Honestly, do you judge people who live in council estates?

[Dotcheck]

So, I live in my own home on a council estate. I’m well educated, and have always worked in a job which requires a degree + a post graduate qualification, but is poorly paid.
I’m grateful I own my own home. I’m divorced, never remarried so moving hasn’t been an option.
After my divorce, I bought my ex husband out, but qualified for a mortgage by the skin of my teeth. I believe I’m really lucky- many people can’t afford to buy their own home, and in many places in the world, people live in awful conditions.
However, I recently changed jobs and I’m now in a place which has more ‘middle class’ people. I hate those sorts of designations but there we are.
I’ve heard so many people make off handed comments about council estates and the people who live there. Although I do feel grateful to have my own home, I’m heartbroken/ furious that my children may be judged for where they come from.
So- do you judge? Or have you had those experiences?

I have some family members who live in an area which still has
some Council properties but is mostly Right to Buy. I am naice
Council are council they pretend nothing else but most who bought make it clear they think they are better now Quite nauseating as most of us have had to pay full mortgages without a state subsidy
They lack social conscience in many cases cramming 2 cars across the pavement of their tiny
terraced houses
They are not grateful and may be
the new breed of Tories Not sure

No, I live in a HA property myself and it’s in one of the most expensive parts of the UK. I’m grateful every day for it.

I have been on the receiving end of a nasty mix of judgment and snobbery in RL and have often seen similar on here, sometimes overtly, but mostly sly/veiled. Middle classes of a certain type resent that they cannot afford to live where I live and feel that the working classes are undeserving to be in such properties especially if they’re in receipt of benefits to help them pay for it. Most people don’t like to admit they feel that way so I’ll be interested to see if anyone will admit it on this thread.

No I honestly wouldn't but I'm foreign so that might be why.

I judge people who buy council houses.

Out of interest, why? You might judge the original tenants who bought them in the 80s, but by this point they are just part of the normal housing stock. It’s not like if you don’t buy it, the owner will hand it back to the council.

No, I never even give it a thought.

I think judging people for living in council houses is a thing of the 80s/ 90s.

I'd only care if someone was homeless, and then it would be a case of wanting to help, not judgement.

I wouldnt judge at all. I'd love to own my own home and if it were on a council estate so be it 🤷🏼‍♀️

I'm a council tenant in a flat on an estate so no I don't.

Does it matter what other people think. I don't live on a council house estate but used to and there are many things I miss. As long as you are happy who cares.

Even though I'm well off now, I grew up on a council estate and remember where I'm from. No judgement from me

Yes people do judge.
I spent the first part of my childhood/teens in a lovely old farmhouse. When I was seventeen it became subject to a compulsory purchase order to be demolished to make way for a local project. The compensation was minimal, a joke really, not enough to buy so all we were offered was a house on a council estate in a town in the area. The difference I encountered whenever I had to give my address for any reason was a real eye opener.

We own our own home - no mortgage - on what is predominantly still a council estate. I think there’s only a couple of others that are owned. We bought at the right time and for peanuts due to location.

Sometimes I do long for a ‘nicer’ area - we have a lot of issues with litter and dog shit and there is generally a lack of pride / maintenance in the area. And we have a couple of houses where dreadful tenants are moved in and out regularly. But most people have been here a long time.

we took DS out trick or treating for Halloween and the community spirit was amazing on our estate.

And most people I know are mortgaged up to the eyeballs in homes smaller than ours, and I wouldn’t change that at all!

I grew up working class and I've spent a good portion of my adult life on the poverty line, including living in a mouldy council flat.

But I've got University education, and I sound fairly erudite so a lot of the judgey people don't realise my humble beginnings, and make those same offhand comments (same re. Benefits. I'm disabled and live off of UC and PIP). So I always say "I'm actually one of those people you're talking about" and they immediately back pedal. It's pathetic.

I don't judge council tenants, but would be unwilling to buy an ex council property. Nothing to do with snobbery, but I've heard (a) they can be difficult to sell (b) owners can get ripped off by the council eg charging high rates for maintainence, or if the whole estate is to be demolished they often only offer very low rates under compulsory purchase. It would depend on the property though.

I grew up on a very rough estate - it once earned being the most deprived estate in England. My Mum had also been brought up on the same estate, we had family all around us Parents eventually able to buy their own home - on the outskirts of the ‘nice’ part of town. In the years we lived there we had our bikes stolen, car broken into. 3 attempts breaking into our house. We even had a burnt out car dumped after it had been used in a burglary. Nothing we had experienced living on the estate!
I now own my own home in a different area, very much and mix of council and owned homes - other than the odd sign (you would only know if you had grown up on a estate) you would never know which house was owned which was rented.

Any one that would judge me or others are not worth having them in your life.

I'm an HA tenant and have exchanged my home numerous times to finally get what I wanted, where I wanted it. So I have lived in some not so nice places. But now I have a lovely home in a quiet street in London.

What I have found interesting is that people I've met, when I say my place is HA, they expect me to be in a flat or on some dodgy estate and actually seem a bit put out when they find out the property I do have. Like they don't mind me having an HA place if they can still feel "above" me so they want me to live somewhere not so nice.

But that is what it boils down to. Too many people feel a need to see themselves as "better" than others. So looking down on SH tenants or council estates is one of the things they do. But those are people you shouldn't concern yourself with.

I browse a few homeswapper sites (a SH tenants equivalent of right move!). And some of the houses are so nice. I think people would be surprised if they've only ever seen the stereotypes.

I work in a fairly well paid profession where the senior people are pretty wealthy - I’m not in that bracket but I have a house in a nice area and come from a fairly comfortable background so no direct experience of council housing.

Would I judge you? Absolutely not. Anyone who does is honestly just a horrible snob and their attitude says much more about them than you.

I judge people not on who they are or what they are but how they behave, DD has made friends with girl from a council house, DD says she's really nice and kind....that's good enough for me, I couldn't give a toss what her house is like.

No, I do judge people who judge people for living on council estates though. Bunch of wankers anyway, so who cares?

We just bought an ex council house and I love it.

I live in social housing and am senior in my work. Unfortunately it's a 30 hr contract which means I have to be careful with my income.

I grew up in council houses and will likely never be able to own my own house.

I am honest about my housing because it challenges the status quo where I work. I'm not ashame, I actually feel very lucky.

The worst attitude comes from the people who work for/with the housing association. They actually stated in my house that tenants were "all druggies and dropouts" which was heard by my graduate son. He reported it and apparently they dismissed him for it.

I grew up on a council estate.
I judged certain people who lived on it but I would of judged them wherever they lived.

For those that asked. Council houses from 1961 had to be built to Parker Morris standards which were very generous compared to todays minimum standards.

Depends. There are estates and there are estates.

It's true they do think that. I've had to ask them to put a note on saying we both work Mon-sat and need flexible dates for them coming out. They still assume we're in all day or for days at a time.

I don't understand the judging wtf wants to private rent because of the mortgage thing and ditto having a mortgage? Far too much is put on owning your own house. It's fucking weird.

Nope. Most people would actually be envious nowadays, not consider it a negative thing.