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.

For the people who asked: my mum's been a council tenant (with Derby City Council if anyone wants to know) for 29 years. 12 years at our old house and 17 years at the current house, I'm not entirely sure what the actual percent is but it can be up to 75% off but due to my mum's long term tenancy, it'll be a high rate!!

I've just done a quick property search in terms of private renting from Rightmove and Zoopla, there's one property on my street that's up for renting: it's £525pcm, so £105 more than we pay now. What people need to know is my street isn't a council estate, it's predominantly a private area- I would say there's about 20 council houses on the entire street (out of the 300+ houses).

I don't think that private renters think that 'everyone else should suffer' as having a secure tenancy is already a huge benefit over private renting.

I really don't think that despite being in insecure housing , that would be wished on others.
It's the selling off of the stock which is depriving others of that security in the future.
Ex council houses are being sold off at huge profits, particularly in the south east. That's about making money, not having a home.

All this jealousy talk. Would you not be jealous if someone had been given a windfall that you had to work hard and scrimp and save for?

FWIW, I am not jealous of this individual's situation. I am however angry that I live in a country where the government claims that we need to cut benefits to the most vulnerable members of society, yet at the same time hand over £70k and a much needed social resource to somebody who has already benefited from years of reduced rent. Yet, there are people committing suicide over the bedroom tax and disabled people being declared fit to work when they are not. At the end of the day, a disabled person who is not working is not going to get a mortgage, RTB or not. Therefore, RTB benefits those who actually are in work and are therefore the 'top layer' of council tenants. I would at least want the money to go to those who are most needy.

But I wasn't. Yes a flawed system, but I don't know anyone who would have done things differently in my position

Which is why I don't blame you, I blame the system. The deeply, deeply unfair system.

thisisafakename- I think we all agree with that.

Jealousy is really not attractive.

It is not right to buy that depletes the council stock, it is that the money from those sales has to go into a frozen account. If the councils had access to that money, it would enable them to replace like with like, you know, sell a house, then build a house. They are unable to do that as the money from the sales is not 'theirs' as such!

This is not your 'friends' fault!

thisisafakename thank you for taking up the SE angle in this, I'm not familiar with the RTB situation there.

I get that people benefit from reduced rent but the reality is they have been paying rent, usually for a lot of years before buying.

If a house is worth £100,000 and you pay say £450 rent for ten years that's £54,000. So you've already paid the council over half the value anyway in rent.

Also many council houses aren't maintained, and anyone buying one may well be taking on a ten year old boiler or a kitchen and bathroom that wants replacing.

They will also be buying on ( probably) a council estate where some people would choose not to buy.

The grass isn't always greener...

Exactly true about not being maintained. Ours is a post war three bed and was hurriedly 'improved' when we moved in as there had been one family there since 1946 with very little done. Since starting to buy it we have done virtually nothing and can't afford to- which is fine. And yes a mortgage is a risk nowadays too.

My parents have been tenants in their council property for 30 years and recently looked into rtb- the discount was nowhere near that big! They were told that years ago there were large discounts but those days were over. They would also have to offer the property back to the council if they decided to sell within a set amount of time (10 years I think) which I wholeheartedly agree with.
Plus i thought that the bedroom tax only affects those on benefits? It just affects how much housing benefit you get?

Please try and be happy for your friend, op. It would be horrible if she sensed your feelings and got the idea that she should be ashamed somehow.

I never understand such bitter posts and the person most suffering is you,
who are you to decree her move is right or wrong, go at the governments for their policies not people trying to make their lives better

Op, I think your anger should be directed at the government. Not at the people who haven't broken any law. I don't think morally too.
The sate should build more houses to meet the demand and also accommodate those renting.

If buying your own council house is morally wrong, the government should not have allowed the people residing in them to buy them with discounts.
The Person you are angry at has done what is right for themselves and a lot more people would do the same thing given the opportunity.

What people do with what they have is their business. If they post it all over social media that's their business. What you can do is block them and cut contact if you think they lack a bit of class. What is coming a cross is that the two of you are not very good friends or its one sided. So why waste your energy getting angry and venting on social site. The difference between you and them is that one is has known identity while you are hiding behind the key board.

Have another

YABU to blame your friend for the Government's ridiculous short-sighted policy. Yes, it's outrageous that council houses are being sold at a huge discount and not replaced, and I sincerely hope that England follows Scotland in getting rid of the Right to Buy, but it's not your friend's fault.

My DP bought our flat in Zone 1 London in the 80s for £15,000. The council didn't want them and were selling them to anyone who wanted one. They did consider demolition at the time but there was a huge campaign to save the estate.

Agree with others - don't blame the players, blame the game. We all make choices and sometimes those choices generate what would be termed 'good luck' (I'm sure your friend didn't go onto the social housing registers thinking 'fuck me, I'll make a killing in a few years with RTB').

Leaving aside the social housing aspect, I - without particular planning - bought in an up and coming area at a young age. I made sacrifices to do this and then made a killing on selling. I bought a house in a fairly mediocre postcode. It's now 'up and coming'. The house is worth nearly 3 times what I paid for it. None of this was planned. I 'took advantage' of the what was available to me. Just like your friend, although for some reason you're judging her because she didn't pony up the initial stake, as it were.

OP I wish I had enough money to buy my council flat so I could sell it and move away from this area! (have bitterly tried home swap sites with no luck) sigh.

Plus i thought that the bedroom tax only affects those on benefits? It just affects how much housing benefit you get?

Yes, I know. My point was that RTB only benefits those council tenants who are comparatively well off and can get a mortgage. Those who are on housing benefit won't be able to take advantage of it. I was just comparing the two- on the one hand, we are told we have to cut benefits to those who are in need, but on the other hand, we can give someone a £70k discount on a property. Just seems strange logic.

I get why you feel that way. I know someone who's bought too and I feel pissed off. Yes she was once broke, alcoholic and vulnerable but she's now RAKING it in from her own business. I can't help feeling that she she should have been moved off the council house list and into private rented accommodation once she started making big money. Instead she had it done up at the expense of the council then bought it and subdivide the section making further money from it. Badly thought out scheme. You can't really blame people for taking I suppose but it's not right.

Council housing should be used only for people who really need it, not those doing very nicely for themselves.

You'll have to let it go though if you value the friendship

If a house is worth £100,000 and you pay say £450 rent for ten years that's £54,000. So you've already paid the council over half the value anyway in rent.

except, not a single person in private tenancy gets to do that.

People have short memories. I moved to England (not London) in 2009 and was absolutely glad I wasn't a home owner. Home owning comes with risks. You have a heavily leveraged asset and a price drop can wipe out your investment.

Don't blame the players, blame the game.

My landlord bought her council flat and now rents it to me for £360 a week. I wish I had a council flat. I have no security and Im also secretly jealous of people that do.
Would never admit that in real life though...

I think Right to Buy is terrible and one of the main causes of the housing crisis. But I will still buy my council flat because I will never be able to get on the property ladder otherwise (unless I move a million miles away from the place I have lived my entire life, all of my family and all of my friends) and I want my children to be able to inherit something one day or sell up/remortgage if I ever need to so that they can have the start in adulthood that I never had.

If I'm being honest, I've never met anyone IRL that managed to buy their first home without their parents giving them a hefty deposit. (Anyone under the age of 35 that is. I don't know so much about the older generations as buying was different back then!) Not all of us have that luxury so Right to Buy is the only feasible way.

I have no security and Im also secretly jealous of people that do.

why not? you and other private tenants deserve security like everyone else. it shouldn't depend on a lottery.

No point. She's just doing what the government is actively encouraging people to do. This Government wants social housing to be a small temporary resource for those most in need. Soon there will be no ability to grant lifetime tenacies only fixed term ones, if I had a council house I'd RTB it too.

I agree, and it really fucks me off. But it's that gets fault not your friends. I think it's selfish as council housing should be there for people that can't buy. And the housing shortage is because of the rtb.

It's not the fault of the individual, if the system allows the tenant to buy at a very hefty discount then I don't blame her.

I do think that it's wrong though. Councils are always whining that they don't have enough to houses so why the fuck are they selling them off at half market value or even less??? Crazy!

It also rankles somewhat that people are getting such heavily discounted homes subsidised by the taxpayer while everyone else has to scrimp and save deposits then take out crippling mortgages for the next 20-30 years!