To accept a council house in a rough area instead of private renting

[sallyhenderson]

After years of waiting, I finally have an offer of a Housing association home. It's an ex-council house that's recently been recently transferred to a local housing association. The only issue is, it's in an area of social deprivation.

I am a nurse and I earn 25k a year before tax. I'm a single mum. I'm currently really struggling with private renting. I rent in a not rough but not glamorous area and I'm paying 650 pcm for my 2 bed house. I have commuting costs of £130 a month.

This leaves no disposable income after bills are paid. It's not just the money. My landlord is awful and I have had to move several times. There's no stability. I hate private renting.

My sons dad private rents and does not want me taking the council house. My parents are apprehensive and think I may not fit in in the area but think it's a necessary evil as I cannot afford to buy a house, I cannot afford to private rent indefinitely and cannot afford to wait forever in the hope of getting a house in a nicer area.

There are worse places than where I would be moving to. It's an inner city area with deprivation but boarders affluent areas and is close to all the amenities of those places/ the city it's walking distance to.

There's excellent secondary schools within the catchment area and an outstanding school a few feet away...but it is a rough area. It has crime rate and a lot of burglaries. Because it's so close to the city it has a large student population and is up and coming with young professionals now choosing to rent there. Private rent is £750pcm or over £1000 for an apartment. This makes me feel a little better about moving.

The place is right near my work and all ameneities so not commuting costs and is £350 pcm. That's over £400 a month extra it would save me by living there.

Would I be unreasonable to move my Son to a rough area to have a secure tenancy so that I don't have to private rent?Or should I let my Son live in a safe area and be skint?

I wouldn't do it.

I'd rather have little spare money but a nicer area. It's not just the worry about break ins and drugs it's things like schools, friends etc. Deprivation heavily affects outcomes and children only get one change at school so it needs to be as good as it can for them and aspirations are a big part of that.

I have heard inner city Manchester has improved considerably due to professionals and students moving into the areas.

100% do it! It sounds like it will be of all round benefit to your lives. So many ordinary and good people live in these so called 'rough' areas. I don't think you have anything to lose with this move!

I'd do it. You'll have the extra money to do more activities with your son. And to build up some savings for the future. You'll have security of a long term tenancy. And a decent landlord.

This thread inspired me to do some googling about miss side, and yes it has issues, but it clearly also has plenty of decent people working hard for the community.

mosssidecommunityallotment.wordpress.com

themossciderproject.org/volunteering/

mcrpowerhouse.com

I'd do it and save (a lot )and splash (a little) of your spare cash each month.

If you're only going to be seconds from Oxford Road I'd be more concerned about drunken students rather than the very many lovely Moss Side residents.

I'd check there were not any clubs or pubs nearby.

if your parnts or ex arent willing to stump up the difference thn its not their decision

dos you ex pay maintenance

i say do it you dont know whn your current ll will up your rent but believe me they will

I would go for it if I were you. Hulme is a massively up and coming area. Sure there is 'roughness' there and some crime, but as you say, it's an inner city area so there will be some roughness and crime wherever you live in the city.
It's actually a great location, as you say, close to Oxford Road, good for transport links, it's got a lot going for it.
I know people who live in that area - young professionals, my grown up daughter's friends, and it's fine. You just need the same common sense precautions that you would have living anywhere in the city - get a burglar alarm, take care when out at night etc.
I would say the positives that it could give you outweigh the possible negatives.
Re concerns your son may get in with a 'rough lot', well, we can't always tell what will happen in life, but if you keep him engaged with positive activities and groups outside of school the chances are he'll make his friendships there.
Good luck.

If you are on the fringes and close to great amenities, and schools then go for it.

Take it! Hulme is not the hell hole people make it out to be and it's been a long time since Moss Side was what people know it for. I live in Levenshulme, I'd jump at a chance of a HA property in Hulme or Moss Side. One of my best friends (also a social worker) recently moved to Hulme and is very happy indeed.

Go for it.......save half the extra money you'll have and within a few years you'll have a decent, house deposit.

Just keep to yourself, smile and nod when needed and you will be fine.

I've not rtft but my advice would be to drive around the area at different times, eg a sunny weekend afternoon, Friday evening etc and get a feel for it.

My area is a combination of working class & rural deprivation. Drive around on a Saturday afternoon and you'll see kids playing, families on the playground, hear normal family noise etc. And the odd household doing it's best to live up to a mail stereotype. But I would never want to move away just because of the neighbourhood, I like it.

Drive to one estate not too far away though and the feel is very different, I wouldn't want to raise a child there. But on paper they're both the same.

I live in a rough inner city area in a northern city and I love it. The area is so diverse and I've never felt unsafe and never been burgled (have even kept front door open by mistake a few times!). For me it seems more real. There is a real sense of community and my kids get to grow up with people from all walks of life and cultures. Rough doesn't always mean awful. I would definitely go for it.

Sounds like a no brained. Go for it!

You could always look round the area at night to see what it's like.

Also have a look at the local schools at 'kicking out' time, it gives you a good idea of whether you want to send your child.there.

Go for it. Make it your own.

You're a professional, so I very much doubt you'll leave your son to hang around with nothing to do. Make sure to get him involved in clubs (martial arts, sports, drama, music, whatever his 'thing' is).

Pay for good doors and locks (your first saving on rent should pay for that).

Good luck and congratulations on your new home!

I would. My x was controlling so it was important to be free of him by needing as little as possible. I agree with the poster who says there's a difference between run down and poor and hub for drugs/prostitution/fighting

I'd do it. The £400 saving coupled with the security of a long term home would swing it for me. As long as you feel safe there ignore exh.

I would do it. I have lived on a council estate when my son was born and it was fine. Mostly just normal families a few idiots but after buying my own house I realised that they live everywhere. Having good schools is a massive bonus too.

I would have no doubts at all in taking the HA house.

I'd probably take it. I lived in Moss Side in the early 2000s, the Gooch gang had a house on my street. We didn't have any issues, the area was run down though and there was a lot of poverty. This was the older housing stock. It's still a pretty poor area. Hulme is changing a lot and fast, the demographic especially along Stretford Road is very much young professionals these days.

Schools around there are generally good and don't have the same level of pressure as the east of the city. The kids are from a real mix of background, a lot of children from outside the UK.

For high schools, Trinity only accepts children of a faith background. Unless you are attending a church/mosque/temple you won't get a place. William Hulme admits on banding so is still not a sure bet. The guaranteed place wpuld be Manchester Academy which is a bit of a tough school. There are new secondary schools due to open in the next couple of years which will change admissions quite a bit too in that area.

That description above is very funny, not one I recognise having lived and worked there.

Visit the area at different times of the day especially evenings/in the middle of the night and weekends. As great as it sounds to save rent money, it's no good living somewhere you don't feel safe and you can the produce any evidence for the council if you see something bad e.g. open drug dealing, prostitution, roaming gangs ( these will be your son's future friends) etc. and they may offer something else. On the other hand, you may be pleasantly surprised and it's not as bad as you think and the area is friendly and people look out for one another.

My SIL lives around there shall I PM her name so you know who to avoid take the house £400 is a huge saving and the not moving around too!

I know that area. It's a toughy but on the grounds that this is the only way you can afford to save a deposit to buy it's quite a reasonable thing to do.

My main concern would be feeling SAFE and also ensuring there were nice kids for my my own kids to play with. Go and have a walk around, both during the day and in the evening.
I think Hulme is not too bad and even Moss Side is not what it was.

I think you should do it OP. Once you're in a council house you've got a tenancy for life. That security means so much. Once you're in you can always look for a home swop if you decide you want to move. I don't know the area, but from what I've read it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be.

Also, most importantly, check there are vacant school places first.

I'd do it too. I worked in a school close to there for a while and it seemed fine. The DC were lovely.