possible advice please

You ought to be able to ask for a clear scheme of things, and you ought to be able to get temporary accommodation if it is going to be messy. Reality may not be so easy.

Are you in a location where there are other people with disabilities or special needs, or are you in an ordinary street. Is the landlord the local authority, a housing association working with the local authority, or a private landlord?

If you are in an area with lots of people having special needs you ought to be able to get collective help to ensure smooth running, but even that isn't a certainty. If at the other extreme as far as you know it is just you who might have an issue because of autism, that could be harder.

I have great difficulty getting workmen in, and have great difficulty when they are there. I don't think my difficulty is obvious but it sure does seem to be there when there are workmen in the house. They seem to spot something and seem to be trying it on with me, and try to be over-friendly, even patronisingly so, and too intrusive and informal - or maybe it is just I'm paranoid.

It really isn't practical to be around if they are lifting floorboards, removing plaster, drilling and banging a lot. I've tried to stay in out of necessity, not having anywhere else to go, and not wanting to pay for a hotel, but it is horrible. You no longer have your personal space (just somewhere in a corner of a room the furniture has been moved into) and you may not have a workable kitchen or bathroom, or even a means of washing.

Workmen may try to tell you they will have minimum impact, but that's a laugh - they are only there during the day....you have to cope overnight.

So you do need to talk through with the housing liaison officer exactly what is involved. I don't know whether it helps to explain having autism, as no-one seems to be trained up on this in these organisations. They'll probably be quite bullish about there being no real upheaval.

You are entitled I would think to a clear explanation of the work. Even if you are a tenant or (part tenant if it is housing association), or are the owner in multi-unit premises run under a maintenance contract, you are trying to make a home in the spaces you occupy and disruption will affect your daily life, so don't be brushed off.

But try to get clear facts. Don't get emotive or argumentative. Just try to get something in writing about the sequence of events and the level of disturbance, so that you have something to refer to. Or failing that have someone with you when you see the housing liaison officer.

It may be that some tenants/occupiers will get together to ensure all get a fair deal but that's harder to be part of if you are on the spectrum.

This must happen a lot so there ought to be something on the NAS website about workmen. Can't find it on an initial scan. Maybe it is just assumed we all have a care worker to sort things out for us!?!

You ought to be able to ask for a clear scheme of things, and you ought to be able to get temporary accommodation if it is going to be messy. Reality may not be so easy.

Are you in a location where there are other people with disabilities or special needs, or are you in an ordinary street. Is the landlord the local authority, a housing association working with the local authority, or a private landlord?

If you are in an area with lots of people having special needs you ought to be able to get collective help to ensure smooth running, but even that isn't a certainty. If at the other extreme as far as you know it is just you who might have an issue because of autism, that could be harder.

I have great difficulty getting workmen in, and have great difficulty when they are there. I don't think my difficulty is obvious but it sure does seem to be there when there are workmen in the house. They seem to spot something and seem to be trying it on with me, and try to be over-friendly, even patronisingly so, and too intrusive and informal - or maybe it is just I'm paranoid.

It really isn't practical to be around if they are lifting floorboards, removing plaster, drilling and banging a lot. I've tried to stay in out of necessity, not having anywhere else to go, and not wanting to pay for a hotel, but it is horrible. You no longer have your personal space (just somewhere in a corner of a room the furniture has been moved into) and you may not have a workable kitchen or bathroom, or even a means of washing.

Workmen may try to tell you they will have minimum impact, but that's a laugh - they are only there during the day....you have to cope overnight.

So you do need to talk through with the housing liaison officer exactly what is involved. I don't know whether it helps to explain having autism, as no-one seems to be trained up on this in these organisations. They'll probably be quite bullish about there being no real upheaval.

You are entitled I would think to a clear explanation of the work. Even if you are a tenant or (part tenant if it is housing association), or are the owner in multi-unit premises run under a maintenance contract, you are trying to make a home in the spaces you occupy and disruption will affect your daily life, so don't be brushed off.

But try to get clear facts. Don't get emotive or argumentative. Just try to get something in writing about the sequence of events and the level of disturbance, so that you have something to refer to. Or failing that have someone with you when you see the housing liaison officer.

It may be that some tenants/occupiers will get together to ensure all get a fair deal but that's harder to be part of if you are on the spectrum.

This must happen a lot so there ought to be something on the NAS website about workmen. Can't find it on an initial scan. Maybe it is just assumed we all have a care worker to sort things out for us!?!