To be disgusted at my friend buying her council house?

[AbsoluteUnfairBollox]

And refuse to offer any congratulations whatsoever

She just announced on Facebook that her house purchase completed today. she's bought it at a massive discount as she's been plastering it online for months (valued at 120k and she's got it for around 50k...didn't even need a deposit I bet the banks were chucking mortgages at them. mean fgs how do some people get so jammy)

Actually I might congratulate her. I feel like saying congrats on taking yet another social house out of the market, one less house for a needy family

Aibu to think it's totally unfair and a piss take on hard working people who can't buy a house ? I have bought my house btw but was bloody hard and my house cost twice what hers dos and isn't even as nice

I've nc for this as I am ashamed of the feelings it's stirred up and how mean spirited it's made me feel towards a friend.

'It is likely your friend was on a low income at some stage to be allocated the house to start with. If she has worked hard to now be in a position to buy, how is that a bad thing? Should we instead reward those who have never worked through choice? '

Jellybean thanks for this, it really hit home for me.

I think it's really easy for those of us who haven't been in the same position to be jealous of reduce rents and buyers discounts that come with council houses but we don't appreciate the position people are in to be allocated social housing in the first place.

We need to flip our thinking to feel lucky that we've not been in that position because we are obviously doing well not to be in big enough need of housing in the firSt place (I know many in need aren't getting housing - but I don't think they'd be jealous of a tenants rtb discount!)

And we complain that people who are in social housing or claim for help are a drain on our tax payments but then we resent this kind of opportunity they have to move away from that and into home ownership so that can build an asset for themselves and their children that perhaps they won't need that assistance further down the line.

Perhaps I'm not articulating myself well enough but any way OP yadbu

most of us would take up in her position

Exactly happy
I bought my council house for £55K and sold it 3 years later for £120K.
We were able to buy a much bigger house with a good deposit

Who wouldn't? I did it for my family

And people can't see why the OP and many others are jealous or how wrong this system is?

Nothing to stop you doing the same thing if you think the grass is greener.

" But please can someone tell me where people get to buy a council house for 50k?!"

I don't know about council houses but there are non council house up here (NE england) for 50k

If it was me benefiting, I'd certainly be humble & grateful about it

I'm not humble, why should I be humble.

Doffing my cap and walking backwards out of the room? I entered into a totally legal and available scheme.

Good for her! With friends like you who needs enemies?

Extrahot- I absolutely see the problems caused by rtb, but would you put your principles ahead of improving the life of your family?

The main problem is that the original purchasers often don't go on to stay living in that house, more than 50% then sell it/rent it themselves and the house then goes into the hands of private landlords charging market rent. My neighbourhood is full of ex-council private rentals at extortionate rates.

If it were to live in, it might be different, but most people don't live in their bought council houses, or go up the ladder, or rent it out, and some leave it to the next generation=- it's hard to see how the taxpayer is benefiting given the shortage of affordable housing, as this scheme just turns affordable housing into unaffordable in one swoop.

I wouldn't be disgusted at an individual for doing this though, if I had any hope of getting on the council list and buying, I would, but I am in the middle- earn too much to need social housing, but not enough to buy.

We are in Derby for those who asked

Councils have no say or choice in this. It is central gvt policy, and councils don't even get automatic rights or ability to use receipts from sake of council houses to build new stock. And yet it is councils that get the responsibility for housing people. Spending billions in HB paying the mortgages of buy to let landlords.

It isn't just the right to buy that has affected the availability of social housing, but the complex laws surrounding it.

If it makes you feel better, OP, (and it shouldn't) your friend may well be subject to very high ground rent and service charges.

The system is at fault, not your friend.

YANBU actually, OP, although your anger should be directed towards the government for allowing this unfair and ridiculous scheme.

It's sickening if you look at the number of ex-council properties for sale in London, often with a half million pound price tag. People have made an absolute killing from buying council houses and selling them on to investors. Then the DM moans that an asylum seeker family has been put up in an expensive property- well, why the fuck do you think that is then? Maybe because the council has no remaining housing stock and has to pay rent to private landlords.

The scheme was thought up to privatise responsibility for housing and to basically butt-fuck all the poor and needy future generations.

So, YANBU.

In defence of the OP, she has admitted to feeling jealous, and has been met with lots of 'jealousy is an ugly emotion' posts. Is it? Jealousy is a very human emotion, and we all run the gauntlet of human emotions. I'm on the social housing list, it's unlikely I'll ever get one, but who knows? If offered the 'right to buy' I would probably refuse as council tenancies are usually long term anyway, and I disagree with yet more 'selling off' of services that exist to help the most vunerable. Let someone else have my house, if it can't be passed on to my son. I definitely experienced some jealousy when my neighbour was offered a house - I live in a crummy flat - but I'm also aware she was the victim of domestic violence which in turn affected her own mental health. I don't think there's a 'right' or 'wrong' here.

YANBU OP - I think it's normal to be jealous, we are not all paragons of moral virtue, we are normal human beings who feel a bit put out when something incredibly unfair happens. Of course you'd be a little pissed off if someone paid half what you had to for something with no apparent good reason.

RTB is a joke. Our HA do a really good scheme - you buy at % discounted rate if you earn below a certain income but work(annual min wage) and you have the security of owning your own home. IF you choose to sell it at some point it has to be back to the HA at the same %discount you got it for but of the current market value. They can then re-sell to those in need, no-one profits massively, stock is not lost but you get security of your own home. Much fairer.

I bought my council house for £55K and sold it 3 years later for £120K. We were able to buy a much bigger house with a good deposit

This is so, so wrong. If they allow this scheme, there should at least be some sort of stipulation that if you are to sell the house during your lifetime, you have to give the council first refusal and sell it at a discount. Otherwise, it is a hugely unfair distribution of assets. Why should you first of all get a windfall of around £30 k when buying the property and then 3 years later get ANOTHER one of £65k when other people are getting shafted by the system (for example the disabled)?? I am sure you are doing it for your family, but what makes your family more worthy of help than another family?

IF you choose to sell it at some point it has to be back to the HA at the same %discount you got it for but of the current market value

Now that scheme I do agree with. Seems much more fair.

I disagree with the scheme and don't see why a discount should be offered. I can see why your friend took advantage of it though but the policy is not her fault.

YABVU

thisisafakename- we are not "more worthy", but this is my family.

I suspect most of us would have taken advantage of the situation I found myself in.
To turn down the opportunity to improve the lot for my family?
It's a no brainer.
I absolutely see the unfairness of the system, but that's hardly my fault.

Nothing to stop you doing the same thing if you think the grass is greener.

Um yes, there is something to stop you -- the chronic shortage of council housing, thanks mostly to "right" to buy.

I agree with the OP that it's wrong, but agree with other posters that the fault lies with the government for allowing it rather than the individuals who take it up. Or rather, MOST of the fault lies with the government.

Combine that sounds a good scheme that your Housing association offer. Much fairer.

Humble & grateful about it

That is I wouldn't be plastering it all over Facebook...well I wouldn't be doing that whichever way I bought.

Wasn't quite referring to doffing caps/walking backwards out of rooms.

OP sorry you are getting such a hard time of it. It seems like the real issue is that SOME people get this opportunity but it's only afforded to some, not all --- and that's the fundamental problem. That our faceless govt or grey Housing Association decides who is worthy and who isn't to get a Council flat in the first place (now very tricky) and so who gets to benefit from this scheme and who doesn't.

This scheme probably wouldn't engender such bitterness if EVERYBODY could access a council house and EQUALLY get access to the RTB. But it must be very frustrating if you're in a similar financial situation to your friend but she's made it into Council or HA housing purely on the basis of luck or boxticking.

This is what happens when the govt picks and chooses who is worthy.

thisisafakename

Absolutely agree on your point about the ex-council properties being told for incredible amounts in London.

We recently viewed an ex-council 2 bed flat in SE London (zone 4).
Built in the 1960s, huge amount of work & modernisation required.

Owner admitted she'd bought it "very cheap" years ago.
Looking for almost 400k, funnily enough it's still on the market 4 months later...

Oh, and OP- YANBU!

You're jealous that your friend has a nicer house than you and paid less for it than you did for yours. But you don't want to say that outright, so you tack on the convenient 'Oh, but what about all the poor people who can't get social housing?' argument to make it seem like you're a caring person rather than just bitter and twisted.

If you were really mad about Right To Buy as a policy, you'd be angry about Thatcher's government introducing it as a vote winner, but utterly failing to implement a workable plan to replace the housing stock. You'd be angry at the successive governments who've also failed to amend the policy, despite the obvious problems with it. Instead you're blaming your friend for buying her own home when she probably couldn't do so any other way.

Drop the holier than thou attitude and accept that you're jealous. And it isn't a good look.