To think that sime homeowners regard themselves as superior to renters?

[malificent7]

Not all by any means but im a bit fed up of the 'well i work hard and lived off baked beans for 10 years.'
Well i work hard but cant save a penny as there isnt enough cash to stretch.
I find it hard to muster any enthusiasm when a friend shows me around the latest extension and starts talking about house values.
i just cannot relate.
Yes of course im envious but i made bad decisions when younger due to bad mental health issues.
I also feel like my ex friendship group split into homeowner/ non homeowner groups...maybe they have more in common although i do work longer hours....its just i dont live with a nain breadwinner atm.
Ive also been told by friends that i SHOULD get a mortgage...
I mean why SHOULD i if i cant afford it?
One friend said that homeowners take better care of their property...generalisation.

I feel sad as i find so many people money orientated..and snooty with it.

Sounds a bit as if your landlords fleeced you, tbh. If there was not more than usual wear and tear, what they asked for was completely unreasonable. When was this?

'unreasonable' here also = 'wouldn't stand up in court'

I find the fact of the 'property ladder' being a thing, and such an accepted one - it almost seems one of the things you have to tick off for your life to be considered successful, up there with getting a 'good job' - quite bizarre, from my perspective of having been an expat almost all my adult life. And I definitely see it being invested with a quasi-moral value. (This is also different about owning in Germany - once you buy, you tend to buy that house for life and not move again, and a lot of people buy a plot of land and have a house built on it. Owning property is seen as security, but not as an investment in the same way as the UK. There's not really a buy-to-let phenomenon either. IME most private landlords are letting out property they've inherited and, AFAICS, often having quite a lot of hassle with it)

Early noughties. It was negotiated through the relocation agent and dh’s company. It was a company let. The company had a policy (in Germany anyway) of paying for the decoration of the walls but nothing more. Dh was on assignment from the U.K. Perhaps this was a way of getting round us not paying anything. Idk. Our dog did scratch the solid wood stairs and left a scratch mark on a door where he jumped up on it once to open it. I was always baffled that they didn’t make us pay for the damage. Apart from this, we had treated the house extremely well. I repainted the kitchen after a leak for example.

@caroelle

I don’t feel superior but I do sympathise with renters who can never get on the property ladder. Our mortgage meant that we had to wait to have children, couldn’t afford foreign holidays because we had to spend money on the house, spent nights and weekends doing endless DIY.

So I do resent the attitude that all owners have it easy.

However I think that young people today have been shafted by rising house prices, but this has been going on since the late 1980s, so it’s not a recent thing.

Has anyone actually said that 'homeowners' have it easy though?

We certainly never did, and I definitely do not envy homeowners at all.

I really cannot see many pluses to it to be honest, except you can do what you want to it, and alter it, and build extensions etc, without anyone's permission. However, the majority of people who are buying, can barely afford the mortgage and essential maintenance costs, let alone making big alterations to the property, that would potentially increase its value.

When we owned - just like the couple I mentioned who have a £153K mortgage at the age of 50 - we could not even afford to redecorate or recarpet the place, (or even go out or buy new clothes or have a bloody day trip!) because all our money went into paying the mortgage and essential house repairs. I am not kidding or exaggerating. We were fucking brassick ALL the time.

We have rented privately, (for 4 years,) we have been homeowners (for 18 years - 3 different properties,) and we have rented social housing (5 years in the early 1990's before we bought, and 1.5 years in this house now,) and I can categorically say that social housing is the best. (For us anyway, as modest earners with little chance to save.)

Moreover, we have had the best neighbours in social housing; 2 of the 3 homes we owned had vile neighbours. One lot actually drove us to moving out, with their excessive noise nuisance.

Yep, you're right. There IS A two tier society now-renters and owners, and people DO see renting, especially in your 30s, 40s and beyond as failure.
I can say this because I am old enough to remember when you could get a 100% mortgage on a flat in London on 18k a year..it wasn't "hard work" or good planning. NOONE KNEW what was going to happen to the property market post 2001..it just happened that stuff started doubling and tripling. ..and those who hadn't bought had missed the bus.
I used to own a building (yep a building ) with my ex...I walked away and ended up privately renting after 2005...my how things had changed.
I took great care of every place I lived, but to this day have never had a full deposit back. I planted flowers, re grouted baths, repaired stuff (only ONE of my 20 landlords has ever spent a penny on repairs).
After dc came along my rented house was home to me, but I still saw the discomfort and anxiety on my dc's middle class parent's faces when they realised I didn't own my house...
So, I have been in both sides (all sides actually as I am now a council tenant) and YANBU OP. It's just luck if you are that side of the divide and it sucks if you're not. Especially with kids. I feel really lucky that I at least have a secure tenancy.

Mummyoflittledragon, it does sound (although I obv don't know what was in your agreement) as if you were unfairly treated. The law on what German rather charmingly calls 'beauty repairs' (i.e. decorating) held at that time redecorating every 5 years to be sufficient, except for kitchens and bathrooms (every 3 years). (The interval has got longer since then). A tenant may be asked to pay a proportion of the theoretical cost of redecorating, but it sounds as if you were made to pay for a complete repaint. And there is no way that it would have been considered reasonable to ask for all carpets to be replaced after just 4 years.

On this redecorating business, it's principally the next tenant who has the right to a redecorated place, and if they agree to take it without the previous tenant (or the landlord) redecorating they usually don't have to redecorate before moving out. When we moved into this place, we agreed to take it non-redecorated and got the first two months rent-free in exchange. The only condition is that we redecorate after moving out, but we hope to be here for a long time, so that's fine.

However, the majority of people who are buying, can barely afford the mortgage and essential maintenance costs

I don't think this is remotely true, in fact rent is way higher than mortgage payments and usual maintenance. I personally don't know anyone who can barely afford their mortgage or basic maintenance. Of course they exist, of course people have their homes repossessed, but to say it's the majority is ludicrous.

In fact mortgages are now based on affordability and the overwhelming majority can afford their mortgages and long may it last.

I’m just unsure how renting works when you want to retire. In an ideal world, we will have 10 years between paying off the mortgage and retiring to save up - how are you supposed to afford rent when your on a pension income?

We are lucky but certainly not homeowners without effort on our part. I do appreciate that for a lot, hard work does not equal financial reward and savings aren’t possible

There’s a lady in our road that makes a point of saying in social media resident groups that posts that she’s a homeowner not a renter. I want to poke her snobbery where the sun doesn’t shine. Her house is currently for sale and I’m so tempted to mount a demonstration in front of her house, with all sorts of mc delicasises to show that actually, we’re all the same

However, the majority of people who are buying, can barely afford the mortgage and essential maintenance costs

Not for us. The mortgage is quite affordable and while costs such as plastering and carpeting are not exactly fun, we budget for them and we're ok. The bastard was getting the deposit together. We had some help.

I rented for years and had we not had the help we'd be renting still. I have never ever looked down on someone for renting and I'm astonished that so many people have had such terrible experiences.

I "own" two houses, one is my previous home, now a buy to let (reluctant/ accidental LL) the other is my home. The first one I actually own 25% of it, our home slightly more at be about 40%. The reality is probably the same for most of your friends, the bank "owns" more of their home then they do!!

Obviously there are massive benefits to owning your own home, but nothing to be smug about for most people.

@bluntness100

I don't think this is remotely true, in fact rent is way higher than mortgage payments and usual maintenance. I personally don't know anyone who can barely afford their mortgage or basic maintenance. Of course they exist, of course people have their homes repossessed, but to say it's the majority is ludicrous.

Yes it IS true. Especially for the many homeowners who have bought in the past 10-12 years (and have zero equity/negative equity,) and who are on average salaries.

Good for you and all these amazing fortunate people you know, who sail along nicely as homeowners, with very few issues with the house, and hardly any repair costs that they cannot afford. If you have had a good, positive experience of buying a home then bully for you!. Many people have not, particularly, as I said, people who have bought (for the first time) in the 2000's...

It's also utter bollocks to say buying a property, costs waaaaaay less than renting. No way does it. Particularly when you factor in all the maintenance and repair costs.

My rent is less than £300 a month for my little 2 bed housing association house, and my mortgage (on my last house some 7 years back,) was double that (for a property of similar value...) And don't even get me started on the repairs and maintenance costs that were never fucking ending!

Even private let in my area is only about £500 for a similar house to mine. A mortgage to buy the same home would be more than that for many people.

Unless you bought your home in 1987, and you are comparing it to what the rent is now, then no way would buying be cheaper than renting. You have to take it as like for like. The rent for a property NOW vs what the mortgage would be for it NOW.

Different story eh?

This is not really something I have noticed outside of situations where a renter complains about not being able to afford a house which is really annoying so I would imagine the 'superiority' is more a result of irritation. The showing your friend your recent extension is quite normal. Although discussing values explicitly makes me a bit

Blackchina, I'm not comparing it to those in social housing which is a different discussion. Private rent in general costs a huge amount more than any mortgage and basic maintenace. Of course it does, why would anyone be a landlord if they couldn't at least cover their mortgage and maintenance costs.

Are all you renters posting this on iPads? If so, there's why you can't afford a house

I'm a first time buyer and have definitely felt the smug vibes over the years of renting before this.

Being a home owner isn't great. Yes we have a small mortgage that will be paid off in a few year BUT we have a defunct boiler, dodgy wiring and a bathroom that leaks. We also have smashed windows with mould they need replacing. We can't afford to do any of this. We have about £60k profit in the house. Can't afford to move and can't afford to re mortgage and wages only just cover original sum! Owning isn't fantastic for us.

I actually think that the government push so much towards people being home owners because

A - if you lose your job it's a bloody long time before they'll help you with mortgage interest but if renting you can claim right away and this costs them money.

B - if you own your own home it can be levied against future care home costs (and when the make it law, cost of care in own home) but if you rent (and have lea than £23,250 savings) you get it all free and third costs them money.

So we are all being duped,

Being a home owner isn't great. Yes we have a small mortgage that will be paid off in a few year BUT we have a defunct boiler, dodgy wiring and a bathroom that leaks. We also have smashed windows with mould they need replacing.

Haha! I have LITERALLY had all of those things as a private renter, bar the smashed windows. Half my furniture got ruined because the landlord wouldn't get a damp proofing course and stop the mould caused by riding damp. Other stuff been ruined by leaks. I was told "claim it on your insurance"...even though my contents insurance has a 300 excess AND a 300 water damage charge.. (very usual these days).
And no "small mortgage that will be paid off in a few years"!

Agree with you op some people are so thoughtless
Perhaps next time they say you should reply don’t you think i would if I could

YANBU. I steer well clear of these 'types'.

You often find snooty homeowners lack badly in other areas. For example, a few lack in class, manners, IQ - general likeability. Most will not have worked for their mortgage, but will have had the help of the bank of mom and dad. Some will have bought a wreck at 'the right time'. Some give off an air of privilege - almost as if they could 'live for ever'. There's very much a 'fuck off tone' from some homeowners.

Also, some will have 'friends' who fawn all over them - even if they lack originality and personality. Just look at Facebook.

I know of at least one person who has done well for themselves, but is known to be a truly unpleasant person. Yet they think they are superior because these days people judge a person's character based on their belongings, regardless if they are up to their eyeballs in debt or mummy and daddy fund their lifestyle.

It's interesting to note the (slightly aggressive) posts from some renters apparently trying to prove that renting is better than owning. Most homeowners are just happy to have their own home and get on with life. It's often the renters who make it into an issue!

i agree blue. i think that most renters if they could own (exact location, right time of their lives etc.) would take on the opportunity.
of course some countries are tiny and densely populated and it might be near impossible but for most adults home ownership is a goal.

"Blackchina, I'm not comparing it to those in social housing which is a different discussion"

The title of the thread is "to think that some homeowners regard themselves as superior to renters"

not "to think that some homeowners regard themselves as superior to private renters"