Warning! Evacuate this fire hazard building ASAP!!

[Accy cyclist]

You don't have to move in to perfection! I lived in a lovely Studio flat for 15 years in sunny South Norwood SE London, with my now wife. We loved it, everyone in our family thought we were crackers. We still reminisce about how happy we were there and how everyone in our familes looked down on us. We were ground floor the area had really started to go down hill in the last 3/4 years there, a lot of the flats had become buy to lets so noise was a problem. We then started to get broken in to and I had 6 cars stolen. We still hadn't considered moving really but we had to when we had my eldest.

If we didn't have kids living at home and there was one in a nice area I would downsize in a shot! Houses are much like cars in the UK its partly ego and value driven not home driven.

One of my concerns about doing a home up,whatever type of home it is,is that you're doing someone else's home up and not your own. I suppose with a council controlled housing association,it's not too bad as they can't evict you if say they want their property back like some private landlords could/would do. I've seen people actually do structural work on rented properties,at their own expense,only to be later evicted legally as the landlord wants his/her property back. They are under no legal obligation,as far as i know,to pay the tenant for the work they've carried out on the property.

 

[Andrew_P]

One of my concerns about doing a home up,whatever type of home it is,is that you're doing someone else's home up and not your own. I suppose with a council controlled housing association,it's not too bad as they can't evict you if say they want their property back like some private landlords could/would do. I've seen people actually do structural work on rented properties,at their own expense,only to be evicted legally as the landlord wants his/her property back. They are under no legal obligation,as far as i know,to pay the tenant for the work they've carried out on the property.

You have to keep in mind you are doing it for you not them. A lot of home comforts can be installed as standalone items that you can take with you anyway Showers\Cookers etc. Paint, wallpaper, carpet are all things you would leave behind whether you were privately renting, bought the flat or in a council flat. My experience of Housing Associations is as long as you pay the rent and don't upset neighbours its almost a home for life. My Mum had a private house in a nice area fairly expensive area (350k 2 bed Terrace) and the next door neighbour was a private housing association house and had lived there for 30 years before she died and had moved in a single Mum with two kids who had long left by the time she passed away, the family that moved in after have been there for 4 years. You would have to imagine this housing stock would have a brilliant profit value sitting on their books that they have never cashed in. So behave yourself and do it up and you should be sorted....

 

[Accy cyclist]

So behave yourself and do it up and you should be sorted....

I always behave myself. It's the others i worry about.

 

[raleighnut]

One of my concerns about doing a home up,whatever type of home it is,is that you're doing someone else's home up and not your own. I suppose with a council controlled housing association,it's not too bad as they can't evict you if say they want their property back like some private landlords could/would do. I've seen people actually do structural work on rented properties,at their own expense,only to be later evicted legally as the landlord wants his/her property back. They are under no legal obligation,as far as i know,to pay the tenant for the work they've carried out on the property.

The landlord can insist that the alterations are removed and the place returned to it's former condition at the expense of the Tenant (although that applies more to 'dodgy' DIY)

 

[Accy cyclist]

The landlord can insist that the alterations are removed and the place returned to it's former condition at the expense of the Tenant (although that applies more to 'dodgy' DIY)

I've also heard from tenants who've had their deposit held,or had money taken from it when their landlord has accused them of doing work he/she didn't give permission for. One tenant told me his landlord took 200 quid from his 400 quid deposit,as he said he'd replaced the 40 watt light bulbs with those energy efficient ones. Bad private landlords have you over a barrel,as they say.

 

[Profpointy]

I've also heard from tenants who've had their deposit held,or had money taken from it when their landlord has accused them of doing work he/she didn't give permission for. One tenant told me his landlord took 200 quid from his 400 quid deposit,as he said he'd replaced the 40 watt light bulbs with those energy efficient ones. Bad private landlords have you over a barrel,as they say.

An easy answer to the deposit return issue is when you give them notice, pay em the last rent minus the deposit.

 

[Accy cyclist]

An easy answer to the deposit return issue is when you give them notice, pay em the last rent minus the deposit.

Luckily i and some other tenants didn't pay the "fire hazard" place's rent for July. The month when we were evicted. I suppose he'll be thinking that we haven't paid the rent so he'll hold onto our deposits until we do. Rent = £450 Deposit = £350. Mmm,let's forfeit our deposits i'd say. Besides,we're still waiting to hear if legal action will be taken against him.Maybe we'll be entitled to claim all of our rent money back,as he housed us in illegal conditions?

 

[Accy cyclist]

[QUOTE 4978469, member: 9609"]so when do you move in and when is the house warming party ? 50 mile tour then pish up ?[/QUOTE]
I'll be having a "leaving do" when i move out of here. Yeah right!.They'd be calling 999 if they heard so much as a beer bottle being opened.

 

[rich p]

We then started to get broken in to and I had 6 cars stolen

Bloody hell, how many did you have or were you a used car salesman?

 

[Andrew_P]

Bloody hell, how many did you have or were you a used car salesman?

Sorry it was a series of cars of 2 or 3 years the last of the cars was stolen twice. It was the late eighties early nineties and they were all Hot Hatches. I love telling this story so I do not need much encouragement.

The Car that was stolen twice I had only had it back from being repaired from being stolen the first time for just over two days! It had two steering wheel locks and an alarm on it. I had picked it up from the repair place I had parked it on the road for safety rather than the car park out the back so it was right outside my ground floor flat. Six thirty on a Sunday evening sitting there I heard the bloody thing firing up, it was lets say very distinctive at the best of times, so I leapt out of the ground floor window and gave chase up the road on foot don't know why really, but the fecker had semi parked in a gap and was adjusting the seat and mirror. I made the mistake (thankfully) of running in the middle of the road so he saw me coming lol and raced off. I was losing my puff by now but thought I would keep going as he is going to hit a junction quickly but the next thing was I had a car coming from behind coming at me I moved over slowing down puffing and blowing and as he passed in this Sierra Cosworth he did the throat cutting thing, he was fecking enormous. When I got back to the flat my wife had passed the big fella standing outside our flat 20 minutes before, outside my car and I reckon at the time the other one must have been in the car cutting away at the two steering wheel locks. Funny looking back but wasn't at the time..

Anyway 10 days later I get a call from the plod, they want me to come and ID the fella who did the throat cutting thing and arrange collection of what was left my pride and joy getting wheeled in and out of a body shop, a couple of panels and the four brand new replacement wheels & tyres from the previous theft were all that was left. Ashamed to say didn't have the bottle to go and point him out, they knew where I lived and were a pro team. The last anecdote is that in the early 2000's I was punting around for insurance and Admiral still refused to insure me!! must have been a good twenty years before and I had moved.

Serious note I couldn't get any more car insurance after the last one where I lived that included theft or theft from vehicle and my excess was through the roof as was anyway. My insurance took years to come down to a reasonable level.

 

[rich p]

Sorry it was a series of cars of 2 or 3 years the last of the cars was stolen twice. It was the late eighties early nineties and they were all Hot Hatches. I love telling this story so I do not need much encouragement.

The Car that was stolen twice I had only had it back from being repaired from being stolen the first time for just over two days! It had two steering wheel locks and an alarm on it. I had picked it up from the repair place I had parked it on the road for safety rather than the car park out the back so it was right outside my ground floor flat. Six thirty on a Sunday evening sitting there I heard the bloody thing firing up, it was lets say very distinctive at the best of times, so I leapt out of the ground floor window and gave chase up the road on foot don't know why really, but the fecker had semi parked in a gap and was adjusting the seat and mirror. I made the mistake (thankfully) of running in the middle of the road so he saw me coming lol and raced off. I was losing my puff by now but thought I would keep going as he is going to hit a junction quickly but the next thing was I had a car coming from behind coming at me I moved over slowing down puffing and blowing and as he passed in this Sierra Cosworth he did the throat cutting thing, he was fecking enormous. When I got back to the flat my wife had passed the big fella standing outside our flat 20 minutes before, outside my car and I reckon at the time the other one must have been in the car cutting away at the two steering wheel locks. Funny looking back but wasn't at the time..

Anyway 10 days later I get a call from the plod, they want me to come and ID the fella who did the throat cutting thing and arrange collection of what was left my pride and joy getting wheeled in and out of a body shop, a couple of panels and the four brand new replacement wheels & tyres from the previous theft were all that was left. Ashamed to say didn't have the bottle to go and point him out, they knew where I lived and were a pro team. The last anecdote is that in the early 2000's I was punting around for insurance and Admiral still refused to insure me!! must have been a good twenty years before and I had moved.

Serious note I couldn't get any more car insurance after the last one where I lived that included theft or theft from vehicle and my excess was through the roof as was anyway. My insurance took years to come down to a reasonable level.

I had 3 cars nicked from the street when I lived in Hammersmith, some 35 years ago. I got them all back unharmed although they were all crap heaps anyway. I think people just nicked them after a night at the Palais to get home. You could open the doors with a screwdriver and probably start the ignition with the same tool.

 

[Levo-Lon]

I had 3 cars nicked from the street when I lived in Hammersmith, some 35 years ago. I got them all back unharmed although they were all crap heaps anyway. I think people just nicked them after a night at the Palais to get home. You could open the doors with a screwdriver and probably start the ignition with the same tool.

My dad's mini van used to get borrowed often when he used a pub not too far away.

 

[midlife]

I had 3 cars nicked from the street when I lived in Hammersmith, some 35 years ago. I got them all back unharmed although they were all crap heaps anyway. I think people just nicked them after a night at the Palais to get home. You could open the doors with a screwdriver and probably start the ignition with the same tool.

I think my Astra GTE (I had a couple of them, MK1 and MK2) was stolen about 6 times in Manchester at the end of the 80's . Gave in and bought an MR2 !

 

[Andrew_P]

I think my Astra GTE (I had a couple of them, MK1 and MK2) was stolen about 6 times in Manchester at the end of the 80's . Gave in and bought an MR2 !

That's what 3 of mine were including the one stolen twice. I gave in a drove a company Transit.

Not sure how accurate this is but blimey makes me feel old! https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=✓&q=Astra+GTE&commit=Search My last one not on there it was Champion Edition but blimey only 94 16v left

Even less for the first of my loved cars https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=✓&q=Opel+manta+SR

 

[Accy cyclist]

Just a quick update to let you know what's happening across at the sheltered accomodation building i left last October.
According to reports,the nosy old git who thinks he's "top dog" in there has phoned the police about another resident smoking cannabis. The HA aren't happy as he's gone over their heads. They would rather have dealt with it internally,but now it's become a police matter. The HA circulated a letter saying that anti social behaviour will not be tolerated and anyone found to be using illegal drugs could be evicted.