Right,here goes..

My partner and 2 children were offered a council house back in June. The house still isn't ready to be lived in, despite 2 moving dates coming and going. My details were wrong on my original application ( my youngest daughters DOB was stated as 1980 rather than 2008, making her older than me!). So, any 2 beds we had been bidding on hadn't been considered as it seemed as if we are 3 adults, rather than 2 adults, 2 children. We've been bidding for years with no offers, but as soon as the details on my youngests were correct, we were offered a house. Makes me wonder what more suitable houses we missed out on?.
Anyway, we're offered the house, but it's needed o go down the decent homes route. Fair enough, it was a ****e-hol, but nothing seems to be getting done. No-one has a clue whats going on. We should have moved in this week, apparently :rolleyes:
But, all the time we've been 'accepting' this house, we can't bid on other maybe more suitable properties. So, in effect we might be missing out again. We have no real idea as to when our new house will be ready, but it dosen't look like any time soon.
We're in private rented atm, but we need to move asap due to (impossible to meet) rent increases.
Any advice? I'm thinking a letter to The Star or something?. Maybe contacting my MP. Anyone think these might work?. Ta in advance :)

hi had a similar problem to your self only they had my 6month old son down as my husband lol. antway my bids wasnt took and i missed out on some properties. so i got intouch with david blunkett and through him i got offered 2 properties that wasnt even in the bidding paper they call this special curcamstances. have a go it worked for me and my family

Really?. Right, I'm off to email him. ( What did you put, I'm hopeless at stuff like this!!). Thanks, glad you got something x

hi i just told him that i had registered with sheffield homes and they had mixed my forms up with my sons d.o.b andi had missed out on some houses and we was very squashed with a family of 5 in two bed house, he replied by letter saying he would make intersts on my behalf and a week later i had a fone call offering me 2 properties. give it a go. just google david blunkett and his email should come up. good luck

hi i just told him that i had registered with sheffield homes and they had mixed my forms up with my sons d.o.b andi had missed out on some houses and we was very squashed with a family of 5 in two bed house, he replied by letter saying he would make intersts on my behalf and a week later i had a fone call offering me 2 properties. give it a go. just google david blunkett and his email should come up. good luck

Thanks very much. :)

i moved into my flat without it being decent homed...

i think i missed out somewhere...

dull

hi can any one advice me on if i can go to mr blunkit or the star as im in housing assoication and ive been granted a shower room from them 12 months ago . ive got the builder ready to go asap but now rember they have given me the go a head 12months ago so they know about it right well friday last i called them because i found out from the builder that my housing say they have to now come and do an asseptoss check that means they have to do sumit then send the stuff off to a lab and this will take 6 weeks BUT my friends husband is a manager at a aseptoss company and he says they just come with a machine and do this and its done in half an hour what gives

Hi Yes The Test Does Take That Long. Sheffield Homes Just Put A Sample In A Bottle Then Send It To A Lab

i moved into my flat without it being decent homed...

i think i missed out somewhere...

dull

Same here; previous tennant turned it down when they renovated all the others in the block.

To the OP; your property doesn't need to be up to the standard for them to offer it to you - it will just be put on the 'backtrack' list of properties to sort out in 2009 or 2010.

Thats for the replies. The property was un-livable, so, has been fast tracked for decent homes. It is currently under going renovations. My argument is that until it is ready, it shouldn't be offered. We once again had the date moved back ( so, the 3rd time so far). It's been 6 months since we were offered, yet we're still waiting.
No on in my opinion.

Hi

something to consider

were you involved in choosing the whys and wherefores of the decent homes?

I know it takes time, but surely its better done while your not in there?

dull..

It is something to consider, but why offer a property that isn't ready to be lived in?. It is better done whilst our family isn't in, but it not the work I'm questioning, just the time-scale.
Obviously it's a mistake somewhere along the line. Just annoying waiting to be houses and possibly missing out on more suitable properties in the mean time.

In my experience its just the council...

if you can possibly hold on and if its in a nice area/ what you want, your probably best staying with what you have if you can wait rather than going back into the lottery of housing priority and potentially ending up God knows where...

but thats just me and my experience

dull

Thanks Dull,
Thats the plan for now. Wish us luck and thankyou for replying. It's kind of good to know it's not just us going through rubbish with Sheffield homes!.
Thankyou :-)

I know of a development in Tapton where Sheffield Homes has left the older people (really old actually, 83, 84 and 86) without kitchen facilities. They've moved the cooker into the middle of the kitchen for one old lady and haven't been back for at least a month.

Not good especially as older people don't like to make a fuss.

I know of a development in Tapton where Sheffield Homes has left the older people (really old actually, 83, 84 and 86) without kitchen facilities. They've moved the cooker into the middle of the kitchen for one old lady and haven't been back for at least a month.

Not good especially as older people don't like to make a fuss.

Surely that's down to KIER or one of their other contractors, not Sheffield Homes?

I know of a development in Tapton where Sheffield Homes has left the older people (really old actually, 83, 84 and 86) without kitchen facilities. They've moved the cooker into the middle of the kitchen for one old lady and haven't been back for at least a month.

Not good especially as older people don't like to make a fuss.

Have you let Sheffield Homes know that these elderly people are in that situation? It might be worth a phone call or email to put your mind at rest. http://www.sheffieldhomes.org.uk/decent-homes/decent-homes-contact-information
Or you could contact one of the councillors that cover that area and ask them to find out what's happening? I think Tapton is part of Broomhill Ward - councillor details here: http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/sys_upl/templates/PT_Councillor/PT_Councillor_details.asp?tid=153&pgid=921

I hope you can get the work moving for these elderly people. Let us know how you get on.

It is something to consider, but why offer a property that isn't ready to be lived in?. It is better done whilst our family isn't in, but it not the work I'm questioning, just the time-scale.
Obviously it's a mistake somewhere along the line. Just annoying waiting to be houses and possibly missing out on more suitable properties in the mean time.

That happened to us when we were homeless; were offered a property that was wrecked, stripped and gutted and was in need of complete refurbishment. We got an apology after we turned it down in amazement, and were told that the available houses come as a list to the homefinders who just expect them all to be ready.

Apparently at least one property per bidding cycle isn't in a livable condition. I asked a little more about this at the time, and was told in an off hand way that some homeless people 'wait up to six months for their property to be made habitable before they move in'. My retort of 'well, they are hardly homeless if they can wait that long then are they?' was met with a blank expression.

hi, we had that problem 4 years ago we wasnt living in the house at the time we was waiting for the renovations from the council new kitchen and bathroom. Now i know it doesnt take longer than a week at the very most to fit a kitchen and a bathroom because my partner does all that for a living and he manages 2 kitchens and sometimes a bathroom in a week. Anyway when we finally got the house back after 9 MONTHS there was drawing on the walls people had tagged there names everywhere and they were using my house as storage for everybody elses kitchens and tools on my road! Obviously i was fuming about this so i took it to the top manager i ended up getting £500 for the hassle. Anyway point to my advice is if u can pop down to the house u have been told u can have just have a quick look if ur kitchen is in and looks done keep on at them tell them u have been and looked and its done and give what ever sob story u can it always work.

Have you let Sheffield Homes know that these elderly people are in that situation? It might be worth a phone call or email to put your mind at rest. http://www.sheffieldhomes.org.uk/decent-homes/decent-homes-contact-information
Or you could contact one of the councillors that cover that area and ask them to find out what's happening? I think Tapton is part of Broomhill Ward - councillor details here: http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/sys_upl/templates/PT_Councillor/PT_Councillor_details.asp?tid=153&pgid=921

I hope you can get the work moving for these elderly people. Let us know how you get on.


Hi, it is a disgrace but unfortunately I don't have any detail. I heard about it through a contact whose elderly friend is being affected. He's told the Star but I don't think they've published anything. He has left several messages to the contractor but without success. If I hear anything else I'll let you know and many thanks for your concern.