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AIBU?

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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:
stereolove · 19/07/2017 19:02

I'm a housing officer with an association and used to do allocations. What I say to my tenants is that the amount of work required to get a house up to standard is only a barrier if you let it be. You will have a home for life so take your time, do one room at a time and spend wisely when you have it. Trying to do it all at once will only stress you out or put you in debt.
Meantime, anything you buy, including new contents insurance, tv or phone packages etc - go through a cashback site. I've moved 3 times in 6 years and racked up around £800 in cashback, mostly through switching tv, energy suppliers etc using topcashback. It takes a little of the sting out of the necessary expenses.

HateSummer · 19/07/2017 19:02

No don't move. It's too much hassle phoning up companies and changing address. Sometimes they mess things up and you end up paying more money for services. Also you might have crap new neighbours and I wouldn't risk it.

Doobydoo · 19/07/2017 19:03

Oh and we painted walls white ....blank canvas.I would go for it. Am sure your partner will be pleased as it sounds lovely.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 19/07/2017 19:04

I think you will find you can do a lot of the notification online so you don't need to worry about speaking to anyone. I just checked on Thames Water which is my local supplier and they have an online form you can fill out up to 28 days before you move (your supplier may well be similar).

I set up our gas and electricity online as well.

I suspect a lot of the problems you are worrying about can be worked around. Doing the notifications online in the weeks running up to the move should feel a bit easier than having to make phone calls at the last minute.

SerfTerf · 19/07/2017 19:05

After your latest post, I'd call that a no-brainer. Is the £700 figure based on buying room-sized off cuts? Because that can be a good way to get bargains if you're not fussed about all the carpets matching.

user1492287253 · 19/07/2017 19:05

i dont think you should take it, its too difficult. stay where you are.

NellieFiveBellies · 19/07/2017 19:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

StormFrontage · 19/07/2017 19:07

SilverDragonfly, yy.

Lj88 we've just laminated a kitchen diner, and collected and fitted the laminate ourselves. We bought the materials at B&Q at the Easter sale with a trade discount and it was nearly £250. You seriously had a bargain with £400 for room and hall and carpet and fitting Shock But pleased for you.

OP, best of luck with your therapy for anxiety Flowers

StormFrontage · 19/07/2017 19:07

SilverDragonfly, yy.

Lj88 we've just laminated a kitchen diner, and collected and fitted the laminate ourselves. We bought the materials at B&Q at the Easter sale with a trade discount and it was nearly £250. You seriously had a bargain with £400 for room and hall and carpet and fitting Shock But pleased for you.

OP, best of luck with your therapy for anxiety Flowers

Giraffey1 · 19/07/2017 19:08

Why are you looking for another house if you don't want the hassle of moving, changing address details etc? Moving anywhere inevitably involves some degree of hassle - and TBH it sounds pretty minor in this case! I think you are creating barriers where there are none.

Lj8893 · 19/07/2017 19:10

storm the £400 was just for fitting. The carpet, laminate and underlay was much, much, much more!

coddiwomple · 19/07/2017 19:10

and you wonder why council tenants have such an awful reputation. Good god.

WormwooodScrubbed · 19/07/2017 19:10

I would take it because council tenancies are soon becoming fixed term for new tenants and no longer as secure, no thanks to fucking Cameron. Grab it while you can

BarbaraofSeville · 19/07/2017 19:13

This house sounds great and you'll regret not taking it, especially now you've said your current home has some issues.

You don't have to decorate straight away, you can do it over a few months when your DP is home (if he's offshore, I'm assuming he does 4 weeks on, 4 weeks off or something?) so he'll have loads of spare time to help you decorate at a sensible pace. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Carpet fitting isn't that expensive and can be really quick. I bought a bedroom carpet and the man came and did it while his son was playing football about a mile away - he was here about an hour and it cost about £20 for a double bedroom.

If you have the money upfront, have a look at some independent places - usally cheaper and better quality than the chains - they may have roll ends that are suitable and if you're having several rooms done in the same carpet, they can often do the stairs using the offcuts, so cuts the cost.

If you take a deep breath and set aside a couple of hours, you can get through the change of address thing. You really should be shopping around annually for utlities etc or else you pay way over the odds and it's only like doing that.

MerryMarigold · 19/07/2017 19:13

I own my own house and lived without carpets in more than half the house for about 5 years. It is possible whilst you save up. Ok, it's a bit unsightly, but really....

Rufus27 · 19/07/2017 19:13

OP When I have to make a decision like this, I find it helps to reverse it. How would you feel if you didnt go for this place? Would you regret staying where you are? Would you look back in a few months' time, unhappy with the area and place you live in, and kick yourself for not making the move? I am so rubbish at taking risks, but find this method helps.

If you do go for it, write down all the tasks you need to do, then prioritise them. Focus on each day as it comes, setting yourself a 'must do' task and a 'could do' task. That way it's less daunting.

Mummyoflittledragon · 19/07/2017 19:14

Definitely move if it is where you've always wanted to live. The rest can be sorted as and when. Perfection is nice. But we can't always have perfection. I've lived in some real shit holes in my time. No central heating so bloody freezing and ice on the inside of the windows in the winter, threadbare carpets etc. Not anymore btw. You can always make a house a home.

StormFrontage · 19/07/2017 19:14

Lj thank you - makes sense now! We actually lived on concrete and rugs before we spotted our bargain, so it can be done.

bubblesbubbles · 19/07/2017 19:15

Ashkey definelty go for it a better garden and nicer location will be lovely, anxiety can be awful but some of the movement of address stuff you will be able to do online and you can space the other calls out if need be, so it will lessen the pressure, good luck!

SerfTerf · 19/07/2017 19:17

and you wonder why council tenants have such an awful reputation. Good god.

IKR? Living with cockroaches and suffering anxiety? Piss takers Shock

If I had pearls, I'd clutch them to destruction.

ComputerUserNotTrained · 19/07/2017 19:20

I absolutely hate moving, so I do actually feel your pain. This is despite being hugely Envy about you being offered a council house - and a decorated one at that. I didn't think they still did that - when I had one almost 20 years ago I was given about £20 worth of crap emulsion to redo a whole two-bed which had been left my the previous tenants with walls coated in purple gloss paint Hmm

I was heavily pregnant at the time, and just grateful to have a roof over my head. Years later the friend who came to view it with me confessed that she'd cried when she'd left me that morning, it was such a state. if you can.

On the carpet front - you can live without. Do it room by room - use cheap rugs as stopgaps and offcuts from the carpet you already own. The HA you are leaving will likely rip up the carpet in your current house and bin it (you could check, if you want) so you'd may as well may use of it if you can.

seasidesally · 19/07/2017 19:22

stay where you are,this must really be a slap in the face for people to read that are in private/uncertain tenancys

cant help feeling how some people manage to cope with life

coddiwomple · 19/07/2017 19:24

not quite, being offered a new built, good location, with a massive garden, for next to nothing, leaving the OP with plenty of pocket money (funnily enough) recently painted white by the council and moaning because moving is too much effort and they have to redecorate to their own taste.

WTF! How do the rest of us survive!
The sense of entitlement is beyond words.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 19/07/2017 19:25

*coddiwomple Wed 19-Jul-17 19:10:19

and you wonder why council tenants have such an awful reputation. Good god.*

And you wonder why AIBU has a reputation as a spiteful bunfight!
Pointless nastiness - why?

Windycityblues · 19/07/2017 19:26

Moving is a PITA, we are about to do it again and I am pretty tired just at the thought. But I have always moved for a good reason and been glad in the longer term. Also it is a great way to declutter!

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