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Is it just me or do you have to be unemployed, on drugs, alcoholic, just come out of prison, suffered mental or physical abuse or preggy amongst other things to get a council property?

 

These were the criteria i was asked to claim "priority". Dont get me wrong all the things listed above other then drink and drugs use (or maybe preggy, although some do this to get a house) are genuine reasons. But other then lie through your teeth what chance do you have of getting a property from the council or housing assoc.?

 

My circumstances are fairly common to cut a long story short, split up with my wife, no home so relying on friends and family to put me up. In full time employment so i can pay my way with full rent and council tax etc, yet not offered anything in a year.

 

Bid every single week for a year, i know a year is not a long time but when your living with friends and family it is, yet nothing. You see on the council web site about the properties you bid on and they are allocated to "priority" applicants who have not been on the list other then a few weeks or months.

 

As as for the "first come first served" part of the site what a joke, every single property is for over 40, 55 or 60.

 

Declaring myself homeless was not an option for reason i'm sure many of you would understand working in full time employment.

 

How long have you been on the list with no joy?

Thanks my rant is over now hehe

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As a full time working man you are not deemed a priority as the theory is you are quite capable of getting a property on the private housing market. Harsh but true. :|

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Its true what fox says. Chances of getting a council property are very slim, I got one because I was homeless with an 8 month old baby and even that took me near enough 6 months living in their interim accomodation. Its hard, but if you can keep it up, you'll get somewhere in the end!

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Oh yay - yet another SCC bashing housing thread!

 

Can never have enough of those!

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If your in full time employment, you got more chnace of winning the lottery!

 

(trust me)

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If your in full time employment, you got more chnace of winning the lottery!

 

(trust me)

 

Sorry, but on this matter I don't trust you, I've read (and understood) homeless policy. Employment status makes no difference, plenty of people have jobs and live in council housing. Lots of people who are technically homeless don't fit the criteria for priority, if they did - lord knows where the council could house them! There seems to be an expectation that if someone can afford to pay rent they should get a council property. Right, so everyone who works and pays taxes should get a council property - how does that work then?

 

Sorry manintheknow - if you want a council flat your only option is to bid for one on waiting time alone. I think you'll have to do what most people do - go private. The upside of renting privately or buying is that you have much more choice - and to keep costs down you could share a house?

 

Shelter publish all the rules about homelessness and who qualifies - its all here: http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/homelessness

Edited by Ms Macbeth

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Its true what fox says. Chances of getting a council property are very slim, I got one because I was homeless with an 8 month old baby and even that took me near enough 6 months living in their interim accomodation. Its hard, but if you can keep it up, you'll get somewhere in the end!

 

The council have a statutory duty to make sure children have somewhere to live. It doesn't apply to adults in the same way. If you'd been on your own, you'd have been in the same situation as the OP unless you have other reasons that would make you a priority case. Not having somewhere to live isn't enough by itself. The OP won't get a council property on homeless priority - he's perfectly capable of looking out for himself, unlike a baby or young child, or someone with major physical or mental disabilities, or the elderly and infirm etc. etc.

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"Oh yay - yet another SCC bashing housing thread! Can never have enough of those!"

It will always be until this system changes, I have been waiting list for 4 years bidding every week with no joy, simply because I don't fit the criteria as mentioned above so I have had to go private.

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"Oh yay - yet another SCC bashing housing thread! Can never have enough of those!"

It will always be until this system changes, I have been waiting list for 4 years bidding every week with no joy, simply because I don't fit the criteria as mentioned above so I have had to go private.

 

There's nothing wrong with the actual system - it's people's expectations and attitudes toward it that are the problem.

 

On the old system people put their name on the list and were offered a property when they got to the top of the list. Of course, back then there was double the amount of Council properties so, obviously, the waiting times were shorter. But they were still let in the same way - to priority and waiting time.

 

If it reverted back to the old system, you would still be waiting the same amount of time for a property as you are now - except that you wouldn't have a say in what you were offered, and if you turned 3 down your application would be suspended for 12 months. Yup, that sounds much better to me.

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"Oh yay - yet another SCC bashing housing thread! Can never have enough of those!"

It will always be until this system changes, I have been waiting list for 4 years bidding every week with no joy, simply because I don't fit the criteria as mentioned above so I have had to go private.

 

What criteria do you think councils should apply in deciding who to give properties to? That's a genuine question.

 

Sorry, was writing this when Leviathan posted.

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"Oh yay - yet another SCC bashing housing thread! Can never have enough of those!"

It will always be until this system changes, I have been waiting list for 4 years bidding every week with no joy, simply because I don't fit the criteria as mentioned above so I have had to go private.

 

I've been on over 7 1/2 years, but I don't see it as a right that I should be given a Council property.

 

If I could get one then of course it would help me out financially, but I have gone private too and I'm happy that I have a place to call my own.

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There's nothing wrong with the actual system - it's people's expectations and attitudes toward it that are the problem.

 

On the old system people put their name on the list and were offered a property when they got to the top of the list. Of course, back then there was double the amount of Council properties so, obviously, the waiting times were shorter. But they were still let in the same way - to priority and waiting time.

 

If it reverted back to the old system, you would still be waiting the same amount of time for a property as you are now - except that you wouldn't have a say in what you were offered, and if you turned 3 down your application would be suspended for 12 months. Yup, that sounds much better to me.

 

The system is flawed. Blatant age discrimination, properties just lieing empty on the first come first served page. And the selling off of properties. The increase in demand for housing should have been met by increased building of housing, it wasn't. We now have problems, these are causing racial tensions in areas. It's also adversely affecting many peoples mental health.

 

'TENTS' - because Sheffield Homes won't house you, for everything else, go to prison!

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