Leaving a council tenancy to move back in with mum need some reassurance

How is she taking money from taxpayers? Council or HA properties are NFP. They are charging an affordable rent that simply pays the cost of the property. The OP is paying that rent herself. The rents are not subsidised by the tax payers. She's not planning to stay there for ever, merely until she has saved the deposit to buy. I did exactly the same when I was her age!

So, if you think it can take you a year to save at your mum’s, you can stay in your stable situation and reach the same target in two?

In that case, stay! You are still working towards your goal in a reasonable timeframe, you maintain your independence and it is much lower risk.

Don’t gamble to speed it up by a year. Unforeseen things can happen that require money (I had to go private for emergency surgery, an unexpected large bill) and you are stuck faaar longer than expected.

You have stability NOW. Don't throw it away.

The sensible thing to do would be to stay put and save up slowly.

Moving in with your mum makes you extremely vulnerable.

I agree with everyone else - do not give up your council tenancy. That would be such a foolish thing to do.

Yes I agree with you and I think some are being unkind to the OP because her plan IS to move on from her secure tenancy into ownership - her question is when not should she.

I don't get all the people saying stay put for this reason and also Id prefer a shot at owning my own house. Equity is another way of saving for old age. There's a limited supply of every form of social welfare and there are always new people in need, if someone no longer needs that support it should go to someone who actually does. It's an interesting comparison to many of the threads about UC or disabled people who can't work, where it's all get a job, get off benefits, why should the state pay for you. Here we have someone being told the state should go on supporting them when they no longer need that support. I'm curious why the difference when they're all tax payer funded forms of welfare. Why is it ok to occupy a council house and take money from other tax payers when you don't actually need to. Why are people in council houses seen as deserving of life time tenancies past the point when they no longer need that support.

I'm another vote for staying in your flat. If things went wrong at your mum's, you will never get another council tenancy and will not be able to save on a private tenancy. I was in a similar position to you 30 years back but much as I loved my parents living with them was not an option as they lived in rural Ireland and I was in London. But we had the council tenancy and used that as a way to save to buy. I appreciated that flat gave us the opportunity to do so.

I know you said you weren't going to buy your flat from the council. Please don't do as pp have suggested and do exactly that. Leave it for someone else who needs a start in life. Plus if it's for a single person, I imagine it's in a block and/or an estate which comes with it's own difficulties when trying to sell eg difficulties with leases, council deciding to demolish the whole estate and only giving as little as possible to homeowners etc. Nah......

Social housing isn't a welfare benefit. It's either council, HA, or privately provided, with the rent charged covering the cost of the loan used to build if council, nfp and then it's profit.

This sums up what's wrong with the country, too many people with strident opinions based on very little.

You are young, same age as my eldest. It’s good to have a range of opinions as long as “everyone around me” is advising you for the right reasons. If (and I don’t mean to put anyone down) there is any hint of jealousy or making you feel guilty then try to disregard these people. It’s such a dilemma!
Can you live with your mum easily? (Think back to the possible reason you were allocated your own flat). Think about day-to-day living - at the moment you are very capably doing your job and building your career, living independently. Keep that in mind.
Don’t listen to those who say you “owe” it to hand the flat back - that is your plan, just do it in your time on your terms. Don’t get derailed by any talk of buying, letting, subletting etc.
Keep it simple, this is a head decision not a heart decision. If in any doubt, stay on in your flat and go for the longer-term option.
Good luck to you, keep on track and listen to those you feel know you best and you can trust most.

I don't know if it's the same for all local authorities but here there is no list anymore. You get allocated a band and can bid on available properties for your band. People with a higher band than you will get higher up in the bidding. So you could be renting privately and be on a lower band and essentially never get a chance to be top of the bids because someone will always come along with a higher band due to homelessness/mental health issues etc.

But being on the list doesn't mean you'll get another tenancy any time soon - or even at all.

Giving up a secure home at 28 to move back in with mum makes absolutely zero sense. If OP was in private rent then it would be different.

I would stay put atm and save a bit longer , life sometimes throws curved balls and a council flat is security many people can only dream of .

I am really surprised at the first page of advice on here. I would certainly move back in the save on rent and get a good deposit more quickly. I have a good relationship with my Mum and get on well with most people. House prices are only going round up here. Leaving a council tenancy doesn't mean you can't have another. You can put yourself straight back on the waiting list. Any one can. That is the joy of council housing. I think that will be the quickest way to reach your goal.

@Engleberthumper
Either, the council should keep a careful track of the tenant's situation and, when it becomes clear that the tenant can now stand on their own feet, unsupported by the tax payer, that tenant should be given notice to move out.

how is a SH tenant supported by the tax payer? they pay tax/NI/ rent/council tax like any one else. It's not all unemployed layabouts.
Your attitude is very skewed.

I know right! The epitomy of telling people to set themselves on fire to keep others warm.

This, and the councils can't give their one bedroom homes to families due to overcrowding rules, so they have to go to single people or couples.

@Mebfl
SH isn't state support or for poor people!
I know teachers, nurses etc who live in SH, many rents are not cheap either!
Sick of this MN rhetoric that you should give up a secure tenancy as it's deemed you could buy or worse still private rent.

How do you know she's not in a nice area to start with?

Why are pps amazed a single person has a council house?
Not everyone lives in London, there are council houses/HA homes across the whole of the UK, many not with huge waiting lists.

In an ideal world, yes.

But you have to work with the system you have. OP is incredibly lucky and has a home for life - giving that up because it's "morally right" to go back and live with her mum at 28 makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

I very much doubt all the "move back home" posters would happily give up their own, secure properties to go and live in their mum's spare room either

But if she's in her council flat, it doesn't matter if it takes longer - she has a secure, private home of her own to live in.

Anyone who gives up a council tenancy to go back and live with their mum is absolutely bonkers IMO.

You have security for life. Most people save for a house in order to have the security that you already have. You're right, you don't know what's going to happen with interest rates and what if you got ill and lost your job? The last few years have shown us we can't take anything for granted. Don't give up security just to speed up getting on the property ladder by a year or two when you've got your entire working life to save for a house.

I have an assured social housing tenancy and wouldn't give it up for anything.

I completely agree - social housing is for those that need it - if you can afford to save 500 a month, you don’t need state support anymore ,This sums up everything that’s wrong with the social welfare system -it should be there to support those in a time of need, not become a lifestyle choice

biscuitsandbooks

She’s got twice as much chance if she saves £1000 a month rather than £500.

And if she doesn't manage to save up in that time? Then she's stuck with mum and has lost out on a lifetime tenancy. Madness to even suggest it IMO.

OP if you’re 28 and planning on having children at some point I would definitely move back in with your mum and save for a house. It’s much much easier to buy a house before having children, it’s so much harder to save once you have children. And even if you bought your flat under the RTB scheme you may find it more difficult to sell afterwards as (in my area at least) 1 bed flats in leasehold buildings are more difficult to sell, and I’d never want to be a landlord. My brother was and it caused so many issues.

I would definitely move out, save up and buy your own home. Once you’re retired your home will be paid off, whereas if you’re in rented accommodation you’ve still got to pay rent (yes I know they’d be some benefit paid but it’s still means tested so if you had a good pension you’d be paying still).