I know it takes a while to get one, so I figure i’d sign up…But how do I sign up? xD
10 YEARS?! Is this an average?
Advice can be found here:
But if you’re a single bloke don’t hold your breath…
My sister waited 3 years and that was with a 5 year old girl and a baby. She kept ringing up and going down to the housing department till she got her flat.
The real question is “how to get your bike nicked in 30sec”
Be lucky. That is how I got mine as a single 21 year old male with no dependants.
I went from rank 16,954 to rank 14 in a stroke of a pen.
Of course you could argue that the dump I was living in that only had an outside toilet wasn’t exactly landing on your feet in the first place, but only suffered that for a year til the council came round one day and proclaimed that it wasn’t of a decent living standard and that I had to live elsewhere.
be nice to them.
I was in a flat in a horrible estate, and i wanted somewhere nicer and bigger. I had 2 kids. I went to the offices and sat with a coffee for 2 hours and just watched. All the chavvy types were down there screaming and shouting at the poor housing officer, effing and blinding that it was their effing right blah blah.
you could see what she had to put up with.
So i made an appointment for the next day, turned all in a suit, was extra meek and nice, and explained that i wanted to bring my children up somewhere i didnt have to worry about drugs or ‘rough people who may be missing a gene’
she said i’ll see what i can do but dont hold your breath. 2 days later a letter turned up offering me the 3 bedroomed house on a road not estate, not overly rough, and i’m still here 13 years (oops) 
later
To be fair, 13 days is not a long time to really get to know a neighbourhood. I mean, it could be a horrid place and you just haven’t noticed yet!
Err… Get a job and rent your own place?
Council properties are for people that cannot work, have dependants etc…
Lol @Moto King with his regular leg pulling.
@Columbo - You seem very able bodied to me, able bodied to ride a bike for pleasure and work anyway. Whats wrong with working more hours or a second job, even maybe start applying for higher paid jobs (eg, courier)? You have no kids taking up your time that you’ve mentioned so what could possibly be taking up so much of your spare time? Getting pissed, stoned, getting laid or whatever your into isn’t really an acceptable excuse if your expecting the British tax payer to fund it by copping out of the majority of your rent.
I don’t really work a regular job at the moment, nor do I sponge off hard working tax payers who see a good chunk of their income disappear from their pay cheque in various taxes; both directly and indirectly. Ie, income tax, council tax, etc. I bet you love it when it comes out of your pay cheque.
If I’m honest I don’t see how people who have no need for social benefits or housing have the cheek and shame to claim. I’d have more respect for you if you opened a glory hole and charged per head (excuse the pun). Theres people out there who actually need it for various reasons.
Oh yeah and I love the way one person challenges this. I would have posted this ages ago but I fell asleep over the laptop.
C*nt
Errr i have been in council accomodation for nearly 20 years now and i was under the impression that if you were in low income jobs and could’nt get a mortgage then you qualified for council accomodation instead??? am i right or wrong???
Depends on circumstances, income alone won’t get you your own council house in the near future, maybe a hostel with a bit of luck. Thing like dependant children, illness, ability to work, criminal record, income, if your a carer etc. Varies from borough to borough. If your loose your job and sign on your rent becomes a fraction of what it used to be as a temporary measure until you find another job.
Think it works on a point system now. There are all sorts of ways to boost points with minimal effort.
Why have I upset you there Choprocker? Perhaps you don’t agree with me? Would be nice to hear your side of the argument then.
You c*nt.
you want to judge people or label them just cos they live in a council flat then you are a c*nt as far as i am concerned.
Maybe people get council flats just due to them living in an area and have been with their family for many a yr.
if i am a c*nt just for speaking up against better than eveyone else people like your self then yes i will take that label but i dont see it.
No judging or labelling going on
I just don’t see why Columbo needs a council property. (sorry Columbo if there’s something you’re not telling us)
Where I live I’m surrounded by council properties, a bunch of my friends and family grew up in council estates, as did my mum.
So where I live the poor area in one of the poorest constituencies in London.
I’ve worked since I was 16 and have paid my tax whenever eligible. I’m more than happy for said tax to go to people who need it. I’m not too keen on it going to help someone out because they can’t be bothered to do some work and make an effort.
Im with Dan though, these sort of debates on LB are bloody boring…
What about considering sharing or lodging? I’ve lived in shared flats for years now. A lot cheaper than having your own place and you can meet some decent people…sometimes (beware of nutters!)
We have had this argument before Conrad,
your taxes do not pay for Council housing. Your taxes pay for council services that are linked to council housing, but in reality, Council Housing pays for itself. The collected rent on Council homes pay for the maintenance and the management costs.
Everyone should have the absolute right to a council home, a right that can be removed only upon you proving to be a twat, ie not paying your rent or being anti-social. If you don’t want one for whatever reason, good for you, but everyone should have the RIGHT to a council home. Not just the poor.
I work in a Court house at the moment and one of the things that bother the staff is that someone who goes to work their entire life, pays taxes, is a good citizen, has to come to Court and pay massive fees to get anything done. Someone else, who has never worked in their life, is a low life piece of scum which society would be better off without, comes to Court and gets everything given to them for free.
This is a stupid system. No we cannot deny the poor access to justice or access to homes, but that does not mean that we should deny those that work access.