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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To take a bigger council house than we need?

999 replies

isthisunreasonable · 15/01/2013 10:11

Have namechanged for this as it's pretty obvious who I am if you know me...

We currently have a two bedroom house (3 children) and we can fir just about but it's a squeeze. We are "entitled" (cringe) to a 3 bed house but it's likely to be 4-5 yrs by the time we would be offered one so placed our details on the Housing Association's "mutual exchange" site. We have also said we are happy to take a 2 bedroom house with separate dining room to use as the 3rd bedroom.

Have been contact by someone via our housing association's "mutual exchange" list. They have a large 4 bed house with a dining room and massive garden and they want to downsize (older couple all kids left home) and would like our house.

Given that is is bigger than we actually need . Part of me thinks it should go to a family with 5/6 kids but part of me thinks this couple are looking for a mutual exchange to downsize to a 2 bed house, what's the chance of them fining such a large family in a 2 bed house that they want.

It would be fabulous for us of course, lots of space for everyone, kids could have their own bedrooms and a nice big garden to play and we wouldn't have to move again when we have more children (planning another 1 or 2 in next 5 years perhaps).

Would we be unreasonable to accept it?

OP posts:
LegoAcupuncture · 15/01/2013 11:16

Why should the op give up a secure tenancy to rent privately and have to move her family around whenever the landlord decides so?

I have a council house, it has three bedrooms and adapted for my child with SN. I have three children. No way would I want to rent privately because the landlord wouldn't want to adapt their property and uprooting children every year or so isn't fair on the child.

ariane5 · 15/01/2013 11:17

Go for it and enjoy your new home.

Ignore anybody on here who is being unkind it is either pure jealousy or ignorance.
A 4 bed will not be too big for your needs at all it will be lovely for your dcs to all have their own room.

Don't let anybody make you feel guilty, I recently made the mistake of posting on aibu about my circumstances re my 4 disabled dcs and our situation and was flamed.
A handful of people were lovely you just have to go with those ones.
All the best

IfNotNowThenWhen · 15/01/2013 11:17

"Private rent cannot be anything else but sky high whilst public money is spaffed on subsidising housing for people who are working and therefore don't need it.

Subsidise the private rental sector and you'll see rents for all fall very, very quickly."

???Private rent is sky high due to interest rates being kept artificially low for years, and banks over lending for years. Any subsidies housing charities (which most HA are) get have no bearing on private rent being high.

Bogeyface · 15/01/2013 11:18

Well you could certainly apply DSM, but as I said, your financial situation is not relevant. Unless it led to you being homeless in which case you would be a priority.

Having to pay high rent and cut back elsewhere is not a condition of qualifying. But 4 children in a 1 bedroom flat (say) would be.

Chunderella · 15/01/2013 11:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Babygruffalosmum · 15/01/2013 11:20

My rent is crazy high but it's hardly your fault. Go for it and enjoy it. There's always people who think the grass is greener but when it actually came to it they wouldn't want to live in HA/council houses anyway. Leave them be bitter. As long as you and your family are happy, healthy and comfortable who cares what they think? They'll complain about anyone getting cheaper housing employed or not. It's just misplaced jealousy!

IfNotNowThenWhen · 15/01/2013 11:20

And also, 60% of "people who are working" qualify for HB in private rented places because rents are too high.
If I was in social housing I wouldn't be a HB claimant, so my council would no longer be subsidising my housing in that way. Yes council housing is subsidised, although, since most of it is quite old now the capital costs of building it have been paid off by now.

Bogeyface · 15/01/2013 11:20

Subsidise the private rental sector and you'll see rents for all fall very, very quickly.

Really? YOu think?! Or perhaps the majority of LL's would keep their rents at their current level and pocket the difference!

LilBlondePessimist · 15/01/2013 11:21

The one who I knew originally, through whom I know the others is 39. So a wee while to go yet. The others vary between early 40s and late 50s so a bit closer. They have each to a man snapped up cheap repos from families who have lost their homes in the recession, given them a lick of paint, then rented them out to poor fuckers who have possibly had their homes repossessed (irony anyone) and who now can't afford to buy.

Bloodsuckers the lot of them.

And yes, they'll be paying tax, as is the op and her husband. As they should.

Social housing was created to affordably house the working family. What part of that do you find hard to swallow?

PandaOnAPushBike · 15/01/2013 11:21

Gosh, a lot of jealousy and lack of knowledge on this thread. I lived in a Housing Association house prior to emigrating. My HA's funds all came from a massive fund bequeathed to the local community by an extremely wealthy local land-owner when he died. All of their developments consisted of 1/3 shared ownership, 1/3 off the local council waiting list, and 1/3 anyone else who wanted one.

WorraLiberty · 15/01/2013 11:22

Chunderella See my post at 11:14

ExitPursuedByABear · 15/01/2013 11:22

I would go for it OP, and not feel guilty.

I think the remark that has probably caused the biggest 'issue' is that you are planning on having a couple more children. Many people paying private rents or mortgages simply cpuld not afford to consider that choice.

LtEveDallas · 15/01/2013 11:23

Do you know any private landlords? Most of them are renting out their own home in order to work elsewhere. A very, very few make a profit

I know lots - Military Housing being at a premium in my area we have an awful lot of soldiers in private rentals. Almost to a man, when they were contacted by the housing people they put their rents up to the maximum allowed by the MOD....for some this was an increase of £300 per month.

I'd say very, very few DON'T make a profit.

expatinscotland · 15/01/2013 11:23

'For those of you bitching about unfairness I'd like to ask how many of you have parents, friends, aunts etc who benefitted from buying their council house at a vastly reduced sum? You might have even grown up in them.....my parents paid a pittance for their council house...a huge subsidy.'

Exactly! And many, many then turned round and sold those ex-council houses they got very cheaply for huge profit.

LadyBeagleEyes · 15/01/2013 11:23

It sounds wonderful Op.
I bet you can't wait.Grin.
My HA house is a fairly new build ,about 10 years old I think.
I got it when I separated, as my job was live in.
I live in a very rural area in the Highlands, where every house privately rented are holiday homes in which the owners visit for about 2 weeks a year.
I was very lucky to get it.

TroublesomeEx · 15/01/2013 11:24

If it's not going to cause you problems to do so in the future (e.g. with under occupancy) then I'd do it.

I rent privately. I agree that private rents are ridiculously high and that there are problems with housing being unaffordable in this country for lots of people and that it is a situation that could have been avoided if the people who had the power to make a difference hadn't been up to their eyeballs in it themselves...

But that doesn't mean I'm going to let my feelings cloud how I'd feel about someone else's situation.

Take it, take it, take it and enjoy. If you don't, someone else will and you'll still be in the same position.

PureQuintessence · 15/01/2013 11:25

Do your swap as it will benefit this elderly couple greatly.

Then maybe, as you earn enough to plan 5 kids, why dont you pay back the generosity allowed you by this HA years ago when you were in need, by moving out of your HA housing and onto the private market?

DSM · 15/01/2013 11:26

So how does the OP qualify? Because she once did and never moved? I'm not 'bitching', I am only asking. And you can call it jealousy if you like, I am more than willing to admit that we would be a lot more comfortable and happy if we could pay half what we pay in rent. This is not the OP's fault.

And jakebullet - none. Not a single person I know lives in an ex-council house. Maybe there aren't so many around here?

orangepudding · 15/01/2013 11:26

Whether you can apply for council/HA housing depends on where you live.

This coucil won't even put many people applying on to a list.

SamSmalaidh · 15/01/2013 11:27

It's within the rules, you can afford the rent - DO IT you'd be mad not to!

The housing scandal in this country is the lack of social housing and the fact that taxpayers are subsidising private landlords NOT that social housing rents are set at a reasonable amount.

Bogeyface · 15/01/2013 11:28

why dont you pay back the generosity allowed you by this HA

Why was it generous?! She needed a home, she fulfilled the criteria, she got a home!

Should she spend the rest of her life tugging her forelock and saying "Thank you very much for your kindness Guv'nor" when she passes the HA office?!

PureQuintessence · 15/01/2013 11:28

I would not be surprised if Camerons next move is to abolish council housing. Few countries have as much council housing as Britain.

expatinscotland · 15/01/2013 11:29

'Then maybe, as you earn enough to plan 5 kids, why dont you pay back the generosity allowed you by this HA years ago when you were in need, by moving out of your HA housing and onto the private market?'

Why on EARTH would anyone give up a secure tenancy with a family? How do you know the OP can even afford private market rent? She may be low-income. How is it 'generous' that a family can be housed securely and something to be 'paid back'?

Many private landlords won't let to people with children at all. Or, if the OP is low-income, she'll need partial HB. Good luck finding a private landlord who'll take children AND HB!

SamSmalaidh · 15/01/2013 11:29

PureQuintessence - so you think the OP should move into the private sector, into a house that is twice as expensive, and probably have to claim housing benefit so the taxpayer can fund a private landlord Confused

Orwellian · 15/01/2013 11:30

What a crazy country where we have an apartheid system which means people in social housing can have as many children as they like and a bigger property subsidised by the taxpayer and those who are not entitled have to limit the number of children they have, pay much much more for a smaller place with less security. Great system to reward work and responsibility - not!