Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

[Scarlettmh]

I need advice. I am having a terrible predicament, I might not be on the right group,for help. OK, I want to do a Housing Association swap. I have a wet room and want to swap for a flat with a bathtub-shower combo. My wet room was installed by a grant from HCC. In 2008. As the lease holder the grant was in my name, but it was for my husband who had bowel Cancer, in his anus, he could not sit in a bath tub. He died in 2012.My HA now say I can NOT swap without a Dr.'s letter. My own Dr. is on leave. The locum refused to write a letter! I thought it was all approved and am now PACKED and ready to move, and now what....they say I can not move unless I can apply for a grant to install a wet room in the future??? I do not want or need a wet room. If I wasn't on Housing Benefit would this even be an issue?? ALSO, I am socially isolated up here, and the move to Liss wil give me freedom to use a mobility scooter!!! I am stuck up here on a hill. I have BAD upstairs neigbours who bully me, and they really abuse me. Mediation has not helped. I want to and need to move. Please help

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Ill send a message to PlanB Scarlett she is our housing expert keep checking back to see if she has replied ok

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

OK message sent

[PlanB]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

OK message sent

Received and replied

[PlanB]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

I need advice. I am having a terrible predicament, I might not be on the right group,for help. OK, I want to do a Housing Association swap. I have a wet room and want to swap for a flat with a bathtub-shower combo. My wet room was installed by a grant from HCC. In 2008. As the lease holder the grant was in my name, but it was for my husband who had bowel Cancer, in his anus, he could not sit in a bath tub. He died in 2012.My HA now say I can NOT swap without a Dr.'s letter. My own Dr. is on leave. The locum refused to write a letter! I thought it was all approved and am now PACKED and ready to move, and now what....they say I can not move unless I can apply for a grant to install a wet room in the future??? I do not want or need a wet room. If I wasn't on Housing Benefit would this even be an issue?? ALSO, I am socially isolated up here, and the move to Liss wil give me freedom to use a mobility scooter!!! I am stuck up here on a hill. I have BAD upstairs neigbours who bully me, and they really abuse me. Mediation has not helped. I want to and need to move. Please help

Scarlett your story is so touching. I'm really sorry for your loss and I'm angry that red tape is making matters worse at a time when you could do without all this aggro.

I sense a number of issues as well as the obvious wet room problem, so if it's all right with you let's break this down into bitesize chunks and deal with them individually.

I'll start by asking you some questions and then do my utmost to provide you with the answers you need.

Take care and we'll chat properly tomorrow

[Sapphire]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Hiya and welcome, I can't give you direct help with your predicament, that I will leave to my friend Planb, but what I can do is ask if you have put a written request for the letter into your doctors ? If not then please do it asap and mark it as urgent so that hopefully he will address it as an urgent matter on his return. I'd also tell the HA in writing what you have done and attach a copy of the letter.
In the meantime I'm sending you ((((Hugs)))) and assure you that we are all here with you,

[tastyjane]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Welcome Scarlett, relax if anyone can help plan b can I'm so sorry you've had such a sad time but you are here now and you will find some great people that will soon become friends. Good luck.

jane x

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Whilst I have some ideas of how to make the existences of the nasty neighbours a bit more interesting.

[Never-In-Doubt]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Cue Cloggy sending forum feedback lol

[PlanB]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Cue Cloggy sending forum feedback

All hands to the pumps. It's what AAD does best at times like these

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Sounds like the HA is making a mountain out of a mole hill as she does not want a DFG for another wetroom as the one she had was for her hubby looks like confusion at HA here

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Hi Scarlett and welcome to AAD
You really do sound in despair but please try not to worry, you are in exactly the right place to get the help you need to sort this out.
Our housing expert PlanB has immense experience in these issues and will guide you through it.
We'll all be with you every step of the way.

Elsa x

[Inca]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Hi..Scarlett.
Do you have a 'Designated Housing Officer'?
Do you have family or a friend who can help you with all this? (I ask because it's easy to be overwhelmed by it all)

A friend of mine had a similar situation to yourself (although not the bereavement aspect)
She moved into a property ,,applied for and got a grant for adaptions to help her look after her disabled child,had the work done but doesn't like the area she lives in,applied for a house swap..and got told that she would only be considered if she repaid the £10,000 the HA has paid for the adaptions to put the house back to it's original state.
She is fighting through the courts.

I agree with Pompeyfaith...the council are missing the point of your application,,PlanB will soon sort that out

[Pixie]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Sounds like the HA is making a mountain out of a mole hill as she does not want a DFG for another wetroom as the one she had was for her hubby looks like confusion at HA here

I agree PF...it seems like it's a case of "the computer says no" at the HA when all that is needed is a little common sense.

You've come to the right place here scarlettmh. You appear to be having a bad time of things right now but I'm sure we'll be able to sort it out for you

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

The wetroom was installed 2008, now you are liable if you move on a sliding scale for 5 years so this should not be an issue here as we are into 2014 and thus the period has lapsed