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?

Take it, your son will be safe as anywhere and as for friends kids are kids are kids there is no gaurantee his pals will be kind or nice to him in a nicer area

Do it OP , stability and lower rent , its a complete no brainer . If you are worried about burglaries spend the first months savings on an alarm system .

Re the being burgled... My experience is they don't shit on their own doorstep. In our areas the crappy estates don't get burgled - those living there go and do it to the wealthier places. Never felt safer inside my house than living on the estate tbh

^^This has certainly been our experience!

In your shoes I would take the house. Tell controlling Ex it's none of his business and to do one. The security of tenancy alone is worth it.

I have friends who live in Hulme BTW and they like it. Good and bad bits just like any other suburb, town and city!

It's down to personal choice, if you feel safe there then that's the main thing.

Personally I don't feel safe in any part of London, too enclosed and too many people

Moss Side and Hulme have changed a lot since the bad old Gunchester days. If it was me I'd take it.

Many years ago I lived as a SP with two small children in a notoriously rough area in a big south coast city. I had no difficulties there, even though there were some very dodgy people about. However it made sense to move closer to family in a very MC prosperous market town. Within two weeks of moving I had my buggy, shopping and personal stuff nicked at the local playground!

DP has family living in moss side and we live in walking distance from it in an area with similarly negative connotations. I've always liked the area and DP's mum has lovely neighbours. I think it's negative reputation was formed years ago but things have improved now and the crime rates are nothing like what they were.

£400 is a lot of money to save each month. It would change your quality of life and give you the opportunity to build savings.

As a kid, in the 80s, my parents ended up losing our four bedroom house (not their fault, recession etc). After a few months kipping with relatives, we ended up (5 of us) in a two bed council house in the sort of area we were always told to avoid.
It was fine, the property wasn't massive but was a decent size, with a much bigger garden than we had had before, the neighbours were friendly and it was actually on a decent bus route for once. The crime rate was reasonably high, but we soon learned not to get complacent, not leave toys outside etc, and it never affected us.
We only stayed 10 months, in that time, my dad got a better job and we could afford a bigger place again, we debated staying but decided it wasn't really right for us to take up a place when we could afford not to.
But that short stay gave us chance to get back on our feet, and that little house saved our family.
I would definitely take the house in your situation. You can't leave somewhere you don't go to in the first place;)

I wouldn't do it. I would rather save money by renting something smaller.

I don't know the area but it sounds from your description as though it is a transitional neighbourhood. On that basis and given the other positives (excellent schools, etc.), I would take the house. It may turn out to be an area that is becoming revitalized and you will want to stay there long term. But even if not, a few years there would allow you to save money and put you in a better financial situation.

I would not do it. I would be so worried about my son walking home alone from school. My friend lives in the area and she had to meet her son on a bus stop and walk him home during the winter months when it gets dark early. Also the schools might be "outstanding" on paper but far from it in real terms. I would not do it to my child.

*At the bus stop!

I would take it.

A lot to be said for a secure tenancy and affordable rent.

I live in a dodgy area with high crime. It wouldn't be my top choice, but mostly it doesn't effect us. Once you close your front door you could be anywhere really.

Of course take it.

Not because of being all PC or whatever, but because I know that area and it's actually not bad. Hulme has been on the up for ages. It's very convenient. there's been a huge amount of investment. If you work at the large hospital in the area I think you do, it's an easy walk to work for you. Also because you're NOT getting another allocation if you turn this one down. But honestly, even Moss Side proper isn't what it used to be. Note that the anecdotes being shared here aren't recent.

Incidentally, where does your XH live- is it Didsbury or Chorlton by any chance? Because they're pretty popular choices for people to go robbing (and parts of Chorlton are every bit as tasty as where you'll be anyway!).

Take it. I lived there 20 odd years ago. It was poor but it had a community feel. There was 3 of us sharing. On separate occasions all 3 of us left our keys in the front door! Each time someone knocked on and handed them to us.

I would happily walk alone at night too. I enjoyed living there on the whole. If you hate it you can reassess down the line.

Go for it and keep your ds busy with after school activities and friends.

If you are on £25k you must be fairly junior so as well as the extra cash you currently would be saving you have a lot of scope for earning more in the next few years and saving a lot for your next move.

As a medium term plan it sounds excellent. If you can move before your ds hits his teens even better.

Thanks everyone. I'm currently not in a desirable location anyway. In Manchester the posh parts are very expensive. So I cant afford to rent there anyway.

I'm going to take the house anyway.

i would take it my Dad was brought up in Longsite so i kind of know the area, i worked at MRI when i first qualified as a nurse many years ago ,my understanding is the area has changed a lot as others have said, i live in a council house in a town not to far from you OP and i,m in a 'Rough Area' too and its fine the neighbours are friendly have been here for two and a half years now and theres been no trouble

GO FOR IT OP!

Social housing is as rare as hen's bollocks, (in many areas,) and even if it's in a shit area, you will still have a secure tenancy. You can do an exchange or request a transfer at a later date. Surprisingly, you will probably find someone who wants to live where you live.

EG, you may get a single mum with one kiddie in a 2 bed flat or house who gets pregnant again, and lives in an area that is ok but isn't exactly where she wants to be, (ie she would rather be in the area you're in as it's where she was originally from.) So you could swap with her.

I know several people who live in pretty rough areas, but they wouldn't move because it's their 'area' and they love it. And sometimes their young adult children leave and get housed 2 miles away, and are keen to get back. So there will always be someone who will swap with you.

Go for it.

I mean let's face it, private rental is a bit shit isn't it?

@sallyhenderson

Just saw that you're going to take it.

Well done.

I also think you should go for it. Hulme is definitely up and coming. And as someone said earlier, the supposedly nice area Chorlton seems to be full of muggings, burglaries, murders, hit and run drivers etc at the moment.

Well done OP!