Massive Dilemma

You went to land registry to find out if they owned a property, you found out she did. You did this for a reason, so act upon it. Telling anyone other than the local authority/housing association is fruitless.
Don't believe not signing paperwork gives you rights without getting legal advice!

But why did you start this rollercoaster in the first place?

You must have been unhappy in the home you want to go back to, otherwise, you wouldn't have started the exchange process, and moved out?

If it was me, I'd take the opportunity to really think about what I really wanted, where I wanted to be, how I wanted my life to be. Maybe you can exchange the house you are in now, with someone else/somewhere else, that you would be happy with.

I would like to add that I do know someone who owned property, and was still offered a HAssociation apartment. It does happen, people fib, and not much checking is done.

You may be right, they may own property but regardless of that you maybe need to do a bit of soul searching and identify why you are unhappy and will move back to your original house, if it happens, fix this.

i'm guessing that the other couple's property owning or no status will not assist you in returning to your previous home.
the h
HA will say you are suitably housed so they don't have to offer you anything else.
if you want to persuade them be more sympathetic, it might help your cause if you can be regarded s having special needs, or being vulnerable.
so i suggest you go see GP and discuss your feelings, in depth. emphasise your difficulties.
there may be a mental health aspect which is making it worse.
if that is noted, it may give you extra points for a further move.
good luck.

If you have done a house swop they just have been in that property for at least 12 months so they still shouldn’t have a property they own. So I would suggest you contact the housing association , however it won’t be an easy swop even if they allow it as they might have to go down the eviction route, csn you say why you hate your property, I ask because fir the first few months I hated my new house !

I'm not trying to frighten you, but please arrange a consultation with a solicitor to make sure you're not doing something illegal. Without realising it.
We Grans on here aren't experts (apologies to any who are).
Especially at our age the right to live in our own home is so important

i think if you did a house exchange then the other people would probably have been long term renters and had an assured tenancy, they have the legal right to buy a house and rent it out..maybe as a form of income...i saw this online
Can a council tenant own a property?
A secure council tenant lives at council flat as main and only home and he is going to live at his council flat as main and only home for all his life. ... Yes the secure tenant can buy a buy to let property and it should not effect the tenancy although it will effect entitlement to housing and other benefits

i have stayed in an h/a flat for many years, but if i came into money and purchased a house and rented it out, all it would change was any rent benefit that i got. i am sorry but i think you will have to just stay there or try to exchange with someone else but you h/a may not allow that, speak to your housing officer and explain everything. it is unfair on the other couple if you expect them to move.

You have made a mistake! you didn’t think it through properly and were probably grieving when you made the decision to move! you have taken a dislike to your new home, but that’s not a reason to oust the new people in your old home and doing all this Miss Marple stuff is really not on at all You are desperately trying to find something to ‘get them’ with to prove they are not worthy to be in your old home but I think you are on a hiding to nothing.
Why not accept your new home, use your energies to do it up to your tastes and try and meet some new friends/ new groups to get involved with
I m sure you won’t like this advice because it’s not what you want to hear but it may be nearer to getting you a comfortable life than your present vendetta

Msida - I do not think that posters are trying to be negative or cast a shadow, especially as we know what you have been through.

But I think it is important not to raise your hopes of something that may not be possible.

I do seriously think that there is only one thing you can do and that is to go back to the Housing Association and lay your cards on the table and seek their help to resolve this.

If you suspect the tenants own a property you must bring this to the attention of the association asap! They can search ownership details, this is not your job!. Is your source for this information sound? Or is it simply gossip? I'm sorry that you are in this situation of course , however can you not immediately put in for another exchange? Even if you have to wait a period of time, at least it will leave you feeling that your current situ is not permanent and another move is on the cards? Good luck.x

It was only 5 days ago that you started a thread about regretting your move You didn’t say a thing about broken cupboards, mice or anything negative, just that you were lonely, unhappy and thought you d made a mistake
You were given some kind advice and thanked everyone
Then five days later you start this thread so a lot has changed in five days

Why did you want to exchange homes in the first place, rethink why you wanted to move to this particular area/house. Unfortunately you may be a bit homesick for your old home/area/friends etc but the people who exchanged may be perfectly happy in their new home and making friends. The ownership of property may or may not be a criteria for social housing but I am fairly sure that the housing association will have checked this out. I think you need to give this move a chance and settle into your new surroundings before trying to uproot these people.

I have done a housing association move via a swap but we’re not legally allowed to move until all paperwork was signed, I don’t understand how you have been able to move without doing that

To be honest you made a swap, there must have been a reason and you must have thought about it, so you really need to make a go of it now instead of another upheaval for everyone.

Thank you everyone I am more than words can say grateful

I have read every single post I would say at least twice

It has helped me soo much I don't feel so alone everyone was trying to help everyone was honest thank you so so much

I am not a grass so will find it hard to speak to the HA about their house ownership even though they did lie to me about what they were going to leave in the property and even if it meant I might have more chance 9f getting my old property back

But I have seeked legal advice and going to do this properly

Land registry is currently slow in updating records. Covid and all that.
Tread carefully & to uproot a family who’ve moved to your old address because you’ve made a bad move is a bit off piste.
Give yourself time to settle. All will be well, you’ll see. .

Who is to say they will move you back to that house even if they evict the current tenants? My betting is they won’t.

I definitely would not approach these people as like others have warned there could be repercussions. Also I'd be inclined to anonymously report that they own a property. If they do own another property and have it rented out they could get v nasty if you are seen to be depriving them of an income.
Even if the Housing association do evict them the house will probably just be put back in the pool. If you didn't sign the documents you could technically be unlawfully housed and therefore not entitled to the property you are in.
I'm not trying to scare you but please tread carefully, seek legal advice on this.
Your best bet would be to sign the papers, tidy up the house and seek another exchange IMO

Just an update because everyone has contributed and helped

I spoke to a solicitor today and was told its a "grey area" and it will cost £1500 to get the case in front of a Barrister for his professional opinion on if there is a case to be heard, in other words is there a strong enough case to fight

All seems like alot to me

And maybe time to listen to most gransnetetters and forget about it

If I didn't have gransnetetters to help me I would have felt really alone

I am grateful that you cared enough to post thank you ???

I don’t think it is ‘being a grass’ at all. People playing the benefits system are rare, but there a many desperate young families, vulnerable people and elderly who need a home, so I would inform the housing association. I’d be clear you don’t expect them to change your outcome, but that morally you had an obligation to inform the housing association

I think you are wise to let it lie.

Are you able to try and make some connections where you are now living? I am sure that would be the best way forward and would help you to look to the future.

Speak to the Citizens Advice and see what, if any, your legal rights are and take it from there. I’d say, selfishly, follow your heart, maybe there’s a way to keep everyone happy Good luck

DillytheGardener

I don’t think it is ‘being a grass’ at all. People playing the benefits system are rare, but there a many desperate young families, vulnerable people and elderly who need a home, so I would inform the housing association. I’d be clear you don’t expect them to change your outcome, but that morally you had an obligation to inform the housing association

Is social housing connected to the benefits system? I thought anyone could apply - I certainly know people who live in HA housing and have never claimed benefits.

My sister used to work in housing, and said that there were lots of malicious accusations against tenants, usually by people with no understanding of the system but with axes to grind.

Maisda thanks for the update. Solicitor's fees are shocking!
But at least they didn't say that you were at risk.
It was the fact that you had never signed a tenancy agreement that worried me. You need to feel secure in your own home. Especially now that you're on you're on your own.

contact Shelter for advice

Don't mention Housing Associations to me. Being robbed blind mums old HA.