So,who gets all the decent houses??????

Question

hi,my kid (well shes grown up but still my kid)has rejected 2 offers of housing from council,before anyone says anything,NO-shes not a single parent/teen mum,and YES she works(not well paid job),and all she has been offered are really grotty flats,in run down areas of town,so WHO is getting all the offers of decent housing???and how can i help her situation,writing letters,compaining etc??any advice,thanks

Answer 1

I know there is a points system based on need and to be fair, your daughter is not technically homeless and does'nt have all the other factors that would push her up the list. It is very sad that many occupants of Council Housing are not appreciative of their surroundings and take care of them, as I am sure they all started out as 'nice' I imagine that folk who already have a Council House are in a position to get transfers to larger houses etc before people who are low on the list. I think I am correct in saying that someone can only refuse so many offers before they get pushed back down the list - I would check on that. I doubt if there is much you can do as a parent, unless you have a pal who is a Councillor, you may just get told that she can stay with you ! Possibly, if she is desparate for a house, she may have to accept what is on offer and then start looking for a house swap.

Answer 2

Truthfully she's probably in the exact same situation as every other young low-paid worker in Edinburgh. The waiting lists for council homes are HUGE! I know one young person who has been waiting for almost five years to get one in a decent area. Nobody really wants to live in the rough areas. Your daughter has already turned down flats so they won't see her as being a priority as she is still allowed to stay in your home.

If she was registered as homeless things might be a bit different, but no good parent really wants to put their kid out on the street. She'll get a flat eventually, but it may take quite a long time. To speed things up she might want to consider the alternatives - maybe she could share the cost of renting privately with a friend. :-)

Answer 3

I think its the same all over the country, i feel sorry for her but she s obviously not a high enough priority according to your local council, she would be better off having a couple of kids, packing her job in and sponging off the government and then she will want for nothing. But if she wants to keep her dignity then i would persevere and keep hounding the council until they give in . a letter to your local MP explaining the situation might help.

Answer 4

I see your point, and I also see the point that a single parent with a child is more important... Not that your daughter isn't important, but would you want a baby laying on the street at night on the side of the road?  

Although, I still think that nice places should go to people like your daughter, because they too need a place to live, to be honest, I would have thought that they would give the nicer places to people without families, as the nicer places are usually more expensive (or so I thought)... and that way the lower income families can have a grotty place as well, and have lower rent...

Who knows, the Government works in weird ways.

Good luck to your daughter though!