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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think segregation In new build estates needs to stop!

159 replies

FourFiveSecondsFromSmiling · 18/04/2015 14:29

I live on a new build estate built about a year ago, 15% of the 500 homes are social housing.

The biggest problem we have on the estate is parking, the parking spaces are not allocated, it is generally considered that you park in a space near your home. I could not find a space near my home (social housing) so I parked on the private part of the estate and walked.

So I go to take dc to school the other day and a women rushes out saying I stole her space. I explained that parking spaces were not allocated and that she as am I are free to park anywhere. She then started ranting about how she works to pay for my house and called me council estate scum (infront of dc). I stated crying after I dropped dc off.

The next issue is that the residents association is generally hostile to the social tennants. I went to a meeting and could feel the hostility after I said my road.

We are constantly blamed for any crime on the estate because many in social housing including me have teenagers when the private homes tend to be 50+ .

I don't want to live in a community that has segregation (we are pretty much separate to the other homes apart from by the road). I don't know why because you pay £250,000 plus for a house you deserve to be treated better (or look down on others)

Aibu?

OP posts:
loa321 · 18/04/2015 15:13

People are shocked when they find out I live in social housing as they expect tenants to be scum. My husband and I both have professional jobs and pay full rent. When my child was younger one mum even stopped her child coming here to visit when she found out we lived in a HA house. I don't tell people if I can help it.

Prejudice is alive and well and I feel your pain.

ElectraCute · 18/04/2015 15:28

That's appalling OP. What a horrible experience Flowers

I live in a block of flats and am one of only two people in the block that rent privately, as opposed to being owner-occupiers. We (the tenants) get blamed for everything. Ds cannot even play quietly outside in the supposedly 'communal' garden without one of the miserable fuckers telling him off. I have lost count of the number of snotty notes I've had through my door about things that the owner-occupiers are allowed do with impunity.

In their eyes, I am scum simply because I can't afford to buy my own home, despite being a fully-employed professional earning an above-average salary and paying a high rent for the privilege of being looked down upon.

They are vile, narrow-minded arseholes, OP. I would happily report her to the residents' association, though it doesn't sound as if you'll get much joy from them either.

Timetodrive · 18/04/2015 15:41

The new estate by me causes some unpleasant comments, from all usually with claims of snobbery, accusation of lowering value and even comments from those on shared ownership looking down on the HA renting occupants. The biggest problem is it obvious which house are which due to the specifications, the private ones have a much superior finish and the social areas in the far corners as if to purposely trying to hide them. Crap planning.

toboldlygo · 18/04/2015 16:01

Unfortunately this attitude is not unique to social tenants. As part of the planning regulations in our town any new development must include 'affordable' housing with covenants that initially restrict sale to people with a local connection.

The most recent development is of a dozen four and five bedroom detached homes, each with garden and driveway, costing just under half a million apiece. The affordable homes are a block of five terraced houses facing the main road with a communal access alley along the back (no gardens) and a car park allowing only 1.4 spaces per house.

Only two were bought by owner-occupiers (we couldn't afford one, still private tenants) and the rest remained on sale for over a year after the covenants were lifted, eventually went buy-to-let and have private tenants in now.

The parking situation there now is unbearable and it's the residents of the terraces that are blamed. Thing is, if you can afford to buy or rent one of these so called 'affordable' houses you are a dual income household and as we are rural that means two cars. But park on the road outside an owned home - one which has ample parking and turning space, there is no inconvenience caused by others parking nearby - there have been notes, passive-aggressive signs, police called, threats of paint stripper and letting tyres down...

YANBU and I'm sorry that someone made you feel this way.

Middlerose · 18/04/2015 16:04

OP, the best thing you can do is prove them wrong. Be polite, civil, and friendly. Rise above their ignorance. It's their problem, not yours.

If I were you, I would start with the immediate neighbours, the people living next door. Invite them round for a cup of tea. Word will soon spread that you are a nice lady.

DoraGora · 18/04/2015 16:11

It's a slightly different conversation. But, I have come across people who believe that they own a section of the public highway in front of their houses!

shewept · 18/04/2015 16:14

I live on a new estate. I have been here 3 years and they are still building. I couldn't guess which are the HA houses and there has certainly been none of the problems you described at meetings. Your neighbours are obviously dicks. That's nothing to do with how its laid out.

I would assume that alot of the HA are in this section, purely because alot of the blocks of houses (most are blocks of 3 or 4) were on the site plan as sold, as soon as it opened, we came down the first day. But I can't remember which ones. We knew we wanted this plot as it had a much bigger garden so didn't pay too much attention to which were sold and which were not.

Its never even occurred to me. There are a mixture of renters and home owners at the meetings. I couldn't tell you who is privately renting and who isn't.

ShouldIworryornothelp · 18/04/2015 16:14

Round here the social housing properties look different. They look cheaper and very plain and stand out from the private homes. It's disgraceful that snobbery like this exists. I found it when I lived in a HA flat. Little things like our communal door wasn't lockable and the stairway was plain concrete but theirs was carpeted. The worse was the HA locked a fire escape at the behest of the private residents.

ImNameyChangey · 18/04/2015 16:15

Show them how it's done by organising some litter picking volunteer groups...drop leaflets in all the houses...think about organising some group planting sessions for the areas which could have bulbs put in for next spring. Show them that it's nothing to do with where you live but what you DO that matters.x Sorry she made you cry.

shewept · 18/04/2015 16:20

The most contentious issue at our meetings is that commercial people who live here can not park commercial vehicles on the estate. People keep parking them near our house and keep complaining to us. Again I couldn't tell you which flat/ house owned them. That's a pita.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 18/04/2015 16:20

You poor thing, I really feel for you. I used to live in a block of flats where parking was limited and if the car park was full we had to park on the road outside. One morning I went out to my car and all of a sudden a woman from one of the bungalows started shouting at me (I hadn't been badly parked) and telling me that 'people like me should go back to where they belong'. Unfortunately for her I was blocked in by the bin lorry at that point so I had plenty of time to give as good as I got, much to the amusement of the bin men! It really shook me up though and I was nervous about parking there afterwards.

HesterShaw · 18/04/2015 16:22

Flowers OP. What a horrible woman and a stressful upsetting situation.

WindMeUpAndLetMeGo · 18/04/2015 16:23

Are you sure their parking is not allocated? I live in a similar situation, we own our house and our parking space is part of our deeds - the housing association houses do not have allocated spaces. And yes, it pisses me off when someone parks in my space.

The way she spoke to you was completely out of order.

Original poster
FourFiveSecondsFromSmiling · 18/04/2015 16:44

Thanks to all the kind words FlowersCake

No allocation I would not park in someone's space.

What pisses me of is that the teens in the social housing get blamed when teenagers also live in the private properties. Yes the teenagers in social housing go on to the estate to hang but they are not the ones that did the trouble, it could be teens from the private housing or ones from outside the estate entirely. I think it's sad that teen dc know no one on the private part of the estate their age.

Thanks again.

OP posts:
Mrsjayy · 18/04/2015 17:09

You know tv programmes like benefits britain and all that give idiots the impression that social housing means scum its ridiculous

21biobaby · 18/04/2015 17:13

I agree are you sure parking is not allocated? My dad lives in a new build of flats and is moving into a new build house on an estate. Both homes had allocated parking spaces that are on the deeds.

SouthWestmom · 18/04/2015 17:15

Things like carpeting the communal area will be a cost and upkeep thing won't they? So private properties pay a management charge for repair and replacement and cleaning whereas housing ass tenants don't?

Original poster
FourFiveSecondsFromSmiling · 18/04/2015 17:15

I agree mrsjayy they pick extreme examples, but you can find extremes in every group. But it's when that extreme is presented as the norm it creates hatred.

OP posts:
Feminine · 18/04/2015 17:22

Housing association tenants *do pay an upkeep fee too.
Plus, another thing.
Why on earth should op have to invite people in "for a cup of tea" to show how nice she might be?

Feminine · 18/04/2015 17:23

Management charge l mean.
HA residents pay it too.

ElizabethHoover · 18/04/2015 17:24

Agree I wouldn't live near social housing. Noise Litter. aSB. No way.

Presume segregation is the only way they can sell the other houses.

PuntasticUsername · 18/04/2015 17:24

That's horrible OP, so sorry that happened to you! Shock the woman sounds like a total dick. I live on a road that also has housing association houses on, and I'd never say anything like that to a HA tenant. Even if they were twats, I'd have a go at them for being twats rather than being HA tenants. The fact that she did the latter says a lot more about her than it does about you Thanks

Feminine · 18/04/2015 17:27

Poor Elizabeth
You must have leaf such a shelteredlife.
Hope you remember your fan when you venture beyond your domicile.

Original poster
FourFiveSecondsFromSmiling · 18/04/2015 17:29

Elizibeth their is little to know anti social behaviour, litter or noise.

You sound unbeleivable prejudiced.

OP posts:
ElizabethHoover · 18/04/2015 17:32

I have no issue with the people who live there. The areas just look unsightly, sofas on the lawns. Vans parked everywhere (obv as not enough parking) bins out on the wrong days. Takeaway boxes all over the place.

I'd like to say it's not that way. It just is. Why is that?

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