a lower ground masionette with no garden, and it took us 2 hours 2 get there from my mums by public transport! Although i don't want to be living in my mums pocket i need family and friends close by as i'm under doctor for post natal depression although personally i think its more like lack of rehousing depression!

3rd house was 2 doors away from drug dealer and his teenage gang of thugs. Neighbours were living in fear as if anyone challenged this gang they were met with abuse and bricks through their windows!! Neighbours at both sides had small children/babies and were trying desperately to get away but not having much luck!!

And tomorrow we view property no.4, a 2 bed masionette in lowedges which after reading threads on here i'm not to happy about! But all areas have their problems so will just have to wait and see what its like.

Good luck to you, hope you manage to get priority and then rehoused somewhere decent from sheffield city council.

Helen

The council will not offer you more than 2 bedrooms if you have 2 boys. There are 3 bed properties available but the families who bid have to have more kids!

The council will NEVER put a fence up around anyones property that is the responsibility of the tenant as they wont put ariels on roofs either.

When I moved into my home which is a 3 storey tower house I had to pay for a fence, to get a man to put an ariel up and for a plumber to put in the neccessary to install a washing machine as these were not provided by SCC.

The only thing I can suggest as a source of help is your health visitor. They can put you in touch with a community nurse with respect to the PND and this can be used as evidence that your rehousing needs (or lack of action on that front) are adding to the depression.

I did this when I was getting nowhere and the HV came with me to the housing office to explain I was in a terrible state and a home would help towards me getting better.

Good Luck

I'm in the same boat, I've got four kids in a two bed house.

I have turned down 4 houses so far and they've threatened me once with taking my priority off me, but I stuck to my guns!

Why the hell should I take just any old crap, I would'nt let my dog live in the houses they offered me!

Dont take any rubbish from them, keep asking them, "would you live in it", they soon shut their gobs.

Good luck :)

Hi.

Thanks to everyone for all their advice and experience.

Went to see masionette at low edges yesterday which was lovely. Very clean and well maintained.

Spoke to a couple of the neighbours so know about the area.

Move in next week. :-)

Good luck to everyone else hope you manage to get what you want very soon.

Helen x