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Property/DIY

housing association v private renting

27 replies

louloopylou · 13/04/2016 14:57

Hello, I'm a long time lurker on here but now I need some advice.
My DS 4 and I live in 2nd floor flat with no garden or lift its Housing Association,
It's a lovely area with nice parks & woodland, my DS is in a lovely nursery & due to start school in September,
We have a chance of renting a bungalow which is not anywhere near where are now so would have to think about settling DS in another nursery reapply for another school place etc but I really don't know if it's a good move or not,
I've never felt settled here in this flat as it to far from my family and even though where we live it's a nice area our block of flats seems to be a Haven for boy racers thanks to a neighbouring flat out communal car park is full up with next doors mates on a night,
This bungalow is in a village with a nice big garden abit closer to my family, it's about £150 more than my flat which will be really tight on my budget,
Then there's the fact it's private rent which means I'm giving up a secure tenancy for something that might not be secure,
I watch my little boy when we're down my parents and loves helping my dad do the garden and he loves being outside playing even at nursery he's constantly out in there garden,
I really don't know what to do there pro's & cons on both but mainly the biggest thing is giving up a housing association tenancy for a private tenancy,
What would you all advice?

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HildurOdegard · 13/04/2016 16:02

I'm in council and I wouldn't give up my tenancy easily. If you move into that bungalow you could be served your section 21 in just months.

Gardens are lovely but secure tenancies are better. Can you transfer?

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louloopylou · 13/04/2016 16:41

Hi thanks for replying.
I am on home swapper & the Facebook pages etc I've not had one enquirer,
I completely understand what your saying a council tenancy is much better than a garden. I guess I'm just feeling guilty, it's horrible looking out my window seeing the houses around me pegging there washing out & there children playing in there gardens,
I wish I could give my DS the same freedom,
Im just weighing the pro's & cons up at the moment,
I know if I go for this bungalow I could be given notices to leave at any time then that would unsettle my DS even more esp as he's about to start school

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specialsubject · 13/04/2016 17:32

'you can be given notice to leave at any time' is landlord-hater babble. Sign a fixed term tenancy and unless you breach, you are there for the duration. Min six months, max as long as you and the landlord agree and their insurers/mortgage allow.

look for a BTL (i.e. not a property the landlord used to live in), and a landlord with stable finances and a chance of living for a fair few years.

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MuddhaOfSuburbia · 13/04/2016 17:36

I worked for a HA so might be biased

But I would say-take ds out as often as you can, but hold on to your HA tenancy by your fingernails

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specialsubject · 13/04/2016 17:47

yes, an HA tenancy will indeed be secure, although from posts on here they can get away with things that would have private landlords deservedly in trouble.

but on re-reading, sounds like you can't afford the other place anyway so decision made.

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TheHobbitMum · 13/04/2016 17:48

I would never get rid of my HA house, secure tenancies are incredibly hard to get now so if you give it up you may not get another x

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Alfieisnoisy · 13/04/2016 17:53

My HA is excellent and far superior to the last private landlord I had who took weeks to repair anything...notably the heating which broke down regularly once a year and would not be repaired for weeks.

Special it is not "landlord hating speak" to say that a private tenancy is not secure. Six months at a time is not long and if you have a child to settle in school it is nowhere near long enough for many people. My son is autistic (the reason I have a HA place) and no way would I give this up for a private rental.where the landlord might suddenly decide to sell. It happens and it isn't anti landlord to say so...there are excellent landlords out there I am aware of that but not all of them are fabulous.

OP it is hard to see everyone wi a garden while you are stuck in a flat.

However if the rent is going to be a struggle I would be very wary about taking it on.

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Buckinbronco · 13/04/2016 17:57

"'you can be given notice to leave at any time' is landlord-hater babble. Sign a fixed term tenancy and unless you breach, you are there for the duration. Min six months, max as long as you and the landlord agree and their insurers/mortgage allow."

Rubbish. A fixed term tenancy is 6 months. That's no security whatsoever. Longer tenancies can be agreed but don't give you legal security, only a message of the intent of your landlord. 2 months notice still applies.

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DixieNormas · 13/04/2016 17:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DixieNormas · 13/04/2016 18:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MuddhaOfSuburbia · 13/04/2016 18:13

it's not just the security, it's the level of care you should get from your HA

say you have a neighbour dispute- you'll have a designated housing officer and they will support you (it might take you some time, but still)

a private ll won't necessarily unless in their interest

what do your family think you should do?

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louloopylou · 13/04/2016 18:21

Thankyou everyone, I really appreciate you all taking the time to reply,
I am going to stay put, you are all right & it will be a struggle to pay the rent, I think it's the time of year where everyone starts venturing out into there gardens and I guess I'm jealous me & my DS can't.
I been out every afternoon to the local parks and actually feel better when we get back home, my mum thinks it's because I'm homesick too as we were moved away due a violent ex. I guess I'm still coming to terms with moving to a flat away from family,

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expatinscotland · 13/04/2016 18:28

There's no way we'll give up our HA tenancy. We are also in a flat, starts on the 1st floor, no garden. No way we'd rent privately again. Have never had an assured tenancy from a private LL that didn't have a 2- month get out clause. That's not LL hating, that's the truth.

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cepluse · 13/04/2016 18:28

I've got a secure council tenancy, and although it's a flat with no garden I'd never give it up. My neighbour moved out of her council flat a few years ago as she wanted a nicer private rental, but she was hit by redundancy which meant she had to go back on benefits, but it didn't cover the full private rental due to the benefits cap (it would have covered her council rent as it was much lower). So now she is facing eviction and the council won't help as she gave up her tenancy before. If she'd stayed in the council flat she would have been fine.

If the rent difference is tight now then any change in finances might make it impossible in the future. I think you're doing the right think by staying put OP. Personally I've always preferred taking the dcs out to parks than playing in a garden, much more space and none of the hassle of maintenance.

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HildurOdegard · 13/04/2016 18:41

Six months increased rent to enjoy the garden this summer @ 150/pcm = £900.
Agent fees + moving costs + utilities swap bollocks = 500 minimum.

That's £1400 off the bat for you and your son to have a lovely holiday somewhere or a lot or weekends at luxury country houses or similar.

I personally could not live with the stress of knowing that the day I sign my lease I could be just 4 months away from getting the eviction notice - that's no way to live with kids - and personally I couldn't afford to be moving and all that entails every 6 months.

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Buckinbronco · 13/04/2016 18:51

Play the long game OP. A swAp will
Come up eventually

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RedBlu · 13/04/2016 18:57

We gave up our HA flat just under two years ago. It was a first floor flat and the biggest reason we gave it up was due to not having a garden (plus it was a rough area!) Ours was a lifetime tenancy.

However our situation was different because we bought a house, we didn't give the HA up to rent privately and to be honest, I don't think we would have.

I would stay put.

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Ragusa · 13/04/2016 20:21

You would be absolutely barking to give up a social housing secure tenancy, even though your reasons are quite compelling. Hang on for a transfer or swap.

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MuddhaOfSuburbia · 13/04/2016 20:57

awww OP

that's hard- and being homesick is a bastard

it sounds like you're making the most of where you live already

sit tight and I bet you'll settle soon- especially when ds starts school and you both meet new people in the area

good luck flower

Flowers

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cestlavielife · 13/04/2016 21:07

You can easily go to park with just one ds.
You can spend every weekend at your parents. Don't give up a secure tenancy.

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louloopylou · 13/04/2016 21:28

I am really overwhelmed by all your responses I want to thank each & every one of you,
I am most certainly staying put, my DS heard me talking to my mum tonight & was crying before bed saying he don't want leave, poor mite bring through a lot this past year, I wanted to give him a garden but having read what you all wrote you have all talked some sence into me and listening to my DS sob tonight, I must be crazy to consider leaving this flat, it might not be perfect or have perfect neighbours but it's a safe place that me & DS can call our home, I thought a garden would of been nice but DS has a much better life without one if you see what I mean, and getting out every day taking him to the park has already made a difference to me as well as him, thank you all xxx

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expatinscotland · 13/04/2016 21:42

lou, I've brought up three in nothing but flats. As a result, they are already very strong walkers/hikers. It'd be nice to have a garden but it's not the end of the world. Glad you are staying put, the uncertainty is awful. Plus, the no pets, inspections, rules about decorating. Here we can do as we please.

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TheHobbitMum · 13/04/2016 22:39

Keep trying for a swap OP , we were contacted by someone via Home Swapper site to complete a 3 way swap. Although we had a nightmare with the condition our new home was left in, we did get a 4/5 bed house. Keep your details updated and don't lose hope x

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Ragusa · 13/04/2016 22:54

Honestly, a garden us a nice to have providing you don't kill everything that grows like I do but security is way, way more important. Social housing has lower rent (generally) and you can put anything that you'd otherwise have paid out in private rent into a rainy day fund or for training/ retraining/ a holiday/ savings for your son, whatever takes your fancy. If you want some green space of your own, you could always put your name down on your local allotment waiting list.

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Luv2chat2U · 14/04/2016 20:47

Giving up your tenancy is definitely not the way to go! I understand your reasons, but renting privately is a definite no no! Under the current government and the changes their making to HA and council properties, including the limited stock that's left, count yourself lucky, because if you fall off the system be sure to not get a property again.....

Try Homeswapper, you never know, wish you all the best X

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