Offered council house in a not very good area?

We are lucky enough to be in a council house we pay just over half what the private rent would be but we are in East London, rents are extortionate

Pensioners are exempt from bedroom tax in England. It only applies to working age people. In my area, you can only get HA homes via the Council, in addition to Council homes.

There’s no upper earnings threshold with our council….you could earn 100k ….there is however an affordability check so if you deemed not to have enough money coming in ( eg debts) you will be refused…..my nephew was earning 80k before giving up his council house to buy

theres bedroom tax here but only if you rely on benefits to pay your rent….if you pay your own rent you can stay in a 3 bed until the day you die ….we don’t have housing associations…only council homes….after one year you are given a secure tenancy with no end date

Id be interested to know the area so I could look at this allocations policy . Pm me if you prefer.

The tough thing for older homeowners in fairly cheap properties is that they’re stuck. Example, 80 year old couple, with declining health and mobility who own their three bedroomed terrace house. They are struggling, they have no family in the area. They can't afford to buy a specialist flat, those cost as much as their house. Their pensions aren’t enough to pay the service charges attached to these flats. But they would really benefit by having secure, level access accommodation.

If they sell it, they could afford to pay (the quite expensive) rent for a flat in a retirement complex. But local authorities will prioritise anyone over 60 in rented accommodation over owner occupiers. The problem doesn’t arise in the same way for the better off, their house will fund and sustain buying retirement housing. Not every home owner has earned a lot, they have made a choice that in retrospect has left them discriminated against.

That varies by area. In my area, anyone can go on the list for social housing, even home owners. There's no earnings limit.

My area has a band system and the bottom band includes people out of the area, home owners etc. They will be waiting for a long time, probably years and years but they are allowed to apply.

Only if you don't earn enough to rent privately. I know people who are privately renting and would love to go on the waiting list for social housing as the rent is so much cheaper, but they can't because their household income is too high. A few years ago it was a £40k threshold in my area, but it may well have gone up now.

I think you will find that the newer tenancies are no longer lifetime. In my area I think you initially get a yearly tenancy and then after that it is extended to something like 20 years (this may vary by area). This is because when people get older and the children have left home, the Council can then require you to downsize to a smaller property in order to to free up the larger homes. You will always have a roof over your head though, unless I suppose you flatly refuse to move when required to do so. Presumably then they can evict you.

I am not sure you will be able to overlap your tenancies. I don't think that will be allowed.

Tough decision - but I'm pleased you declined it.

I wouldn't trade the experience of a decent neighbourhood for my children to grow and thrive in - to be closer to family.

There's a lot to be said for feeling safe 24/7 these days - the HO don't care about that they just want to quickly move someone else in, that's their job done and you'd be stuck there - no way out. It's also a way to get people off the housing list if you refuse to take what they're offering.

I really hope things work out for you & your family xx

Join the local fb group for that area and ask about it 🤷‍♀️ say you are concerned as have heard bad things but wanted honesty from the people who live there or know people who live there

I think that’s a bit unfair, I’d be concerned if a house that is lovely inside ( which would indicate that a previous tenant had spend money on it) had a high turnover of tenants in a short period of time. Not unreasonable to be wary. Could you go to the area for a mooch around, perhaps with a friend, get a feel for what’s going on, especially evenings and weekends.

If you can afford to privately rent, then do so. You don’t have to live in an area where you don’t feel safe or comfortable. I guess that puts you back to the bottom of the housing list now?

You have put a lot of thought into this and I wish you all the best.

@rhinnq Why would you need a guarantor?

You need to speak to a housing charity because they won't accept feeling the area is terrible (even if it objectively is) as a reason to not remove you from the housing list. There are no other housing associations or councils of other areas nearby?
Your problem is refusing means off the list

I think you need to prioritise and consider what it felt like living with being stalked - it sounds like the council house might put you back into a similar predicament/feeling. Which house/area would you feel safest in, which is best for the whole family's health - you being main carer for 2 toddlers & OH works full time you'll be in the house the most & will probably feel vulnerable/not wanting to go out so you'll feel trapped.

We were homeless a few years ago, our landlord sold the house - we had to delay the sale/refuse to move out until we were able to bid. We picked a house on the nicest street close to where we lived - it was stripped bare, nothing except kitchen & bathroom, it was disgusting - all the available properties were the same. As if that wasn't bad enough we inherited neighbours from hell, one harrassed us in ways you wouldn't imagine and it continued for 6 years. It's soul destroying having bad neighbours.

So peace of mind and safety with your family is what I'd choose any day.

Not true.
My DP was served a Sec21 after 14 years in his privately rented flat. He approached the council for help. It was a no. My local council means tests people to even get on the housing list. He takes home £2k a month and that is considered too much to eligible for social housing where we live. A couple are not eligible if they have a joint income of £40k (it might have been £45k, I forget).
He is now stuck paying half his take home on private rent. It took him months after the Sec21 came in to find aa place. He was 1 of 30 or so people viewing each property, and he formally applied for most of the ones he viewed. Always someone better was accepted.

Me either!! I think it depends on council area but from a quick Google (I'm not on mainland so maybe sightly different here) it seems like length of time living or working in certain areas can create eligibility as well as housing need. You just might not be as high priority. Its definitely a stress, I've rented for years and thankfully only had one landlord who gave notice in order to sell but the security of buying or social housing is just gold. Especially when you've kids to provide for and get to school etc in a specific area. It's one thing for a single or adult couple but it's much, much harder for a family to just go where the houses are now.

Op speak to a charity or similar service that advises on housing or a citizens advice service first, maybe shelter. Housing officers are put under pressure to move in 'good' tenants such as families into problematic areas so they will want you to move in because that benefits their catchment area and the housing provider. The more 'good' tenants move in to an area the better the area becomes and the easier to keep the tenancy filled being the logic.

What you need is impartial advice on how you can best argue your specific case as to why this particular tenancy is unsuitable without being removed from the list. Which means you need to prove unsuitability.

@Lavender14 The difference being I couldn't care less if they nicked my shitty old banger! 😆 I've never owned a car worth nicking in my entire life!