I did a council house swap but ended up with a house of horrors -it took months to make it liveable for me & my 3 kids
A MUM of three has revealed that she ended up with a "house of horrors" after doing a council house swap.
Single mum Louise shared that, when she had been given the property, it was falling to bits, and covered in mould and stains.
She shared an insight into the property via a video posted to her TikTok channel @justamumwholikestodance captioned "house of horrors".
Louise revealed that, 12 weeks after being given the keys to the property, she still wasn't able to live in it, due to the dire condition it was in.
The previous tenants had left rubbish everywhere and paint was peeling off all of the walls.
Black mould was growing on the walls, and the toilet was covered in so many stains it was almost entirely brown.
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Louise said she had no idea of the extent of the mess the house was in when she accepted the swap.
The doting mum has worked really hard to renovate the property into a liveable place for her and her childrem
In another video, the mum shared the work she has done on the property.
She painted the walls, carpeted the floors and managed to scrub the toilet until it looked squeaky clean.
"I'm proud of what I've made it into", she said.
"A home for my kids".
Louise's video has clearly left many impressed as it has racked up over 40,000 views on the video sharing platform.
TikTok users raced to the video's comments section to share their thoughts on Louise's property.
One user said: "The previous tenants didn't even bother to clean the cupboards for you!"
Another person said: "Woah you brave lady these living conditions are horrific.
"I hope it works out in the end."
A third person chimed in: "I can't believe someone swapped houses with you and left it like this.
Council tenants are allowed to make alterations and renovations to their homes.
What is a council house swap?
A council house swap, also known as a mutual exchange, is a scheme for people who live in a council or housing association property who would like to swap their home with another tenant.
People often swap to get a larger or smaller home or to move to a different area.
When you mutually exchange your home, you are swapping tenancies with someone else.
Anyone with a full secure or fixed term social housing tenancy in their name with a clear rent account can do a mutual exchange.
You cannot swap your home if you:
- have an introductory tenancy
- have a probationary tenancy
- are in temporary housing
However, they must make sure that any work conforms to building regulations and planning permission.
Council houses are provided by local authorities to those in need.
They are often cheaper than renting private housing and can also offer greater security from eviction.
Council houses are allocated to prospective tenants via a points based system, with those in greater need given homes first.
The council will contact you about an available property when you are high enough up the waiting list.
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More than one million people are currently waiting for social housing in the UK.
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