Council House Envy - it's a real thing

[LuisSuarezTeeth]

To be fair, I thought I'd only seen it on MN. I've now experienced it in three different scenarios and it's depressing.

Never mind all the misconceptions about "free housing", "subsidised rents" and all that. People who live in council houses seem to be the envy of the rental community with an automatic black mark against them because of the way they might have secured their tenancy.

[MikeLitoris]

I'm not ashamed to say I'm envious of the families that live on my street that pay half the rent that I do for exactly the same house.

The fact is it allows them a much better standard of living than I have. They can have a sahp or an extra child.

But the fault isn't that they have cheap rent. It's that my private rent is ridiculously high.

[Patrickstarisabadbellend]

I had remarks when we went in holiday. Like council/housing association tenants aren't supposed to have holidays

[SaucyJack]

I live in a council flat. I was given it after leaving a seven year relationship with a man who beat me up in front of my two babies and sexually abused me.

The flat has no heating, the windows don't shut, the bathroom hasn't been replaced since it was put it fifty years ago and half the kitchen units are missing after being smashed off the walls by a previous tenant. It's so damp that sofas/bedclothes grow mould and we're infested with silverfish. It's in a rough road that has weekly police visits to break up fights and the older children can't play out as they get beaten up.

This is entirely the norm for council tenants in our district. Anyone who's jealous is quite frankly a bit deranged.

[lostlalaloopsy]

My mum lives in HA house and sister in a council one. Where I live there are no real bad areas so they are both quite lucky. The council just put a new bathroom in my sisters council house complete with shower, wet wall and lino - so she's delighted.

My DH and I bought an ex council house in a lovely street. On either side of us the houses are council, one lady is on her own in a lovely 3 bedroom house. She has been offered cash to swap with people! That's the other bonus with council houses, if you find someone willing you can swap to other areas!

[StillFrigginRexManningDay]

SaucyJack how on earth could they relet somewhere in such a state?

[PausingFlatly]

I can't help wondering how many ex-council houses are now owned by landlords and rented out privately..

The answer is a third - and in one London borough, half of all ex-council flats.

[LST]

I know how lucky I am. I don't ever want to leave the security of a council house.

[ArsenicyOldFace]

The council house tenants have someone (reasonably) reliable to call when something needs fixing, their houses are properly maintained,

Hahahahaha! My poor friend has her (only) loo out of action at least once a fortnight and it is always a struggle to get her council LL to fix it.She has to put three DC in the car and come here or to other friends in rotation every time it happens. What is really needed is replacement but they have been fobbig her off. She took a case to the ombudsman to get her boiler properly fixed, poor thing.

When I volunteer at CAB or DH canvasses for political party on doorsteps every second person has a similar tale

[Frontier]

Of course Patrick but it happens more reliably for council tenants, and the tenants do benefit. Many of the privately let ex-council houses are in a shocking state. Obviously that's what wrong, that some private landlords don't do a better job but it's not surprising that the tenants stuck with them feel some jealousy.

I can't imagine how the fact that you are council house tenants came up on holiday. I can honestly say I have never told anyone I met on holiday whether I live in a privately owned mansion or a council flat.

[Pipbin]

People know you pay rent in a council house, you just pay an awful lot less than if you were renting privately.

I know people who think that council tenets live in their houses for free.

As for the difference between council and private rent mantainace is that in a private rent you are often asking one person to fix the boiler etc and they will send their dodgy mate round to do it. Things like new windows or kitchens will often only happen between tenancies.
However, because the council has a larger housing stock to maintain they will generally decide to replace all the windows in one street, for example, as it is cheaper for them to do it all at once.
The council maintain their houses as routine, private landlords often leave maintainace until the building is about to fall down or when someone moves out so they can up the rent.

[LST]

Oh and I agree with Arsenic.. our council are shite with repairs ect. Like really shite. Weeks wait would be good. We waiting 18 months to fix a drain. I could go on... (and on and on and on...)

[ArsenicyOldFace]

It depends so much on the politics of the local council Saucy.

[Patrickstarisabadbellend]

I think you got the wrong end of the stick frontier . I mean people in my village.

[Egghead68]

I know plenty of people who have a council house or flat with a garden in central London. I would never be able to afford to live in central London in my life, let alone with a garden, and instead have to put up with a very long commute. So yes, I am a bit envious.

[StillFrigginRexManningDay]

I agree Arsenic theres a house on the street and there is something wrong with the toilet drainage system and a few times raw sewage has been known to flow out of the toilet. it took weeks for someone to come out.

[LuisSuarezTeeth]

Just to point out that rents are not always that much lower. Identical house next door to me was let in January at only £50 per month more than I pay.

[LEMmingaround]

Envious here. I own my house. Or should i say the bank does. Its falling down around my ears as despite dp being a builder we can't afford to do the work. Our mortgage is crippling. If there are any problems with my house its down to us. My friends ds broke a plug socket the other week. She made a call to the council -fixed the next day! Her rent is quite high but she is secure and doesn't have to worry about having a short month and getting into mortgage arrears or losing her job. Her home is secure.

On the other hand - her newly built council house is tiny. She has practically no garden and her neighbours are vile. She is restricted on what she can do with the place.

Swings and round abouts.

I am envious to a degree but i don't begrudge. My parents have a council house where i grew up. They would have paid ten times over for that house over the years.

Swings and roundabouts

[MagratsHair]

I don't have council house envy.

I live near some rough estates & tower blocks & when I pass them I think there for the grace of God as I would be in one of them were it not for my luck in having parents who could help me financially after my divorce.

Every stereotype going, these estates have got it & its not safe to walk around at night, the tower block stairs smell of piss as you walk by, there are the hoody lads with their status dogs & skinheads weaving down the road shouting & you dare not make eye contact with them. At our last school I had friends in the tower blocks who were open about the drug dealers next door & the relentless loud music from neighbours that they couldn't anything about & about how their children couldn't play outside. One mother sent her children outside & had a visit from the PCSO's about letting her child play in an unsafe area.

I would pay £800.00 pm rent to avoid a council house in a deprived area in this city.

[LST]

My rent is about £100 less a month than private. So a lot, but not as much as people think.

[Frontier]

Ah yes, sorry Patrick.

It's awful if they were actually horrible to you about it but it's not surprising that there were envious that you can afford a holiday they can't, if they know you are paying less rent for the same or a similar house as them.

The same as if you know someone is earning more for doing much the same job as you. It's not their fault, there's nothing they can do about it but you'd still be a bit jealous, surely that's human nature?

It must vary from area to area then Arsenic. Round here it's almost a joke (among tenants of both types of let and owner occupiers) that the council tenants like in luxury compared to private letters and most owner occupiers.

[Frontier]

like live

[redshifter]

Where I am council housing is dependent on wages/benefits, ie you earn under an amount to apply for a council house.

Yes, but circumstances often change, you can study and get a good job, marry someone on a high wage, lots of things. All great, nothing wrong with it, but you so often get thd situation where a couple haVe an income of £60000 a year paying 3 times less rent than the couple next door on £30000. I wouldn't think less of the couple that are council tenants but they are fortunate and I would be envious.
My niece has a lovely 2 bed council flat, which got because of low income, need and vulnerability (she was a 17 yr old single parent, and really did need it) . 2 years ago she meat a lovely man with a good job and his own house, I am so pleased for her. He moved in with her, they now have there own DS. He rents his house out to a los income family who in the past would a got a council tenancy.
It all seems a bit messed up.
I think the only answer is a MASSIVE social housing building program.

[StillFrigginRexManningDay]

redshifter the more money uyou or any member of your household earns the more the rent goes up. Does it not go that way in UK? For example when dh was out of work we paid E50 a week rent and now that he is back in work we pay E177 a week rent. If I got a job it would increase again, if dh gets a bonus it increases for the next year etc.

[LST]

Still - I've always paid full rent it goes up a couple of quid a week every year regardless