AIBU to be worried about social housing?

[thegreenlight]

Have found our dream home on a new estate - looks out over green to the front. Lovely lay out, super excited. However, we went to look at the one we wanted to reserve (80% finished) to find that half the garden backs onto a small row of 3 social rent houses. I feel awful to be worried abou this but I am! The other houses it backs onto are small private houses. I now don’t know what to do. I don’t want to make the wrong choice for our family. What if there’s trouble? It’s seriously making me reconsider. There isn’t much social housing on the estate (minimum amount I guess) does anyone have any experience?

Go and live in a gated community.

@PookieDo. Fab posts

YY yes there is a difference between council housing and social housing.

When I was with ex we lived in a very affluent area. It was a hot spot for burglaries because of the wealth, the nice cars etc. We even got broken into one early morning while we were all asleep in bed. Houses were frequently broken into for car keys.
The neighbours kept themselves to themselves and because they were mostly professionals who were all out during the day this meant again burglars were able to operate more freely. I never felt safe.
When I left my ex I rented a semi-detached two-bed and have never felt safer. The neighbours are wonderful and always keep an eye out, invite you in for a cuppa etc. We're still here five years on and the community is so caring. Nothing like the "cold" feel of the well-to-do neighbourhood I lived in previously.

With attitudes like there are on this thread no wonder some HAs think they can get away with this..............

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3557942-Social-housing-tenant-says-he-is-being-punished-for-speaking-to-the-Guardian

okay so the inlaws have a bought house and have been close being forcibly remove for the amount of crap in it (and the garden) the son attacks the neighbours, I could go on. It matters not where you live.

Goodness me OP, you are a snob aren't you.

Given the choice of living with genuine "take us as you find us" salt of the earth folk that make up the vast bulk of social housing tenants or the fake "Ten Bobs" in their new builds with the obligatory "marque car" I'll live amongst the social tenants any day.

Our window cleaner and our milkman (neither has met each other) often joke that customers on the new estates with fancy cars often hide to avoid answering the door to pay, yet the social/council tenants not only pay but offer a cuppa and chat too!!

I think you need to get over yourself OP.....believe me, you're really not that special!

@contentedsoul Couldn't agree with you more!

IMO those who have less appreciate what they have and are far more generous than those who have everything. I have lived in both affluent and less well-off communities and know which I prefer.

I spent a lot of my childhood in the Welsh valleys as I have close family there. It had such a positive impact on my life. Everyone was so generous and kind (and yes, that includes the "You're English aren't you? Never mind!" kind of banter. I always felt so welcome.

I'm getting married next year-to an amazing man who earns less than 1/4 per annum than my ex. I couldn't be happier. He also happens to be Welsh! 😍

And we can't afford either a milkman or a window cleaner!! 😊

Congratulations on your impending nuptials @Ella1980

Why are people so offended by this thread. OP has concerns. Why shouldn’t she? Why is this being taken so personally?

Because it is personal to those of us in social housing! I didn't have a massive problem with the OPs original question, was a bit 'here we go' but it's the posters saying that social housing tenants have a certain mentality, behave a certain way, are unemployed lay abouts.......
It's also a bit concerning to hear from a police officer that if I should ever need the assistance of the police, if someone broke in for instance, that I'd be pre judged because of who I pay the rent to.
I've not seen a police car in our village for months except driving through on the main road, usually on their way to an accident. The last time I had need to call the police was at work, during a wedding (nice hotel and expensive, usually professional type people) where some of the guests decided they were above the law and set about smashing the bar up because they were refused service for being drunk. Do I think all middle class professionals at a wedding will behave like that? No, because I'm open minded enough to realise that regardless of income, social status, who they pay to secure their home (bank, private LL, social landlord or council, or indeed no one) a minority of people do not represent the whole group.

I'm in social housing, I was in private let for years, I haven't received any housing benefit for at least 13 years now, many people live in private rent and claim housing benefit - that doesn't make me better than them, you're just as likely to be unemployed and indulge in antisocial behaviour in private rent as in social housing.

Some people in social housing are arseholes, some in private rent are arseholes, some homeowners are arseholes.

@HelenaDove Aw thank you! I honestly never thought I'd get married again after such a horrendous first marriage but never say never!!

I’m in social housing, there’s quite a few council houses in this area. None of them are the problem and actually people living in them all work .

It's also a bit concerning to hear from a police officer that if I should ever need the assistance of the police, if someone broke in for instance, that I'd be pre judged because of who I pay the rent to.

EXACTLY!!

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jun/09/police-fail-to-act-private-rent-tenants-illegally-evicted-landlords-harassment-threats

About private rentals but still.............

I would hesitate based on past experience. We had all sorts of problems from one family. Their kids made our lives (as well as everyone else’s on the street’s) a misery. I eventually found out that they had caused trouble on another estate in a different town and had been moved. Unfortunately people like this give everyone else a bad rep and I can understand how upsetting and frustrating it must be to feel like you are constantly looked down on just because you live in social housing.

Even before this legislation and when there was no social housing remit I would never have bought a new build on an estate as it would be a non established neighbourhood. Neighbours can obviously change but when buying its best to visit around the house you want to buy at various times of the day to get a feel for the road.

Turnover is higher and less likely to want to put down roots and stay
This might be true for private rents but not for SH. If you’re lucky enough to get SH you try to stay there for as long as possible.

We bought a house in s social housing area. Biggest regret of my life. We're stuck here till we can save a bit more for a nicer area. Never again.

I grew up on an ex council estate, my home was still a council house, the only problems we had was the neigbours (who owned their house) spraying ‘Paki scum’ in my dads car on a regular basis and having parties late into the night on a fairly regular basis.

If my experience of living next door to a ex council tenant is prejudice then so be it.

I'm 'prejudiced' because I don't want my fence urinated against , I don't want to hear screaming and shouting , countless teens hanging outside my house in the middle of the night or wondering who has called the police this time to move them on.

Funny how the things the ex council tenant wanted to move away from she bought with her.

For those wondering how do I know SHE TOLD ME

She is one person purplelila2

If my experience of living next door to a ex council tenant is prejudice then so be it
Prejudice is taking your experience about a single person and extrapolating that every person of that type behaves like that. So yes you are the textbook definition of prejudiced.

@gamerwidow

Totally agree with that, I'm now in sh, spent years in private rent and moving on all the time, I became eligible for sh due to abusive relationship but I'm for the first time, I have a secure tenancy and feel this can actually be a home.

@Adversecamber22

This is a really good point. You can’t find anything out when something isn’t established

There seems to be a lot of prejudice and a lot of misconceptions about SH.

Your first tenancy is 1 year as it’s probationary - don’t pay the rent, can’t afford it or treat it badly you have to leave. But the tenancy is long term after this at 5 or even 7 years. It’s not a short term rental like private rent. Home swapping isn’t very easy or straight forward either (thread here the other day about how annoying it is) so it is not likely it will be a high turnover of residents. Ok?

Prejudice is exactly what is offensive here. Facts and stats are one thing and I appreciate that it’s statisically higher than SH will be antisocial but this is due to poverty and class divide. By continuing the prejudice on in your own community, you are adding to the issue not helping it. By not wanting to live near them, they continue to be a second class citizen. The cycle continues. When people feel valued and accepted they will integrate into society a lot better. It is snobby to look down on people who have less than you, and blame them for their own circumstances (well if they had a job they could have a house like mine) when on this very forum there is a woman who posted AIBU about my 45 year old relative who has no job due to MH and everyone is outraged. It’s the same thing!!

By putting SH tenants into nice estates this is supposed to move away from the disaster that was sink estates and breed a new type of community. If you don’t think you can be part of such a community then buy a house on a private estate because it won’t work and you will be forever resentful about sharing your space with those less fortunate than you

^and you should just admit that is what kind of person you are

I live in a housing association property and all my neighbours in my complex are housing association too ..... we live in a very sought after area off London are neighbour at the back off us has a 3 million pound property ...... this post has angered me something rotten!!!! Put it this way love you won’t catch something from us lower class people we do wash!!!! You will most likely be provided with a bucket full off stones when you move in so u can chuck at us common folk if we get to close 🙄