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Local authority housing dispute
I was hoping to get some general pointers and advice on how to proceed with an issue my mother is having with her local authority housing. I will try to be as brief as I can but it has been a four month nightmare.
In October of last year we noticed a strong petrochemical smell in my mother's rented house. After a few days of the smell getting worse, we contacted the local authority as landlord. After an initial inspection she was advised to move out temporarily and was offered emergency accommodation, which we turned down, opting instead for her to reside with my sister, as the property offered was too far away.
We contacted the local authority constantly and various visits to the property and meetings were held. We asked that we record the meetings but the local authority refused. During the course of one of the meetings we were verbally advised that my mother would have to move out permanently.
After much negotiation we were provided with a number of properties to view and selected a property requiring quite a bit of work but nearest to her friends and family. This was some three months after the initial problem.
Shortly after being advised of the need to move out permanently, we requested that the local authority write to us confirming the property was uninhabitable so that we may make a claim under the tenants insurance, to offset some redecorating and refurbishment costs such as carpets blinds etc which could not be moved. We chased the local authority repeatedly on this for three months and now, after agreeing to a "transfer" to the new property and commencing works, we have been advised that the property was never declared uninhabitable and that it was only ever intended that my mother move out temporarily.
The local authority are now claiming that it was a voluntary transfer to the new property. This effectively leaves us in the position that we have no basis on which to make an insurance claim, as we have instigated a voluntary transfer. We can't afford to pay for all of the new items such as carpets, blinds and possibly settee, if the smell has permeated the fabric.
Would anybody be in a position to give us a steer on how we should proceed?
In October of last year we noticed a strong petrochemical smell in my mother's rented house. After a few days of the smell getting worse, we contacted the local authority as landlord. After an initial inspection she was advised to move out temporarily and was offered emergency accommodation, which we turned down, opting instead for her to reside with my sister, as the property offered was too far away.
We contacted the local authority constantly and various visits to the property and meetings were held. We asked that we record the meetings but the local authority refused. During the course of one of the meetings we were verbally advised that my mother would have to move out permanently.
After much negotiation we were provided with a number of properties to view and selected a property requiring quite a bit of work but nearest to her friends and family. This was some three months after the initial problem.
Shortly after being advised of the need to move out permanently, we requested that the local authority write to us confirming the property was uninhabitable so that we may make a claim under the tenants insurance, to offset some redecorating and refurbishment costs such as carpets blinds etc which could not be moved. We chased the local authority repeatedly on this for three months and now, after agreeing to a "transfer" to the new property and commencing works, we have been advised that the property was never declared uninhabitable and that it was only ever intended that my mother move out temporarily.
The local authority are now claiming that it was a voluntary transfer to the new property. This effectively leaves us in the position that we have no basis on which to make an insurance claim, as we have instigated a voluntary transfer. We can't afford to pay for all of the new items such as carpets, blinds and possibly settee, if the smell has permeated the fabric.
Would anybody be in a position to give us a steer on how we should proceed?
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