Should our Solicitors have identified social housing as part of moving checks

We live in a new build private small estate, which has a mix of privately owned and social housing. I’m sure the majority of residents are happy to get on with one another, whether they rent or have bought, but it is the case that the social housing tenants are less likely to maintain their houses and gardens. That isn’t a question of them being ‘dregs of society’ or any other emotive terms; it’s a statement of fact that all the owner occupied properties are well maintained and some of the housing association ones aren’t.

It probably isn’t a priority for them to weed their gardens and cut the grass, but it is a shame that they appear to care less about the property they live in.

You can do your own checks on the website streetcheck.co.uk there is a housing tab which tells you the proportion of home owners, private rentals and social housing.

Mumsnet may tell you that you are being a snob for thinking this is important, but many out there have the same priorities as you. It’s also why many people don’t like the new build estates.

Not being funny but you can usually tell a fucking mile away the social housing in new developments. Identical construction, different brick/render, solar panels and so on. Clustered together again.

They were integrating much more twenty years ago when I lived in a new town but homebuyers didn't like it.

I think I'd be more concerned about living with him than near social housing.

This was our only issue in 13 years.

There was a 4'6" fence which blew over.

When the HA replaced it, it was a 2m high fence as this was the newer standard. Both tenant next door and I were gutted as it made both gardens feel smaller and we had occasionally had a chat over the old fence. Even though it was "her" fence, she had no choice in the replacement.

No, it is your job to check out the area.

Our last house was on a road which was 50/50 social housing/owner occupier.

Zero issues.

Wouldn't even think to check this if I ever moved again.

Did you look on the crime map before buying ?

Although this doesn't narrow down the crime to individual houses, it can help identify problem areas.

I live in an area which has a lot of private housing and some islands/streets within it of social housing.

One particular cul de sac alone is responsible for about 30% of the crime reports in the local area and seems to generate them on a monthly basis. I suspect this is due to one or two dysfunctional people/families living in this area.

What other kind of neighbours do you think your solicitor should have warned you about?

How would we check? Knock on everyone’s doors?

How are you expecting a solicitor to check?

You say you don't want a discussion about social housing. But you're making assumptions about those people and you're expecting a solicitor to anticipate and reflect those assumptions on your behalf. How far are you expecting the solicitor to anticipate your prejudices? Should he alert you to the fact that the neighbours three doors down have a foreign sounding name just in case you're a bit racist?

Please let your husband visit the solicitor and then let us know how much they laughed at him.

No, don't be so ridiculous. By the sound of it your husband may be a problem neighbour.

The vendor is obliged to declare any disputes with neighbours as part of the conveyancing process. It doesn't sound like there is any evidence that your vendor did have an issue though.

Social housing is everywhere, including a lot of period properties where you would have no idea from their external appearance. Almost all new build estates have a proportion of social housing.

Your husband sounds very stupid and aggressive.

It isn't your solicitor's job to help you decide if you want to move to the area or not.

The survey I had done told me it was in an mixed area of private and social housing but I don't think the solicitor mentioned it.

To be honest you can move into an area with lovely neighbours that can change overnight when one decides to sell up etc. The worst neighbours I ever had owned their house, they were dreadful

Next time, speak to neighbours and get a feel of the area, we did this on our last house purchase and withdrew from one particular property, several said the local park was increasingly being used for anti social behaviours but i would not expect a Solicitor to find this out, they are there for the legal aspects of the purchase.

However, look at it this way, you could move to a nice posh area, your neighbour sells to a BTL landlord who moves in a badly behaved and noisy family

There are not guarantees.

Plus if this family actually are idiots, as opposed to unsubstantiated gossip, the HA may well move them on if the complaints continue.

If you share fencing or a building (e.g. semi-detatched) with a social housing provider then yes I think you should have been advised. This is because it could affect repairs and maintenance. I expect this is why mortgage providers and insurance companies ask.

Hahaha poor you stuck next to.. people living their lives?

So how would the solicitor know?

Hilarious that your DH thinks your solicitor should have checked that you won't be living near any poor people.😂

You sound like a pair of snobs. A house is a house.

I assume it was the house opposite, side on to us so you could see all angles, who were obviously dodgy as fuck, screaming and shouting in the street and having random cars turn up at all hours. It was obviously something to do with drugs from the people who would turn up.

forcing those tenants to mix with normal people
Normal people? Jesus wept

I hope it's not my new build estate, and I hope you don't decide to move here, because us dregs of society in our terrible social housing are clearly too rough for people like you.

When in reality we're a professional couple who are excellent neighbours, and the only issues anyone's ever had on this estate is the home owner on the end. Nasty, aggressive man with a loud sex-pond L, three feral children and a yappy French Bulldog.

Fucking hell, I bet you said all of that with a straight face as well.