Council house - how soon to signing contract?

richangell

I was offered a council house. Have accepted it without. Viewing. Because any place would be better than the house I'm in now.my question is does anybody know how long before you can sign the contract. The council said the garda check is what they are waiting for

The Hill Billy

Moved from Westmeath.

tHB

fussyonion

You'll have to wait for the Garda check to come back; about two weeks.

Also, depending on the condition of the house, you might have to wait a while before it's done up.
We had to wait four weeks before we could sign because they were painting the house.

You'll be contacted when they're ready to give you the keys, so it depends on the condition of the house.

knarkypants

They usually move fairly quick once the house has been offered out and accepted. Once they get the checks done they would give you a date to sign the contract and collect the keys.

When I was offered mine it was still with the contractor but close to completion. They gave me an estimated move in of 1 week. It was then delayed by a couple of days. With some they could ring you with 1 - 2 days notice.

I would suggest you start packing the small things you wouldn't really be using. At least then it won't be so much of a panic when you do get a date.

Good luck.

Mrs OBumble

Garda check times can vary, but in my experience they get done very quickly for housing - the guards love that they know where people are moving to!

After that, it really depends on the council - some only make offers after all the work is done, others get the offer out and then see what needs to be checked / fixed.

Your best bet is to ring them and ask - they'll be expecting you to ask. But if they seem to muck you around, remember that they're likely to be being mucked around by electricians, plumbers etc - it may genuinely be hard to pin down the date.

richangell

Thanks guys for all the replys. I am just very happy about finally getting myself a stable accommodation for my kids to call home.

hdowney

Congratualtions on your council house. It's a great weight off I am sure.

Just picking up on something folk are saying about all that may need doing to the property before you get it, a word of warning. Not all councils operate the same. Obviously major things like electricals will be sorted cos they can't house you somewhere unsafe. BUT, not all councils will paint walls, carpet floors etc. My house (well my mothers) when we moved in was a new build council house. And it was a grey breezeblock. Concrete floors, walls and ceiling. Not a drop of paint or a cheap carpet to be seen. But I do know of councils in other areas that paint and lay flooring before tenants move in. So just be prepared that there is a chance you will need to do these things yourself.

hdowney

Congratualtions on your council house. It's a great weight off I am sure.

Just picking up on something folk are saying about all that may need doing to the property before you get it, a word of warning. Not all councils operate the same. Obviously major things like electricals will be sorted cos they can't house you somewhere unsafe. BUT, not all councils will paint walls, carpet floors etc. My house (well my mothers) when we moved in was a new build council house. And it was a grey breezeblock. Concrete floors, walls and ceiling. Not a drop of paint or a cheap carpet to be seen. But I do know of councils in other areas that paint and lay flooring before tenants move in. So just be prepared that there is a chance you will need to do these things yourself.

richangell

I hope my house will not have too much work that needs to be done am a bit worried now because am not rich.

Mrs OBumble

richangell wrote: »

I hope my house will not have too much work that needs to be done am a bit worried now because am not rich.

Are you on a benefit? If so, there's a grant that you can get from Welfare to cover the cost of window coverings and flooring (may or may not be needed) and furniture (will definitely be needed, unless you already have some).

Go and see your CWO, once you find out from the council what you will need.

Worse case, go and see Vincent de Paul.

fussyonion

Your Community Welfare Officer can help out with a one-off payment for refurbishing your home.
Get quotes on your appliances and flooring if you need those, and bring them to the CWO.
They'll add up the quotes and give you money towards it.

zef

Congrats on getting a house OP. I have a friend right at the top of the list and is looking fwd to some security of tenure.
If you have access to a van id be looking on adverts, freecycle, gumtree etc for free or bargain household and furniture items. Save you a fortune if you are in there quick enough!

hdowney

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Are you on a benefit? If so, there's a grant that you can get from Welfare to cover the cost of window coverings and flooring (may or may not be needed) and furniture (will definitely be needed, unless you already have some).

Go and see your CWO, once you find out from the council what you will need.

Worse case, go and see Vincent de Paul.

fussyonion wrote: »

Your Community Welfare Officer can help out with a one-off payment for refurbishing your home.
Get quotes on your appliances and flooring if you need those, and bring them to the CWO.
They'll add up the quotes and give you money towards it.

Re this: again not all CWO's are the same. I have heard of people getting decent sized grants that covered a good portion of what they needed and then there are people who get a bare pittance that doesn't even cover one thing. When we moved in here (which was 14 years go and in punts time admittedly) we got a 'small' amount toward the house (which I mentioned was a breeze block) that didn't even cover the cost of carpeting/flooring a bungalow with a tiny kitchen, small living room, tiny hall, tiny bathroom and two small bedrooms. We had to try and fund everything else ourselves. And I know that you wouldn't get much more off our CWO these days either

God I sound like a right Debby Downer, but I am just trying to put my experiences out there so people know it is not the same situation the length and breadth of Ireland unfortunately. The system should be the same and the payments the same but they really aren't.

richangell

hey ,just got a call today from the council to attend an interview relating to the house.GUESS my garda vetting is back.I don't have a clue what the interview is about? and i went to my cwo and she said i have to come back when i have the keys to the house,contracts and all .so am still waiting will update you guys after my interview.

fussyonion

richangell wrote: »

hey ,just got a call today from the council to attend an interview relating to the house.GUESS my garda vetting is back.I don't have a clue what the interview is about? and i went to my cwo and she said i have to come back when i have the keys to the house,contracts and all .so am still waiting will update you guys after my interview.

Interview?
Is this Clúid housing?
Or do you mean you have to go to the council to sign the tenancy agreement and get the keys?

Kelly06

You will have to do a pre tenancy course first then sign your tenancy agreement and collect your keys

akally

Any update on how ur interview went?

richangell

I went to the interview, basically it was to sign the contract and hear the do's and don't s of being council tenant and collect my keys. So I finally saw the inside of the house it's lovely. I must say freshly painted and all. Just needs a clean..........happy day's are ahead.

Kelly06

Congratulations on your new home! Your definitely one of the lucky ones !

richangell

The only downside is my rent start straight away and I have to give my landlord notice 1 month in advance. Because I didn't know how long the whole process would of taken

fussyonion

richangell wrote: »

The only downside is my rent start straight away and I have to give my landlord notice 1 month in advance. Because I didn't know how long the whole process would of taken

Sorry, when did you think your rent would start?!

richangell

I thought I would be given like a few weeks. Because to inform My former landlord

fussyonion

richangell wrote: »

I thought I would be given like a few weeks. Because to inform My former landlord

The Council don't care about any obligations you have with your former Landlord.
You have to pay rent from the moment you get your keys.

Mrs OBumble

richangell wrote: »

I thought I would be given like a few weeks. Because to inform My former landlord

Has that happened when you rented any other residential property????

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

Is it just me, or does everyone else think that that's slightly harsh? I know the council's don't give a fiddlers f*ck about private landlord's in this country, but surely letting the OP know of a fixed date they can be ready to move in on shouldn't have been too much of an ordeal?

Moving house is always expensive, it doesn't help having to pay 2 rents on top of that.

fussyonion

Duracell Bunny wrote: »

Is it just me, or does everyone else think that that's slightly harsh? I know the council's don't give a fiddlers f*ck about private landlord's in this country, but surely letting the OP know of a fixed date they can be ready to move in on shouldn't have been too much of an ordeal?

Moving house is always expensive, it doesn't help having to pay 2 rents on top of that.

The council can't give an exact date when to move in.

When I was offered my home, I was told it was in desperate need of repainting/rewiring etc and they had men currently working on it.
I asked how long it'd take and they said "Roughly a month but we'll contact you when we can arrange a day for you to come and sign the tenancy and collect the keys."

They contacted me about three weeks later with a date for the following week and I went up, signed, got the keys and paid my month's rent there and then.

I'm not being harsh but the Council have given the OP the home he always wanted and now he's complaining that he has to pay two lots of rent because of his former property.
That's what happens; there's nothing you can do about that.

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

fussyonion wrote: »

That's what happens; there's nothing you can do about that.

This is the only part I disagree with. It's just communication, it shouldn't have to be so difficult.

Kelly06

Duracell Bunny wrote: »

This is the only part I disagree with. It's just communication, it shouldn't have to be so difficult.

I understand your opinion but when you have a stock of thousands of houses it is very hard to keep track of all your tenants and their needs, the op should have put their landlord on notice they would be moving as soon as they got word from the council. Exact dates can't be given as untill the council gets the unit back into stock they cannot assess the pre let repairs required it could be anything from a lick of paint to a full re wire. What is a council to do in this situation?. If they give an exact date that turns out to be wrong there will be a headline about kids sleeping in cars with the obligatory sad faces and moral outrage. The tenant should have put the landlord on notice and agreed to pay a weekly rate untill they signed their tenancy agreement.

Anyways I hope you have many many years of happiness in your new home op!

richangell

I was waiting on my garda clearance to come back and they said the time varies and my rent to my landlord lord was due and he didn't want one week rent.look it's all ok I got the house and the man at the council said they do this so that the house doesn't stay unoccupied

Kelly06

Yup if its unoccupied it has to be secured with sitex placed on windows and doors this costs them quite a bit of money. A house cant be left unoccupied for any length of time or it could be vandalised or burned out. Its a crappy situation but if you are struggling to pay both rents perhaps the V de P could help you? It isn't really a situation of your making afterall , best of luck with it!

January

Kelly06 wrote: »

Yup if its unoccupied it has to be secured with sitex placed on windows and doors this costs them quite a bit of money. A house cant be left unoccupied for any length of time or it could be vandalised or burned out. Its a crappy situation but if you are struggling to pay both rents perhaps the V de P could help you? It isn't really a situation of your making afterall , best of luck with it!

PMSL, Houses are left unoccupied around here for up to two years before people are rehoused in them. You'd swear there was no housing crisis.