diversity and equality
Four walls - nothing less and nothing more When I entered the house that I was supposed to occupy after my arrival to the UK, I cried. I did not stop crying for one hour, as I could not imagine living like this with my 6 month old son- Ola reminisced. Irena Falcone Aleksandra Miksiewicz Małgorzata Początek Ktarzyna Swiba
F
irst experiences of the housing conditions for immigrants were often, very shocking. Houses in multiple occupations, where people sleep on floors among the walls covered in mould and bathrooms without heating, but from their point of view, what was most shocking was that they had to pay an arm and a leg for this kind of “hole”. Before I came here, all I knew was that we had rented a small flat through an agency – Ola continues her story – I was told that to cover the rent my whole wages would go. Therefore, I was imagining if it is so expensive, for sure it will be nice, clean and comfortable, I was very wrong.
Quality shock
Immigrant expectations are not very high at all. They want the basics, comfortable accommodation, clean and in a quiet area. Most of the time in their homeland if you rent accommodation and pay nearly a whole month’s wage for the rent, then that is the quality you would get. Therefore, the confrontation with reality in Britain is a huge shock and disappointment. Only the kitchen was equipped and furnished, however it was usable after I spent three days cleaning it, same for the bathroom – Ola continues – we had to buy everything to furnish the flat. There was a huge hole in the wall in our bedroom, mould in the sitting room, and windows covered in condensation all the time. To add to this our neighbours were having continuous parties. The only way to improve the situation is to leave this type of accommodation as soon as possible. Some of the migrants are leaving to go straight back home. Others are determined and give it another go and start looking for something better. They quickly realise that they do have rights as tenants and they can exercise those rights. This is what Ola did - Moving into a new rented flat meant that we had to pay a considerably higher rent. We could only afford it because we both had jobs. This however meant that we could not save any money.
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Multiple occupation
Reasons behind leaving your own country are different for everybody. Most migrants are coming to England to work and save some money for a better life at home. This means that they have to sacrifice a lot and continuously compromise, mostly their standards of living. Many decide just to rent a room. For example, in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, in a four-bedroom house with one kitchen and one bathroom there are three families living together- six adults and five children. It is difficult to imagine how they are managing day-to-day living; cooking separate dinners, bathing their children, but where there is a will there is a way. They have a schedule in the kitchen which tells the family who can use the bathroom and the kitchen and at what times. They don’t complain, rent for each room comes to £300 per month, considering that they would have to pay for a flat around £700 per month plus all the bills, it is a good deal. It allows them to save money. Those are the priorities they have. This example from Hatfield is not unusual. Immigrants all over England live like this and they don’t complain because it is their choice. It is only a temporary situation even though sometimes it lasts for years.
Council Houses
Some people are coming here to stay and some of the migrants do eventually qualify for council houses. Dorota come here with two children after the break up of her marriage. She wanted to start a new life – she chose England. It wasn’t easy; she worked and is still working night shifts. Alice, her grown up daughter, has been suffering from multiple sclerosis since childhood. Her younger sister Barbara, is an energetic teenager, after three years in England she speaks good English and helps the whole family when it comes to dealing with official matters, as none of them speaks the language. Dorota was lucky to qualify for a council house – three bedrooms on the ground floor with a garden. The house was in bad condition; mould, heating not working properly and the “garden” resembled a wasteland. The joy however was enormous, they have their own place to live, the garden can be sorted, and the rooms painted and this is what Dorota did. She is happy
The Migrant at home / AUGUST 2010 / www.migranthome.co.uk
with what she has and wants to stay here for rest of her life.
Ownership
There are different ways of dealing with housing issues abroad, it is not easy whichever way you choose. Gosia wanted a mortgage, for 30 years. She is single, has two jobs and she thought she will get a mortgage without a problem. Having saved a bit of money, I started to look into buying a property-says Gosia The only possibility was to partly buy and partly rent. How does it work? You buy 25% of the property, and for the remaining percentage you pay rent. This means that we don’t have to pay such a big deposit. It isn’t easy when you
are single because banks request more from a single person than from a couple. In my situation, only one bank offered me a loan and on quite a high percentage. I realised that my finances are limited because I work on my own but I decided to look into the possibility of buying a property out right. I hope that everything goes well and that I will eventually move into my new house. Buying a house is a huge investment. It means taking out a big loan and taking on a responsibility, but it also means settling down. Gosia has decided she wants to do it, no more sharing with others, independent and in control. Just the thought of moving makes me shiver, but I know this time will be different, it will be a very special experience.
Realising your dreams
Starting a new life abroad is difficult. We have to learn everything from scratch. Migrants rent or buy or eventually go back to their countries. Whatever way they choose, it is all to do with realising your dreams.