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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Would you accept this council house?

378 replies

Ashkey234 · 19/07/2017 18:12

I'm currently renting a house for £360 per month from a housing association.
Not in the best location.
I bidded on a house (through council ) it's only 7 years old,much better location and massive garden ,£380 per month.
I went for viewing today and I was the only person who turned up.
Anyway if I get offered it,do I take it?
It's going to mean new carpets,decorating.
Luckily the council have just painted all ceilings and all walls white but I would want to put my own stamp on things.
What would you do?
It's great rent price and still leaves us with a lot of spare money in the month for other things.
Is it worth moving for better location ?
Its bigger too.
I'm in two minds

OP posts:
Original poster
Ashkey234 · 19/07/2017 18:50

My house now is housing association.
My council is choice based lettings which is for people in band 3 who just want to move out of choice.
Every Friday people in that band can bid on certain properties.
People in band 2 get properties just for them ..think it's homeless

OP posts:
sodablackcurrant · 19/07/2017 18:51

Some ishoos going on here.

The ubiquitous A word maybe? Not knocking anxiety but fkn hell.

MsJudgemental · 19/07/2017 18:51

Hire a sander and varnish the floors- much nicer and cleaner than carpets or crappy laminate. Painting over the white will take no time at all, if you really have to. It's a no-brainer. Move.

Fitzsimmons · 19/07/2017 18:51

Do you have anxiety OP? I'm sorry you are getting a lot of harsh comments on here, many people don't understand how seemingly simple tasks can be very daunting for others. I'd make a big list and work through it one at a time.

SilverDragonfly1 · 19/07/2017 18:51

I think Storm was just surprised at such a low cost. Just the hall/stairs etc would be more than that here.

OP, don't know if you have very young children, but some cheap rugs (or even bits of your current carpets!) and slippers for all will get you through for quite some time. I get the feeling you suffer from anxiety and are overestimating the importance of everything being perfect from the off. That never happens for anyone! Take your time to get it all lovely and take lots of advantage of the garden in the meantime.

sundown45 · 19/07/2017 18:51

Be grateful you don't have to rent privately OP; you'd have to change your broadband/bank address much more often plus probably fork out £700 on a deposit!

Viviennemary · 19/07/2017 18:51

If you can't face all the hassle of moving and decorating and paying out for new carpets and all the other problems it's probably best if you stay where you are. But you might end up regretting it.

SantanicoPandemonium · 19/07/2017 18:52

In the time it took to post on this thread, you could have emailed or called the utility companies. Also, if your boyfriend works offshore, I doubt he's on minimum wage so a few months of penny pinching will pay for the carpets.

Original poster
Ashkey234 · 19/07/2017 18:52

Chaz- I really do,I'm on medication for generalised anxiety and I get CBT sessions and I struggle with little things like change of routine.
This feels massive to me but I still want to do it because I know it's best for us.

OP posts:
SilverDragonfly1 · 19/07/2017 18:52

Opps, armchair psychiatrist cross post!

FluffyWhiteTowels · 19/07/2017 18:53

in the words of the legendary tennis pro .... you cannot be serious

Original poster
Ashkey234 · 19/07/2017 18:53

Yeah i do have anxiety,it's been pretty bad recently.
I worry about everything.
Even ringing a company I get scared incase I stumble my words or stutter and make myself sound like a idiot.
I was shaking like a leaf before my viewing.

OP posts:
SunnyCoco · 19/07/2017 18:54

I'm beyond jealous

SerfTerf · 19/07/2017 18:54

Take a deep breath and jump.

You don't need to do it all before you move in. That's too much pressure on yourself if your OH is away.

What rooms do you HAVE to carpet straight away? How old are your DC? Do kitchen and bathroom have reasonable lino or similar?

Hall/stairs/landing is the easy bit to put off for a while because carpet there isn't vital and there's not much furniture to move from there when you do finally carpet it.

NikiBabe · 19/07/2017 18:54

You should be aware that if you refuse a council property for no reason, I doubt you be offered another one ever again.

I've seen it happen, couple with 3 children in a high rise, 2 bed flat in London, offered a 3 bed council house, they refuse as dont like the area and the council left them in that flat and took them off the list.

SerfTerf · 19/07/2017 18:55

@sodablackcurrant is there really any need?

Skyatnight4 · 19/07/2017 18:57

What's the diffrence between housing association and council? Always wondered this. Apologies if it's a silly question.

dishwasher71 · 19/07/2017 18:57

Is your boyfriend going to be on the tenancy? Or is it just you? If it's just you, then you need to try and choose for yourself....

Go back to basics - why have you been looking to move house - is there something you don't like about your current house? Have you specifically been hoping that a house like the new one would come up? If so, then try not to let your anxiety over all the changeover stuff put you off. You can work through that stuff one bit at a time. Or you can use this free service www.iammoving.com.

The decorating is unimportant. At least it's all clean and white. Any paint work you want to do can be done later. The carpets, yes, if you want fitted carpets then you need to get a quote - do you have a floor plan for the new house? If you do, take it down to Carpetright, and ask them to quote for a cheap carpet and for fitting it.

Lj8893 · 19/07/2017 18:58

silver that cost was just the fitting, it didn't include the cost of the actual flooring. Would have been lovely if it did Grin

Jenna43 · 19/07/2017 18:58

Me too. Council house, loads of spare cash every month, Sky, credit cards and broadband...............

Newsflash, council tenants are normal people. Why on earth shouldn't they have the above. Is this sarcastic and It's went over my headBlush

sodablackcurrant · 19/07/2017 18:59

SerfTerf.

Yes there is. Dripfeed is a pain in the backside.

Anyway others twigged aswell before OP revealed.

I hope it all works out for OP. Really do, but it is a no brainer.

She needs support from family and friends, we cannot help.

Original poster
Ashkey234 · 19/07/2017 19:00

This particular area is where I always wanted to live.
Always looked at them and thought I would love to live there.
My house now has damp and I've seen about 10 cockroaches,housing association said they won't help get rid of them.
I've had a problem with my boiler leaking 3 times now.
They left me with a gas pipe which was dangerous..
A mixture of things really and the area people dump rubbish everywhere (sofas ,cookers literally outside ) it makes it look like a dump

OP posts:
Troels · 19/07/2017 19:01

Do it. Then roll up the carpets you have and put them in the new place as best you can, it's a stop gap till you can afford new. Leave the walls white for now and let the kids put posters up.
Make a list of companies you have to call to change things, and let them walk you through it on the phone.
Take a photo of your meter readings at the old house on move out day so you don't get charged to much.

SerfTerf · 19/07/2017 19:01

There's "twigging" @sodablackcurrant and then there's sneering.

It hardly qualifies as a dripfeed just because OP is experiencing some anxiety.

Doobydoo · 19/07/2017 19:02

Fab opportunity. Council and secure! We have been in our house for nearly a year and still have no carpet we painted floorboards upstairs and are waiting until we can afford downstairs carpet. I don't really see the issue.......

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