Possible to get a house condemned / unfit for habitation

theguzman

Is it possible to get a house condemned as unfit and unsafe for human inhabitation?

I recently moved into my old family home which is 120 years old and I am really at my wits end with this wreck of a house.

It has no shower, the running water is unsafe for drinking due to animal faeces contaminating it and now recently the application of roundup on the catchment area of the stream which it is piped from. There is barking dogs nearby which keep me awake at all hours. The 39 year old solid fuel range is a carbon monoxide hazard. There is no broadband of any meaningful description here other than disastrous 3G. On a recent thread here discussing the wiring of a house some experts said they would not let a loved one sleep here due to the condition of the electrical wires.

The house is infested with woodworm, moths, slugs get in, there is mice, rats and bats in the attic. The wooden door frame is cracked.

Me and my girlfriend moved in here in the middle of the pandemic as it was impossible to find anywhere. She needed to get out of Dublin to cocoon safely and I needed to get out from my parents due to their underlying medical conditions to allow them stay safe also.

In recent days it has created massive problems in our relationship and my own mental health and I need to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. Both of us lost our jobs so we thought we could stay here as long as possible. My father owns this house but either him or his mother never spent a penny on it. The road leading in here to this rural location is nothing more than a glorified quad track also.

I'm thinking if we could get the house condemned as unfit for habitation then maybe the Council would allow us to get either HAP or Rent Allowance to try find somewhere more modern than this wreck of a house.

BrokenArrows

theguzman wrote: »

Is it possible to get a house condemned as unfit and unsafe for human inhabitation?

I recently moved into my old family home which is 120 years old and I am really at my wits end with this wreck of a house.

It has no shower, the running water is unsafe for drinking due to animal faeces contaminating it and now recently the application of roundup on the catchment area of the stream which it is piped from. There is barking dogs nearby which keep me awake at all hours. The 39 year old solid fuel range is a carbon monoxide hazard. There is no broadband of any meaningful description here other than disastrous 3G. On a recent thread here discussing the wiring of a house some experts said they would not let a loved one sleep here due to the condition of the electrical wires.

The house is infested with woodworm, moths, slugs get in, there is mice, rats and bats in the attic. The wooden door frame is cracked.

Me and my girlfriend moved in here in the middle of the pandemic as it was impossible to find anywhere. She needed to get out of Dublin to cocoon safely and I needed to get out from my parents due to their underlying medical conditions to allow them stay safe also.

In recent days it has created massive problems in our relationship and my own mental health and I need to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. Both of us lost our jobs so we thought we could stay here as long as possible. My father owns this house but either him or his mother never spent a penny on it. The road leading in here to this rural location is nothing more than a glorified quad track also.

I'm thinking if we could get the house condemned as unfit for habitation then maybe the Council would allow us to get either HAP or Rent Allowance to try find somewhere more modern than this wreck of a house.

Can't you just sell it.

Sonrisa

Do you own the house? Is there anywhere you could move in the short term while you make an application for social housing/HAP?

If your incomes are below the threshold, you should apply for social housing and HAP. You need to apply for the social housing list in your relevant area, and you need to show that you do not have "suitable alternative accommodation" as part of that application. Once on the list you can apply for HAP once you find a suitable property. It does not sound like the accommodation you are in is suitable, or that it is reasonable to expect you to live there. You should get an engineers report to say that it is unfit for human habitation.

Its unlikely that you will be eligible for rent supplement unfortunately.

theguzman

BrokenArrows wrote: »

Can't you just sell it.

It belongs to my father so its not mine to sell it......... yet. I want either a full renovation or demolition and rebuild, I can't afford to do this myself presently. I have free lodgings for now but I can't forsee myself lasting here much more beyond a few weeks more.

You posted elsewhere that you own property nearby.
I think that will be assessed as means.

Work through the numbers to see if you would qualify.
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/supplementary_welfare_schemes/rent_supplement.html

johnnyskeleton

theguzman wrote: »

I'm thinking if we could get the house condemned as unfit for habitation then maybe the Council would allow us to get either HAP or Rent Allowance to try find somewhere more modern than this wreck of a house.

Just move out, and tell the council you had been allowed to stay in a relative's house but it was unsuitable. Where were you living before hand? Could you move back in there?

Getting it condemned is an absolutely crazy idea. Your relative lets you stay in a gaff, and you repay their generosity by getting their house condemned sounds crazy. If it is an old listed house the council might enforce on your relative to do it up, or they might be subject to the derelict sites levy if they are within an urban area.

Dav010

Maybe I’m missing something, how does it being condemned help you, and why would you think you can have someone else’s property condemned because you don’t ant to live there?

Just move out.

beauf

Either make it an adventure and fix it, or move on..

lulu1

Op you must have known what it was like before you moved it

Mrs OBumble

Contact the council about getting on their housing list: your current accommodation is not adequate, so you should be eligible for HAP etc if you meet the income criteria.

headtheball14

Sounds exactly like my grannys house. Wish I was there now.
Lived there very happily for 2 years
Buy some water for drinking. Read a book instead of internet don't light the stove and be thankful you have somewhere to live with your partner or move out if you're concerned enough about it.

Seriously complaining to the council about dogs barking near the house your parents own but don't live in. Grow up if they haven't told you this already.

headtheball14

And if you do move out .maybe you could suggest to your parents they could see if it was suitable as a safe haven for people who are genuinely unsafe in their own homes.
They are looking for offers of second homes or supplies .details here
https://volunteerdublincity.ie/support-people-emerging-from-domestic-violence-with-criticall/

Del2005

theguzman wrote: »

It belongs to my father so its not mine to sell it......... yet. I want either a full renovation or demolition and rebuild, I can't afford to do this myself presently. I have free lodgings for now but I can't forsee myself lasting here much more beyond a few weeks more.

So you want to get your father to do up the house, do you expect to still live there after they have spent more than €50k, it they are very lucky, doing it up or multiples rebuilding it.

Where do you plan to live while the work is being done? It'll take at least 6 months if everything is OK, several years if they don't. The council won't house you it they condemn the house they will tell you to get a hotel room or put you in a hub.

Would the council do it up as part of their housing scheme. Your dad could then rent to ye on a sw rent scheme.

headtheball14

According to their previous posts the op owns a house in a neighbouring village that they are renting out .
His last thread he had fallen in love with the rural idyll. Now it's worse than the shining.
This is just a wind up.

I don't think it is a wind up, but it is a roller coaster of emotions.
Moving out of home house, moving in with girlfriend, adventure of moving into an old house in a wild location, and then the reality of losing jobs, dangerous electrics, water and stove combined with no Internet and isolation.

Get out of that house op, move back in with your parents and then move into your property as soon as is practical.

No external party is going to sort this for you.

theguzman

headtheball14 wrote: »

According to their previous posts the op owns a house in a neighbouring village that they are renting out .
His last thread he had fallen in love with the rural idyll. Now it's worse than the shining.
This is just a wind up.

It's not a windup, I love the location and peace here when the dogs don't bark, the house I love it so much if it was in good shape.

I can't evict my tenant under covid19 rules and honestly it is his rent money is keeping us afloat at the moment, I don't want to ask him to move out as he pays his rent, he too has lost his job but still somehow managed to pay his rent on time, his wife now works from home and they need the fibre at my house also for that, he is a good tenant, no pets etc. and I have no plans to ask him to move out of my house just because my own personal circumstances have changed. I have already decided if he or his wife comes to me in financial distress to cut his rent a little as a good tenant who won't wreck the house is worth alot.

It's a fair mess to be honest, I think once Australia opens up soon I'll try go there as I am not cut out for farm and rural life here.

theguzman

Deleted User wrote: »

Would the council do it up as part of their housing scheme. Your dad could then rent to ye on a sw rent scheme.

What scheme is this? Do you have any info, is it nationwide or council by council basis?

Graham

theguzman wrote: »

I'm thinking if we could get the house condemned as unfit for habitation then maybe the Council would allow us to get either HAP or Rent Allowance to try find somewhere more modern than this wreck of a house.

Can you claim HAP / Rent Allowance if you already own a house?

theguzman

theguzman wrote: »

What scheme is this? Do you have any info, is it nationwide or council by council basis?

The council have a budget (at least some councils) to bring houses up to rentable quality if you rent out to SW clients. Get your dad to call them. I think you can select your preferred renter. Not sure if there is a family restriction.

Graham

Graham wrote: »

Can you claim HAP / Rent Allowance if you already own a house?

Declaring rental income would probably put an end to that.

Cakerbaker

Deleted User wrote: »

The council have a budget (at least some councils) to bring houses up to rentable quality if you rent out to SW clients. Get your dad to call them. I think you can select your preferred renter. Not sure if there is a family restriction.

I’d say it’s unlikely that the council would consider him to have a housing need when he owns a house.

Graham

Cakerbaker wrote: »

I’d say it’s unlikely that the council would consider him to have a housing need when he owns a house.

looks like you're right:

22. (1) A household shall be ineligible for social housing support if it has alternative accommodation that the household could reasonably be expected to use to meet its housing need, either by occupying it or by selling the accommodation and using the proceeds to secure suitable accommodation suitable for the household’s adequate housing.

(2) A household shall be deemed to have alternative accommodation of the type referred to in paragraph (1), if the accommodation is owned by a household member and—

(a) such accommodation is vacant, or

(b) if such accommodation is let, the tenancy may be terminated on the grounds specified in paragraphs 3 or 4 of the Table to section 34 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (No. 27 of 2004)......

Which is probably as it should be. It would be a pretty messed up system that allowed otherwise.

Mrs OBumble

Cakerbaker wrote: »

I’d say it’s unlikely that the council would consider him to have a housing need when he owns a house.

Under normal circumstances, that's correct.

However the Covid non-eviction rules may change things.

At the moment, he's in a place without safe drinking water.

Vangoghslow

I wish I could complain about owning a house and be living in another house rent free.

Gumbo

theguzman wrote: »

Is it possible to get a house condemned as unfit and unsafe for human inhabitation?

I recently moved into my old family home which is 120 years old and I am really at my wits end with this wreck of a house.

It has no shower, the running water is unsafe for drinking due to animal faeces contaminating it and now recently the application of roundup on the catchment area of the stream which it is piped from. There is barking dogs nearby which keep me awake at all hours. The 39 year old solid fuel range is a carbon monoxide hazard. There is no broadband of any meaningful description here other than disastrous 3G. On a recent thread here discussing the wiring of a house some experts said they would not let a loved one sleep here due to the condition of the electrical wires.

The house is infested with woodworm, moths, slugs get in, there is mice, rats and bats in the attic. The wooden door frame is cracked.

Me and my girlfriend moved in here in the middle of the pandemic as it was impossible to find anywhere. She needed to get out of Dublin to cocoon safely and I needed to get out from my parents due to their underlying medical conditions to allow them stay safe also.

In recent days it has created massive problems in our relationship and my own mental health and I need to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. Both of us lost our jobs so we thought we could stay here as long as possible. My father owns this house but either him or his mother never spent a penny on it. The road leading in here to this rural location is nothing more than a glorified quad track also.

I'm thinking if we could get the house condemned as unfit for habitation then maybe the Council would allow us to get either HAP or Rent Allowance to try find somewhere more modern than this wreck of a house.

You know what, I firmly believe in karma, and based on some of your other posts in another thread, karma is biting your ass right now.