4 bedroom council house

lorsgirls

Hey, just wondering if anybody has got a transfer from a 3 bed council house to a 4 bed council house with fingal county council and how long it took? We have only been on the list a few months so not expecting to move anytime soon but would love to hear how long it took other people as council said it would be around 3 years but i havent seen any empty 4 beds since and know there is lots of people waiting for them, thanks.

stoplooklisten

It madness if the council upgrade houses, from 3 to 4. Whats wrong with the 3 bedroom one?

unseenfootage

stoplooklisten wrote: »

It madness if the council upgrade houses, from 3 to 4. Whats wrong with the 3 bedroom one?

It's not madness.
Bigger families with children of different ages and both genders need bigger houses.

lorsgirls

stoplooklisten wrote: »

It madness if the council upgrade houses, from 3 to 4. Whats wrong with the 3 bedroom one?

Just looking for advice from people who have been in the same position, thanks.

cruizer101

Presumably it varies depending on your needs, they are far more likely to move a family quicker with 6 kids than 4 for example.

cardinal tetra

It took a friend 12 years to go from the 3 to the 4 bed. by that stage, 2 of the 3 kids had left, she got remarried and started another family. she got investigated and they took the house off her as the kids that she applied for were no longer resident. now she lives in a bed sit on the north circular road and they all sleep in the same room.

lorsgirls

cruizer101 wrote: »

Presumably it varies depending on your needs, they are far more likely to move a family quicker with 6 kids than 4 for example.

Thanks, we have 5 children and didnt actually go looking for a bigger house, when we went to inform them of the birth of our last baby we were told there is now too many of us in the 3 bed and we are now classed as overcrowded and are on the priority list.

Michael D Not Higgins

Mod: constructive posts please, this is not a thread to bash people on the housing lists.

eurokev

this drives me nuts. I pay a mortgage on my house and have to family plan according to my means. Not your fault OP but the system is an fing disgrace. Knowing this crap has put me in bad form for the weekend after working a 60hr week to afford the mortgage

lorsgirls

To clarify, we temporarily got knocked down by the recession a few years back. Thankfully we were one of the lucky ones that got housed quite quickly. We have worked very hard to get back on our feet. My husband works 50+ hours a week and i take every shift i can possibly get. We pay one of the higher rates of council rent now. When we went to notify the council of the birth of our last baby we were told there is now too many of us living in a 3 bed house and we are classed as overcrowded. We didnt go looking for a bigger house. We were told it would take approx 3 years for the transfer and we are on the priority list. I'm actually quite anxious at the thoughts of moving. Having worked so hard, we still are not in a position to buy our own private house, however we think think we would be able to buy out our house under the new tenant purchase scheme. My reason for wanting other peoples opinions on how long it took is because we are trying to work out if we should hold out for a year or 2 in hopes of getting the bigger house and then buying it from the council or if everyone has waited much longer and there kids are grown by the time a transfer comes around would we be better to bite the bullet and buy the house we are in now. I would also love to know if people who did get transfers got them in the local area or if they ended up moving far as our children are settled and happy in schools etc and i dont like the idea of moving somewhere too far, thanks for any helpful advice.

loyatemu

eurokev wrote: »

this drives me nuts. I pay a mortgage on my house and have to family plan according to my means. Not your fault OP but the system is an fing disgrace. Knowing this crap has put me in bad form for the weekend after working a 60hr week to afford the mortgage

people in council houses do pay rent and in most cases work as well. From the sounds of things she could be waiting a long time for that extra bedroom.

The_Conductor

Lorsgirls- they assess the suitability of the property under the tenant purchase scheme- if they have already deemed the property overcrowded- they will deem it unsuitable to your housing needs- and it won't qualify for the scheme.

Vis-a-vis how long it takes to be rehomed from a 3 to a 4 bed- Fingal, the LA you're dealing with- are one of the fastest LAs in the country- however, as a rule of thumb it takes 12-15 years- unless you're on the priority list- which at the moment is taking under 2 years (as there is a government fund setup to try to increase the supply of LA housing stock- which in most council areas mean they buy houses as they come on the market tailored to the needs of those on the priority housing list. 66 million was dedicated to this purpose in 2015- and there is 220 million budgeted to be spent in this manner in 2016- nationally.

Vis-a-vis the tenant purchase scheme- it is proposed to repeal this scheme in its entirety- in favour of expanding council mortgages- as the scheme is credited with removing housing stock from the council/LA supplies. Its not all bad news however- its envisaged that council mortgage schemes would be massively rolled out- just you can't buy a council or a local authority property with the mortgage- you have to find a property on the open market.

Underscoring all of this- is the simple irrefutable fact- we're all screwed until the construction of residential housing units starts up to 'normal' levels again.

lorsgirls

The_Conductor wrote: »

Lorsgirls- they assess the suitability of the property under the tenant purchase scheme- if they have already deemed the property overcrowded- they will deem it unsuitable to your housing needs- and it won't qualify for the scheme.

Vis-a-vis how long it takes to be rehomed from a 3 to a 4 bed- Fingal, the LA you're dealing with- are one of the fastest LAs in the country- however, as a rule of thumb it takes 12-15 years- unless you're on the priority list- which at the moment is taking under 2 years (as there is a government fund setup to try to increase the supply of LA housing stock- which in most council areas mean they buy houses as they come on the market tailored to the needs of those on the priority housing list. 66 million was dedicated to this purpose in 2015- and there is 220 million budgeted to be spent in this manner in 2016- nationally.

Vis-a-vis the tenant purchase scheme- it is proposed to repeal this scheme in its entirety- in favour of expanding council mortgages- as the scheme is credited with removing housing stock from the council/LA supplies. Its not all bad news however- its envisaged that council mortgage schemes would be massively rolled out- just you can't buy a council or a local authority property with the mortgage- you have to find a property on the open market.

Underscoring all of this- is the simple irrefutable fact- we're all screwed until the construction of residential housing units starts up to 'normal' levels again.

Thank you very much for that long and informative reply, its very helpful. We had briefly looked into applying to the council for a mortgage but were worried that we couldnt get afford to buy at full price where as with the tenant purchase scheme we would get the house at a reduced rate. But maybe we should go back and have another look at it given the above information, thanks again.

The_Conductor

lorsgirls wrote: »

Thank you very much for that long and informative reply, its very helpful. We had briefly looked into applying to the council for a mortgage but were worried that we couldnt get afford to buy at full price where as with the tenant purchase scheme we would get the house at a reduced rate. But maybe we should go back and have another look at it given the above information, thanks again.

Definitely do check it out.
Also- keep an eye on developments- for the first time ever we have a Minister dedicated to housing- Simon Coveney- while he hasn't pulled any white rabbits out of a hat thus far- it beggars belief that he won't have some big announcements in the near future.

The core issue in our housing market- including local authority housing- is the abject shortage of supply. Once building drags itself off the floor (and we are pencilled in to build over 50,000 units between now and 2019)- the bad old days of allowing developers pay a sum to local authorities in lieu of delivering a number of social units in every development- will hopefully it finally put to bed for once and for all..........

A number of county planners were recently invited on a trip to Scotland to view how their repeal of tenant purchase schemes was working. This ties in with stated policy to repeal the scheme here.

Also- Council mortgages had a facelift last week- including all new lower rates and some new rules- so do contact the council and see just how the new setup suits you (the partial ownership scheme- where you buy 50% of the property (or whatever percentage)- and then pay an assessed rent to the council for the other 50%- is still there too- you do actually have several different options).

Maireadio

eurokev wrote: »

this drives me nuts. I pay a mortgage on my house and have to family plan according to my means. Not your fault OP but the system is an fing disgrace. Knowing this crap has put me in bad form for the weekend after working a 60hr week to afford the mortgage

Why would it drive you nuts before you even knew of the OP's circumstances? Even the best-laid plans can go awry. As an early 30s woman who in the last year has been struck with a life-threatening illness, I know this more than most. In the last year I've needed a lot of state assistance and believe me, I'd much rather I didn't need it. It can be difficult to appreciate how life can come unstuck until it happens to you.

eurokev

It just does. I have zero problem with state assistance and zero problem with the OP, actually seems a lovely genuine person.

My problem is as I say. I have to live by my means through working and paying a mortgage on a modest mid- terrace 3 bed, well really a 2.5 bed. This results in me probably having to get the snip after 3 kids max, because no-one is going to extend my home or move me to a bigger home and expect a modest sum in return. I would personally have to foot the full rigours of the bill either by getting lucky by getting paid more or by making more sacrifices.

That's my reason for it annoying me.

But to add, I have zero problem with OPs or yourself's circumstances, but it makes even more sense why some people i know of have lovely houses, 2 holidays a year, out every weekend etc..... despite either not working or working intermittently, on purpose, for the last 10 years since I left school. And these are the only I am aware of being housed by the council, and they are numerous, and conscientiously making the life choice of being housed this way, which is not what the system should be used for

pablo128

eurokev wrote: »

It just does. I have zero problem with state assistance and zero problem with the OP, actually seems a lovely genuine person.

My problem is as I say. I have to live by my means through working and paying a mortgage on a modest mid- terrace 3 bed, well really a 2.5 bed. This results in me probably having to get the snip after 3 kids max, because no-one is going to extend my home or move me to a bigger home and expect a modest sum in return. I would personally have to foot the full rigours of the bill either by getting lucky by getting paid more or by making more sacrifices.

That's my reason for it annoying me.

But to add, I have zero problem with OPs or yourself's circumstances, but it makes even more sense why some people i know of have lovely houses, 2 holidays a year, out every weekend etc..... despite either not working or working intermittently, on purpose, for the last 10 years since I left school. And these are the only I am aware of being housed by the council, and they are numerous, and conscientiously making the life choice of being housed this way, which is not what the system should be used for

Isn't it just fantastic that you have a job earning enough to be able to get a mortgage. Good for you.

Meanwhile myself and my partner both work but don't earn enough to get a mortgage. So we are in social housing. Would you like us to rent privately, so that we can't save ANY money for the eventuality house prices might fall, or our wages increase, or mortgage rules are relaxed?

eurokev

eurokev wrote: »

It just does. I have zero problem with state assistance and zero problem with the OP, actually seems a lovely genuine person.

My problem is as I say. I have to live by my means through working and paying a mortgage on a modest mid- terrace 3 bed, well really a 2.5 bed. This results in me probably having to get the snip after 3 kids max, because no-one is going to extend my home or move me to a bigger home and expect a modest sum in return. I would personally have to foot the full rigours of the bill either by getting lucky by getting paid more or by making more sacrifices.

That's my reason for it annoying me.

But to add, I have zero problem with OPs or yourself's circumstances, but it makes even more sense why some people i know of have lovely houses, 2 holidays a year, out every weekend etc..... despite either not working or working intermittently, on purpose, for the last 10 years since I left school. And these are the only I am aware of being housed by the council, and they are numerous, and conscientiously making the life choice of being housed this way, which is not what the system should be used for

Hopefully neither you nor you partner ever have a life threatening illness, or die, leaving the other one to give up work, be a full time carer, fall behind in mortgage payments etc etc etc

There are many reasons people may need state assistance with housing & let's hope you ( or I) will never need it.

eurokev

Jesus ye are just looking for an argument. My problem is that the people I know are availing the council housing scheme on purpose.

Iv stated I'm well in favour of housing assistance, and am in favour of helping OP and other poster with an illness.

Stop looking for argument's. It's just my opinion from my experience that there system is abused, and it annoys the life out of me.

Anyway sorry my comments derailed your thread OP .
Mod: please feel free to remove my comments to get thread back on track.

pablo128

bubblypop wrote: »

Hopefully neither you nor you partner ever have a life threatening illness, or die, leaving the other one to give up work, be a full time carer, fall behind in mortgage payments etc etc etc

There are many reasons people may need state assistance with housing & let's hope you ( or I) will never need it.

My family moved from a 3 bed council house to a 4 bed council house over 30 years ago. 5 children at the time, 4 boys and a girl. I was only 8 years old so I don't know the mechanisms behind it.

For eurokevs benefit, it had 4 walls, 2 presses and a sink in the kitchen, and nothing else. My folks, (well one of them, my father had gotten permanent brain damage in an accident a year before) had to decorate and furnish the place on their own with 5 small children.

I posted the above just to burst the bubble some people have of likening a council house to winning the lotto.

lorsgirls

eurokev wrote: »

Jesus ye are just looking for an argument. My problem is that the people I know are availing the council housing scheme on purpose.

Iv stated I'm well in favour of housing assistance, and am in favour of helping OP and other poster with an illness.

Stop looking for argument's. It's just my opinion from my experience that there system is abused, and it annoys the life out of me.

Anyway sorry my comments derailed your thread OP .
Mod: please feel free to remove my comments to get thread back on track.

To be fair, i know where your coming from. It can be frustrating when people judge everyone relying on social housing as the same but there really are so many people abusing the system, we see it time and time again with some of our neighbours! The majority of our neighbours are good people trying to work their way out of the situation they have found thrmselves in, oe else have very genuine reasons for needing all the help they can get. But others have never worked a day in their life nor have any intention of doing so! And yet they have better cars and better holidays and the best of everything in their houses and we can just never get our heads around it! My husband has come home from a tough week in work before to meet such neighbours heading off to las vegas for the 2nd time in a year having just got a new car the week before, anf hes busing it cos our car is broken down and we cant afford to get it fixed and he literally came in and started crying from the sheer frustration of it! And they are always out bragging about getting something else of the social welfare. I think the welfare need to have someone on the ground checking what is being got out of their payments or at the very least home checks should apply before any handout is giving cos it can be very clear to see some people are not living in poverty at all!

mad m

lorsgirls wrote: »

To clarify, we temporarily got knocked down by the recession a few years back. Thankfully we were one of the lucky ones that got housed quite quickly. We have worked very hard to get back on our feet. My husband works 50+ hours a week and i take every shift i can possibly get. We pay one of the higher rates of council rent now. When we went to notify the council of the birth of our last baby we were told there is now too many of us living in a 3 bed house and we are classed as overcrowded. We didnt go looking for a bigger house. We were told it would take approx 3 years for the transfer and we are on the priority list. I'm actually quite anxious at the thoughts of moving. Having worked so hard, we still are not in a position to buy our own private house, however we think think we would be able to buy out our house under the new tenant purchase scheme. My reason for wanting other peoples opinions on how long it took is because we are trying to work out if we should hold out for a year or 2 in hopes of getting the bigger house and then buying it from the council or if everyone has waited much longer and there kids are grown by the time a transfer comes around would we be better to bite the bullet and buy the house we are in now. I would also love to know if people who did get transfers got them in the local area or if they ended up moving far as our children are settled and happy in schools etc and i dont like the idea of moving somewhere too far, thanks for any helpful advice.

Can the house be extended?

The_Conductor

mad m wrote: »

Can the house be extended?

Its Fingal Co. Co.- they have done some house extensions in the last calendar year- however, the average vacant period for a property undergoing significant renovation (they don't specify extensions) is 64 weeks. In addition- the OP would not be permitted to reside in the property once it has gone out to tender for the 'major renovations'- they'd be homeless again (doubtless offered accommodation elsewhere)- and they'd not have any guarantee that they'd be offered the extended/renovated property back again- when it was eventually complete.........

Add onto all of this- if their property is in a residential area- all it takes is one neighbour to lodge their 15 Euro to object to a planning application- and you're back at square one- albeit with the OP housed elsewhere...........

No- is the short and simple.

boardsuser1

Old thread i understand but still feel it is the right place to post.

So i'm a father of 4 children of both genders.

My O/H and i are expecting twins.

We live in a 3 bed council house,are we eligible for a transfer or extension?

6 kids from newborn to 10 is what it will be.

We like where we are but wouldn't argue if we got transferred to a bigger property.

Michael D Not Higgins

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

We live in a 3 bed council house,are we eligible for a transfer or extension?

Quite simply, you need to take this up with the local authority. It may come down to need and the waiting list but only the LA can tell you.

boardsuser1

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

Quite simply, you need to take this up with the local authority. It may come down to need and the waiting list but only the LA can tell you.

Thanks for that. Will make enquiries.

traveller0101

Disgraceful system grinds my gears

boardsuser1

traveller0101 wrote: »

Disgraceful system grinds my gears

What does exactly?

Neon_Lights

theres loads of empty houses out the country, why not ship them out there. It happens in the UK, beggars cant be choosers.

myshirt

Neon_Lights wrote: »

theres loads of empty houses out the country, why not ship them out there. It happens in the UK, beggars cant be choosers.

Yes, set up a few gulags in Leitrim.

Klonker

Cork Truck Driver wrote:

What does exactly?

People who can't financially support the children they have yet have more. Don't worry, the system (the rest of us) will foot the bill!

boardsuser1

Klonker wrote: »

People who can't financially support the children they have yet have more. Don't worry, the system (the rest of us) will foot the bill!

I do work.

Klonker

Cork Truck Driver wrote:

I do work.

I never said you didn't.

ThisRegard

I think the point they're making is that you're currently living in a council house so therefore subsidised and are having more kids and looking for the state to worry about your accomodation after the fact, rather than living within your means.

Pelvis

Maybe council houses should come with a lifetime supply of birth control?

Count Mondego

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

I do work.

Six kids and you can't afford a house? Most people have the amount of kids that they can afford.

As a matter of interest, what rent do council tenants pay for a house in comparison to the private rental market?

Wesser

I think the point is:

If I wasn't able to afford / didn't have the space for more kids, i wouldn t have them.
I wouldn't expect someone else to intervene and enlarge my house for me

boardsuser1

Count Mondego wrote: »

Six kids and you can't afford a house? Most people have the amount of kids that they can afford.

As a matter of interest, what rent do council tenants pay for a house in comparison to the private rental market?

I got mortgage approval but there's nothing I can afford.

The approval is based on my wages which are low in my industry.

I already pay €140 a week in rent which for a council house is extortionate, considering the normal amount is €25 per week.

I'd gladly take the mortgage from any of you good people in return for my council house.

Graham

Mod: as stated earlier in the thread. Constructive posts please, this is not a thread to bash people on the housing lists.

myshirt

No one is paying 25 a week for a council house. There is a minimum charging in place per dwelling type. I also doubt you are paying 140 as under the differential rent scheme methodology you would actually be ineligible for the continuation of social housing support.

If you are paying 140, someone in the council is in trouble I think. If the calculations returned that, you should be out of the house as you are now over the limits for continued social housing support and you will need to find a place to rent privately.

What council is it? I would look into it op, they could be overcharging you.

boardsuser1

myshirt wrote: »

No one is paying 25 a week for a council house. There is a minimum charging in place per dwelling type. I also doubt you are paying 140 as under the differential rent scheme methodology you would actually be ineligible for the continuation of social housing support.

If you are paying 140, someone in the council is in trouble I think. If the calculations returned that, you should be out of the house as you are now over the limits for continued social housing support. You need to rent privately.

What council is it? I would look into it op.

Half of Cork is paying €25 a week. €23 being the minimum. Where I come from is pro dominantly council housing.

As for what I'm paying, that isn't just for me.

There's nothing with it. I know if a few people paying over the €100 mark.

Nothing unusual there.

jlm29

myshirt wrote: »

No one is paying 25 a week for a council house. There is a minimum charging in place per dwelling type. I also doubt you are paying 140 as under the differential rent scheme methodology you would actually be ineligible for the continuation of social housing support.

If you are paying 140, someone in the council is in trouble I think. If the calculations returned that, you should be out of the house as you are now over the limits for continued social housing support and you will need to find a place to rent privately.

What council is it? I would look into it op, they could be overcharging you.

There's two small two bed council cottages next door to my mothers house, (semi rural area)- the couple there are paying €650/month in rent to the council. As far as I know they're in the process of buying that house

Pelvis

myshirt wrote: »

No one is paying 25 a week for a council house. There is a minimum charging in place per dwelling type. I also doubt you are paying 140 as under the differential rent scheme methodology you would actually be ineligible for the continuation of social housing support.

If you are paying 140, someone in the council is in trouble I think. If the calculations returned that, you should be out of the house as you are now over the limits for continued social housing support and you will need to find a place to rent privately.

What council is it? I would look into it op, they could be overcharging you.

The rent is a % of your income, if you start earning more then you start paying more. I've never heard of anyone having their home taken away from them because they start earning more than what initially made them eligible for social housing.

myshirt

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

Half of Cork is paying €25 a week. €23 being the minimum. Where I come from is pro dominantly council housing.

As for what I'm paying, that isn't just for me.

There's nothing with it. I know if a few people paying over the €100 mark.

Nothing unusual there.

You are right, Cork Coco €25 charge for a Council House. Documents online for anyone who wants them. Was amended by directors order 6 months ago. They are supposed to standardise it across the country over the next while, but always the rebels Cork

I apologise sir!

Wheeliebin30

100 a month.

Jesus this country is only going one way.

Mrs OBumble

myshirt wrote: »

I also doubt you are paying 140 as under the differential rent scheme methodology you would actually be ineligible for the continuation of social housing support.

If you are paying 140, someone in the council is in trouble I think. If the calculations returned that, you should be out of the house as you are now over the limits for continued social housing support and you will need to find a place to rent privately.

Sadly that is not how it works in good 'ole Ireland.

Once you're in a council house, you have it for life or until you decide to give it back - no matter how much your circumstances improve.

Under differential rent, your rent increases with your income but only up to a certain threshold. I don't know what the numbers are any more, but in places like Dublin the threshold is still well below the market rent for a similar place - whereas in Leitrim (or similar) council tenants could be paying well more than market rent if their income had gone up. Even in the latter cases, the incentive to stay is that a council tenancy is for life, not just for anti-Christmas.

It's crying out for reform - especially as it means that it takes families a lot longer than it should to get housing that meets their needs. But it won't be reformed, because of the weird idea that raising kids somewhere means you have to live there in that very house (not a smaller unit around the corner) forever.

Neon_Lights

myshirt wrote: »

Yes, set up a few gulags in Leitrim.

To go along with my junkie leper colony on spike island.

gerrro

Anyone know how they calculate the rent, what percentage of income etc

myshirt

gerrro wrote: »

Anyone know how they calculate the rent, what percentage of income etc

It is a differential rent (Google it), and they have not yet standardised it across the country. Different councils are applying different rules. For example, only 25euro a week if you are on the scratcher in Cork. That's excellent. If you had a Mortgage and lost your job or the kids got sick or anything, you'd find yourself in hot water extremely quick. This system follows your income. Couple that with the fact that you can get a 50% discount on the house if you want to buy it, it's a great deal, though most would just rent as the council are then responsible for repairs and maintenance etc, and you don't have house insurance or property tax etc, just 25 a week or more.

Roughly you will pay 20% of your takehome, or as low as 10% if it is Cork coco.

mad m

Sorry don't have time right now to read whole thread. But OP do your CC offer inter-transfers? Maybe you can enquire someone might want to downgrade from a 4 bed to a 3 bed? Both of you can do a swop etc.