Offered council property in terrible area

RTFT and the dates of it.

I'd stay with your relatives. Don't move to a dodgy area that's unsafe. Soon you can work more once dc at nursery/school.

Hi OP, sorry I know this is nearly 2 years later. I just wanted to check if you accepted the flat and of so how are you finding living there? I'm in the exact same position now myself just got offered a flat in a very rough area, when I google the name of the flats there's all articles about rats and rubbish dumping and the heating not working but I have to take it or I'll be homeless with 2 kids soon

CHECK THE DATE OF THE THREAD, PEOPLE!!!

Better than being homeless, be grateful youre being offered anything. Sorry, but YABVU. If you want full control over your housing you'll need to provide your own private home.

Check the date of the thread.

I'm astonished at this. You say the flat is nice? Many people would give their arse for a nice council flat after a couple years on the list. I know I would. Take it fgs.

This thread is 10 months old so I imagine OP has already made a decision!

@ShouldITakeIt I would be inclined to take it. Every area unfortunately has a downside. I live in SH, been in home for over 20 years. Not a great area, ups and downs, but there are definitely positives, it's not all negative. Raised 2 kids, they've turned out great. Both went to university. And at the end of the day, you make your home lovely, once you close the door to the world, it's your space, you make it as lovely and as homely as you want it. Sometimes things happen in the area. But it's also fine most days too. No area is perfect, unless you're mega rich and live in the middle of nowhere! Like other people said, you could look at swapping at some point. But it might just be ok........

id decline it sorry.... next there will be keyed cars and broken windows to deal with - aim high

This is a difficult one. I understand people saying take the flat don’t be picky etc, but as a Mum to a 2 year old myself I can understand how scary it must be moving into an area that you are not sure you are going to feel
safe in, it’s all well and good if it’s just yourself to think about, but the worry around what to do for the best for your child is understandable.
I would say it’s worth taking a chance on the flat, if you can agree with your Mum that if worst comes to worst and it really isn’t a safe environment for your child, you can go back to live with her again until you come up with something else? You won’t really know until you give it a go, and with any luck any concerns you have about the area will turn out to be fruitless, but at least you will have tried and have the fallback of going back to your Mums if you really need to?

Take it... people shudder when I say where I live. Never had any trouble, few " locals" look a bit dubious but don't bother us. Pub at end of street can be noisy when live music on but everybody just seems to be getting on with their lives as best they can and once I'm indoors then I have my sanctuary

No worries x

OldFan · Today 19:08
i apologise. Got the wrong end of the stick 🌷💐

I said there's not much of a market for council properties, at least flats in blocks, because there's not much of a market for council properties, at least flats in blocks.

It's a fact, not a value judgement.

I'm not saying they're bad, obviously, I live in one. I'm saying people who buy them hoping to sell them on are often disappointed (a fact, with no moral judgement attached, except that people who buy them hoping to sell them on could be making the wrong decision as it ends up not happening.)

good grief! Aren’t you a snob!

@Highlandflingbling No? I don't know where you're getting that from. I'm severely disabled and unable to work for life and I live in a 15 storey tower block in one of the roughest areas of birmingham.

OldFan · Today 18:35
good grief! Aren’t you a snob!

With flats I agree. It's still a good way to get on the market though regardless. With right to buy, they would be so much cheaper. If you modernised it, it could become quite desirable at a good price.

That's a block though. You can get odd some lovely ones in well to do areas you wouldn't even know at all. This isn't helpful to OP update though.

You live where you can afford no point living with Jones. Growing up we moved to a posh area ish.... we wondered why the houses were empty and hardly furnished when we walked past. I would rather be comfortable in a council house than struggling to pay a big F off mortgage each month.

@Bearlady Well done, I'm happy for you. x

Most council properties don't have much of a market for people to sell on, because people don't want to live in a council block/area.

I was looking at an ex-council flat to rent once and the estate agent said to me 'I mean, who would buy it?' I suppose that was in a block, though.

And selling a council flat to make a profit. That's a pretty stupid - if not immoral - idea."

I'dve thought it's just a human idea. Everyone wants to improve their lot in life and that of their loved ones.

In my HA/council you wouldn’t have been offered a top floor flat,

@HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend Wouldn't it depend what top floor means? I mean it could mean first floor in a maisonette, or floor 15 in a tower block. It's not the case that people with kids are only offered a ground floor flat, I'dve thought.

It is unclear from your post if the area is unsafe or you just don't like it. Frankly I think if you are living in your mum's lounge you aren't really in a position to turn down a home based on the fact the area is a bit shabby and you don't like the look of people. Obvsiouly if it's unsafe that's another story.

Anyway op, I definitely think you should take the flat. You can always put in for a swap. You can make it into a home. You’ll have your own space. I live in a run down council area in Scotland and have had no problems. Great sense of community. Good luck.