Nice house in bad area or good area with tiny house?

[EnglishGirlApproximately]

We are looking at rental properties and are really struggling to find something that ticks most of the boxes. We currently rent an old council house on a nice estate but want to get nearer to work but after 4 months of looking we are still here.

The houses we like are without exception in rough areas - saw a lovely house today a few streets from the site of a recent murder . The houses we're looking at in nicer areas are tiny compared to our current home. I'm happy to downsize a bit but we can't even find one within our budget that has space for a dining table!

So we need to compromise - wwyd? Nice house or nice area?

We would love to stay where we are but ll are keen to sell this year and we're spending 300 a month on travel so we really have to move.

Yeah I know sm I think I'm clutching at straws as I'm sick to death of looking at houses and thinking that none of my furniture will fit in!

I don't know London well enough to give examples tbh. We aren't talking gang violence and knife crime just the sort of low level anti social behaviour common to loads of east mids mining towns. Drinking in the street, swearing graffiti etc.

It is not only black or white is it? Go grey. !

My house is in a 1970's private estate. So not a period avenue, could be nearer the station, but completely safe. Neighbours pleasant. There are dodgy areas i wouldnt dream of visiting never mind living in though.

I wouldn't really go by "reputation for being rough". I'd go by how I feel about it - do you feel safe on the street, walking after dark alone? are the parks clean and safe for children?

Are there groups hanging about shouting stuff at women, drinking in the parks etc? Are there problem neighbours, intimidating badly trained dogs?

Do you know anyone in the rough areas that you could ask? (Without saying "how do you like your shitty area?" Obviously!)

Nice area.

We made the choice of going for a bigger house in a less nice area, instead of a tiny flat in a nicer one years ago, and living with the consequences.

Constantly having to avoid dog poo on the surrounding streets is definitely one of the things that have become so habitual, it would seem strange to not have to shout to my kids to avoid.

Also the future prospect of the local catchment high school, with pretty poor GCSE results, unless we move.

The waft of marijuana is unmistakeable sometimes, when taking my kids to the local playground.

5yo Dd got scratched on the hand and face a few days ago by another little girl, similar age, there - just because dd went on a roundabout that she was also on. I thought about having a word with the other girl's mum (who was 'aving a fag with a gaggle of other mums on the periphery of the playground, and chatting away, not really keeping an eye on her dd). But then the little girl went to her and the next thing, she (mum), pulled the little girl's knickers down and got her to squat in the landscaped bushes...I thought "what's the point?".

Local council has closed the nearby public swimming pool, and there is talk of the library and community centre following suit.

I have been in the local library with my kids and witnessed the staff dealing with a brother and sister (age 5 and 7) who had been left there unattended for over an hour by their mum, who apparently used it as a free dumping ground, whilst she went off for an hour or two.

Nice businesses (clothes boutique, organic veg shop, Pilates studio) never seem to stay, as they just don't get the customers.

Could go on...but why let yourself in for years of that...

Grey is where we are now and very happy! Nice council estate in ok village - bit run down but not much crime, really friendly, fairly clean. If we could find something similar we would be extremely happy but we can't!

Location. You can't move your house, but you can do a lot with a house in a nice area. Is the smaller house extendable?

Years ago an estate agent told me that the nicest house in an area is extremely difficult to sell, and it is so true.

I have to walk througg an area that was considered rough when i was a child but over the last 35-40 years a lot of them have been bought due to their proximity to town, and now the residents are either old or they bought to get on ladder during boom. So it doesnt deserve its bad rep. There is another newer council place and that is not great.

bunbaker we are renting so extending not an option.

Nice area.

However, I'd take a look at the surrounding areas. Are they being gentrified? Independent coffee shops and artisan delis moving in? People doing up houses? Crime rates? If all the above apply and you're in it for the long term, I'd consider the dodgy area. If there's no chance of the dodgy area ever being nice then definitely go for the nice area.

If you are renting I don't think location is as important because you don't have to consider reselling. If you have children approaching school age you just need to think about the schools in the area.

Thanks all, I suppose I know the answer! The areas we are looking at aren't hotbeds of criminal activity but much as museumum describes with drinking in parks, dogs roaming etc. and I don't think I would be happy with Ds growing up somewhere like that.

holly have you been to the east mids? We don't really do gentrified

Just to play devil's advocate...

We moved to somewhere considered 'rough' nearly 3 years ago now, and we love it here. It's not nearly as bad as we thought. Look on the local police website - you can click and see how many actual crimes (and what type) happened in any street in the country.

If you already know quite a lot of people that live there why don't you ask them?

I live in a very gentrified area of the East Midlands, but it may be the only one...
you will be applying for schools in 1 year so I would pay. Very close attention to catchement lines.
anything else you can do? Bike your commute or car pool or look at border of good/bad area so you can access better facilities.
Would love to know where you live-we could give specfic advice.

Well after this thread we started looking at houses we would have considered too small and in just a few days we've found a lovely need home :)

Its a little bit small so we'll need to cull ourmassive collection of books, magazines and assorted crap but its a great little house. We have a kitchen diner, 3 bedrooms and a garden which were all things I thought we might lose. Its on a nice street with a green and a playground and near good schools.

Thanks all for helping us change direction :)

Thanks for the update. Sounds good. And whatever size house you'd fill it with stuff.

all good. We moved to a 'nicer' area and there is more crime. I think it does depend on whether less nice is just 'average' as it often is in small towns. People in London/ cities often have visions of something entirely different