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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to be worried about social housing?

330 replies

thegreenlight · 13/04/2019 13:57

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?

OP posts:
galaxy101 · 14/04/2019 19:59

I'm a social housing tenant. I work full time, have 2 well behaved children, we are quiet and keep ourselves to ourselves. I NEVER hear my neighbours.

Before anyone is offered a house through social housing they are thoroughly checked, I had credit checks, affordability checks, landlord references and they also check to see if you have a history of anti social behaviour before they'll even make a provisional offer. So I don't think you need to worry 🤷🏻‍♀️

HelenaDove · 14/04/2019 20:02

It was home owners who built an effigy of Grenfell last Guy Fawkes night put it on a fire and filmed themselves laughing and taking the piss. With comments like "this is what happens when you dont pay your rent"

Following some of the logic on this thread i take it its then okay to assume that all home owners would behave like this!

Puzzledandpissedoff · 14/04/2019 21:02

Very true, Helena - and while there are some HA tenants I'd hate living next to, I'd hate living next to the perps of that hideous incident even more

RedToothBrush · 14/04/2019 21:05

I live in a house on an estate that has a number of social housing houses on it. 4 of them are behind my house and a small part of my garden borders their parking area. I've lived in my house for two years now and I only actually realised a month or so ago that the houses were SH. Never would have ever occurred to me to check before hand. And I have never had a single issue ever (they may possibly feel otherwise about me and my noisy children during the summer months!!).

Gosh. You aren't my neighbour are you?!

The one who has the bifold doors open and you and your mates keep my toddler awake with your partying?

If by some miracle you are; watch your kids on new year and don't let them nearly blow themselves up again! You let the neighbourhood down with that one.

And its the social housing tenants that have the bad rep!

Buombalayo · 14/04/2019 22:13

@RedToothBrush 😂 whereabouts in the county are you? We're lacking in bifold doors and parties so not us!

Buombalayo · 14/04/2019 22:14

*country

RedToothBrush · 15/04/2019 08:42

I'm north west. Glad you saw the funny side. I wish I'd dropped those kids in it in hindsight!

Buombalayo · 15/04/2019 08:53

@RedToothBrush ah was wondering if it could have been one of my neighbours but we're south. Am very lucky with my neighbours though so far owners/private renters/social housing alike (and for the post part couldn't tell you which was which!).

It must be very frustrating to have to put up with antisocial people living close by! I hope they pipe down a bit for you Angry

HBStowe · 15/04/2019 09:01

What a horrible, horrible post.

In the estate where I live you would never know which houses were social housing, and that’s exactly as it should be. What would you prefer, OP - that poor people are all confined to one easily identifiable are so you can avoid them? Are you worried you’ll catch something?

Social housing is nothing more than an attempted solution to the housing crisis, which has ensured that even in families where two adults are working it can be impossible to get decent housing. The least you could do is not sneer at it.

StillIRise87 · 15/04/2019 16:52

I wouldn't if its anywhere that isn't London or the home counties. In these areas rents and buying in massively unaffordable so you will find professionals and working families in social housing. Not so in places where housing is relatively cheap. Most of my cousins live in social housing and you wouldn't want any of them as neighbours. ( Think drug dealing, violence and social problems).

evaperonspoodle · 15/04/2019 17:01

On mumsnet everyone in social housing is either piss poor but lovely or a doctor or similar professional, there is nothing in between. In my county social housing estates are usually rough, crime ridden and trashed within months of people moving in. Never heard of any mixed social/private housing but sad to say that I would be concerned too.

Thebatmother · 15/04/2019 17:12

I’m in a HA flat on a big estate and my neighbours with a couple of exceptions are like extras out of ‘Shameless’. You really wouldn’t want to live here unless you had no choice.

ferretmerit · 15/04/2019 17:19

I live on a new build estate in SE prices for a flat from £300k up to £650k houses. Our house is opposite social housing - reduced rent ones. Apparently the terms is you have to have one person working on a low income. Many are taxi drivers. There are also council tenant flats in a block, so I don't think they have to work, but they may do . Plus there are shared ownership and privately owned homes.

We haven't had any problems, particularly, but the one thing I would say is they all let their children play out. Now other children do play out too, but the social ones are out all weathers. Actually very nice polite kids, but that is a factor it may bother you?

Some other roads have had issues with the social children playing out but it maybe they are just snobby like me.

My observations on new builds is most people don't buy a new build as they love gardening. Most houses whether social rent or private have overgrown front gardens. Many have broken down beds, car seats and yes the occasional washing machine outside. I do not know that the majority these are the social houses, but I can guess they might be ( and sometimes I see the housing association van visiting.) Annoying as the dump is about 5 miles away.

The block of flats is by some shops built as part of the new development, they have had issues with vandalism.

Would I buy here again. Yes. It is generally a nice community. I knew we were taking a risk, but as other posters say they mix in the social housing.

Before I lived in a small development of 6 properties. When we moved in we didn't realise our neighbour was renting / council tentant. But then she disappeared, lots of Bailiffs later the landlady was paid mega bucks to house a problem family. And they were a problem. Bad luck, it can happen anywhere. Hence we moved.

HelenaDove · 15/04/2019 17:27

@Brilliantidiot In light of what came up on this thread earlier.................

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3560545-Grenfell-family-face-removal-from-home-RBKC-deny-this-Then-POLICE-knocked-on-the-door?watched=1&msgid=86349784#86349784

PookieDo · 15/04/2019 21:20

It does depend on your area for many factors though doesn’t it?

If you live in a thriving community with a good strong job market, good transport links and a fairly good council you will all suffer less mess less unemployed people and less issues.

I live in one of those areas in the SE - which I can never afford to buy or rent privately despite having 2 professional jobs!

Unfortunately many areas of the UK outside of London do suffer from a lack of job opportunities, lack of decent transport and terrible council services (such as low cost or free collection of items such as sofas and beds) and therefore people who don’t have a car aren’t prepared to pay £30 to have things taken away - that’s a weeks food shop to many. People aren’t doing it to be scummy. How are they supposed to dispose of items if they have no transport and it’s expensive, and a lot of local industries have completely died off leaving high unemployment rates?

There are many people in SH who are single parents with fathers paying no maintenence for their children and struggling on a low income with very high childcare costs, MH issues and lack of opportunity support and hope. I do not drive past a garden sofa and ever think that the resident willingly really likes living that way

Whitechocandraspberry · 15/04/2019 21:21

2 professional jobs?

PookieDo · 15/04/2019 22:21

Yep. I’m a single mum and I work full time as a manager in the NHS and evenings and weekends as an operations manager still in healthcare

PookieDo · 15/04/2019 22:23

^ and still can’t afford my own bloody house so live in ye old scummy SH

Whitechocandraspberry · 15/04/2019 23:21

What professional qualifications do you have?

Beerincomechampagnetastes · 16/04/2019 03:00

No way would I buy that house op.

North facing garden. Next to a park. Path next to it.

You’re so focussed on sh you’ve not realised the real problems.

Original poster
thegreenlight · 16/04/2019 05:12

The garden is south east facing and the path and bridal way is separated from the end of the road by a hawthorn hedgerow. There’s just so much green which is unusual for a new build. Lots to think about. Sorry for upsetting people.

OP posts:
PookieDo · 16/04/2019 07:12

I’m studying so an undergraduate at present with 20 years experience.
I wasn’t fortunate to go to uni as poor kid from poor council estate.
Would you like a copy of my CV or are you going to tell me this isn’t professional enough for your liking

Livpool · 16/04/2019 07:36

I grew up in social housing and my parents still live in their home. We're not like the family from Shameless.

The only problem neighbours I have had were people who owned their own home on a non-social housing estate

youarenotkiddingme · 16/04/2019 07:58

I also moved into a new build estate 12 years ago. 2 phases and each one has the 25% (ish) SH as required by the planning permission.

There was a lot of trouble in the early years with kids being out late at night, it's open plan so kids were hanging around and running around being a nuisance. (They had plenty of space and didn't need to be outside someone's window but have all the "chat" when asked politely to hang out somewhere less disturbing for others.

We got a neighbourhood street watch team together.

At the meeting everyone was slagging off the mixed housing and telling everyone how it was to blame.

I had 1 readied this spend 10 minutes on this with me and saying how I manage and my downstairs neighbour manage to raise our children so why couldn't those in SH.

I asked which kids in particular it was causing causing most issues.

Then had great delight in pointing out child a b and c were all children of private buyers and in fact the SH were the ones I lived in Grin

YABU. You only have to trawl MN to know shit neighbours exist across all walks of society.

sashh · 16/04/2019 08:38

I worked as a Police officer for 5 years, in a large town, with lots of Social housing. We were called to the same social housing estate every single shift

Wow, I am amazed.

I couldn't get the police to come out when someone was trying to break my door down to, "f**ing twat" me.

The operator could hear this but was more interested in what I had done to provoke her.

They did phone me the following morning to see if I was OK.

I live in social housing on an estate, the person trying to get to me did not. I know if I was in my old privately rented flat they would have turned out.