Stupid housing associations

[missxkatie]

When I had a letter friday saying they have offered us a flat I rushed straight to the council to find out where etc. So excited ..

Until I find out its 2nd floor, with lifts that dont work because 'yobs' urinate in them as it says in my local paper. How is a young mother with a newborn supposed to get a pram down? God.. do these people have no brains. We are in insecure living at the moment and if we turn it down, we have to go down a band. (Low medium high) and then wait proberly until the baby is born. Rahhh

 

[samandbump]

how ridiculous!!!!! some people are so thick!!!!!
and how annoying that the yobs have to spoil it for everyone else!!!!

 

[muppetmummy]

Although it's stupid it's very common I'm afraid. I was given a first floor council flat just after James was born which was 2 floors up from the car park. I was lucky though cos there were girls on the forth floor who had babies and the block had no lifts at all, not even broken one's!
We just had to bump the prams up and down the stairs on the rear wheels. They don't really take the number of floors up into consideration unless you're disabled unfortunately.

 

[Bloom]

Is it a nice flat and is it just the stairs that is putting you off because if it means you have to wait a lot longer for another one and there is no guaretee that the next place they offer you is going to be more suitable then i think i would take it as MM said the stairs seems to be quite a common problem and im sure you find ways to cope when you have too.

 

[BeckyJ]

we live in a 2nd floor apartment with no lifts, like others have said sometimes its not so bad, we hav a nice flat in a nice area so im gonna put up with the stairs until we get offered something better which will be after the baby is born

could it be worse? u never know what they will offer next???

 

[jodie_honey]

im due in 9 weeks and i still havent been offerd a place to live!
im on the highest band and they still havent found me anywhere so me and my partener are livin seperatley! they are so stupid!

 

[Red_Fairy]

in Liverpool, the waiting list is 3 years for a house (and thats when your pregnant/have kids)
You *may* be put a little forward if your in any danger but that is all.

I was shocked last year when i found that out. (i met somone who had to live with a alcoholic in a 2 bedroom flat with a child of nearly 4... who when she applied for a house wasnt even born) She had a horrible life.

 

[Minxy]

Have you bought your pushchair yet?

My mate lives in a 2nd floor flat and has this wierd pushchair that is just a fold-up frame you fit the car seat too, dead easy for carrying downstairs.

Just an idea for the early months if you have to take it.

 

[Geordie&Bairn]

You poor thing my heart goes out to you!!!
Is there no way you can plead your case its not like you our being picky. you are simply thinking practicaly its not possible to live in a top floor flat with new kid and no lift. Id think they would have to fix the lift to make it viable as a appropriate place for your child to live.
They just dont seem to have looked at your case personaly and stuck you where ever with out a thought. Stupid people. Im dreading placing myself on the list!
I hope that this gets sorted out and they offer you some where more approriate.
Fingers crossed
Sarah

 

[happy-chick]

We live in a first floor flat and have applied for a house or ground floor flat but they wont give us one as we have enough space (its 2 bedroomed). We have been given 50 points for the stairs and we need at least 275-300 points for a house so not a chance lol.

Its not ideal but if thats all they have to offer then u may be best taking it then going on the list for maybe an exchange or something more suitable?

 

[missxkatie]

Yep I have a pram a babystyle one so its a bit bulky. I got the keys to have a look yesterday and as well as it being on the ROUGHEST estate in my town.. you must see to believe it. The lift on my block doesnt work and theres 4 sets of stairs to bump down.. let alone them having piss and beer spilt all over them. The flat is gorgeous, nice and big but the fact of bumping baby down. Im so scared Id struggle down and the pram would go flying!

 

[muppetmummy]

I'm not sure the pram you've got would work bumping up and down stairs. I had a maclaren quest stroller so it was really light and wasn't a problem.

If it's in a rough area maybe you'd be better off giving it a miss. I put up with the stairs in my block cos it was on one of the nicer estates and I figured I'd rather have loads of stairs and feel safe, then have a ground floor flat in an area noone else wanted to live in.

 

[Manda&Thomas]

Yep I have a pram a babystyle one so its a bit bulky. I got the keys to have a look yesterday and as well as it being on the ROUGHEST estate in my town.. you must see to believe it. The lift on my block doesnt work and theres 4 sets of stairs to bump down.. let alone them having p*ss and beer spilt all over them. The flat is gorgeous, nice and big but the fact of bumping baby down. Im so scared Id struggle down and the pram would go flying!

could you not buy a cheap sling hun and strap the baby to you while you get the pram up and down?
manda xx

 

[muppetmummy]

I think you should forget about the stairs and think about the what the actual flat is like and it's location. The stairs are a pain but you'd soon get used to them, the sling idea is a good one.

I personally would be put off by it being in a bad area, but I guess you've got to weigh up whether if you turned it down would you be offered something else soon, and would it be likely to be any better? The trouble with council and housing association accommodation is you don't get much choice and have to take what you can get a lot of the time. Turning it down would be a risk, they might think, 'if she doesn't want it she can't be that desperate for somewhere to live' and put you to the bottom of the list.

As others have said once you're in there you can always apply for an exchange