Would you accept this council house?

[Ashkey234]

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

God it's getting tiresum that people always bleep on about bloody London on these threads. It's bizarre

The NE isn't London.

Bigger, better location, tiny rent increase, secure tenancy, nice inside.
I'd jump at it in a heartbeat!!

Good luck op. Think of it like this, it's actually good for your anxiety to not let it drag you into avoidance.

I hope it helps Thankyou.
To those saying why don't I private rent ..the same house private here goes for £600 plus per month and not secure.

Snap their hand off.
Lovely area and big garden why wouldn't you?

Sorry, I genuinely don't understand why people with 'a lot of spare money in the month for other things' are offered housing association houses at greatly reduced rent? Not looking for a fight, just to know how it works?

turkey i have no idea what the rental prices are like where the op is from. But HA prices where I live are much the same as private rental.

Turkey in some areas working households are prioritised. HA houses are not for low income families in areas of low demand. They are a secure home , for life , for all.

And actually it's not reduced rent. Private rental is inflated rent.

My idea of a lot of spare money is probably massively different than someone living in a wealthy area.
We were lucky to get social housing,I have a friend who earns quite a lot and is also living in social housing.
I guess it's different in all areas.

I think with living 5 /6 mins walking distance from city centre is why the private rentals near me are so expensive ..I guess your paying for living so close to all amenities

Okay now you're stirring.

Makes me wonder how people who have a mortgage on their homes manage tbh.... Oh yeah..... they just get on and decorate and carpet when needed FFS!

So in areas where housing association rentals are about the same cost as private rentals, what benefit do the HA houses offer? Is it just that they offer long term security?

Yeah long term secure tenancys.

And the ability to decorate.

I don't understand why you're asking for advice.

They also offer repairs. Where i live you aquire points based on your need of a social house & then bid. Here if you decline whats offered, you go right to the back of the que & start the process all over again. Once been in the house for a year, you can exchange with other social housing tenants

Don't move. All those phone calls could take upwards of 90 minutes. It sounds like a right faff.

HA/council rents for newer tenancies are set at a (high) proportion of the equivalent private market rate these days. It's the rules.

I rent privately - my HA neighbours (same build) pay about the same as I do.

They're allowed to decorate, and aren't subject to 3 or 6 monthly house inspections however.

Their tenancies aren't lifelong btw - they're reviewed after x years. The days of life tenancies are over.

Yeah I could do 1 room at a time ..bit of a perfectionist and like everything done at once but I guess that's not always easy.

Not only is it not always easy, it's just not real life.

Fully fitted carpets are not an immediate necessity. We've lived loads of houses without them. In fact, doing rooms up over time is really nice, you appreciate the changes so much and enjoy them rather than having the stress of rushing everything.

If you struggle with making phone calls, write down your opening speech and then make bullet points on a list to help you.

It'll be great.

Take the house - good area and big garden - has to be better living with problems like damp.
You don't have to do up every room at once - and can left your current carpets and bring them with you. Moving is always a hassle but it's a short term hassle.

My DH and I were in the armed forces and in 11 years we moved 8 times, I'm not saying that to whinge or make this competitive, but just for some perspective! I got into a good routine of keeping a document of all the people we needed to let know about our change of address and slowly plodded through it (with wine).

How can you afford sky and get subsidised cheap rent?

You get a whole house for a third of the cost of a single room.

Seriously?

Im paying taxes on my shitty minimum wage job to pay for your house and you can afford fucking sky?