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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To swap my council house

77 replies

flossie86 · 30/04/2019 16:48

Okay so this is my first time posting, more of a WWYD. I rent a Council house, it's a Victorian terrace 3 story, livingroom dining room small kitchen 4 bedrooms 2 large one small & one box room. I have a small L shaped patio type yard, small but enough room for table/chairs some fairy lights few pots etc will attach photo of part of it. The street is mainly bought houses with just 2 council including mines. All in all a great house however I've been wanting a back garden for my 3 children for a long time & have a girl interested in swapping. She has a new build house on a council estate, 3 bedroom no dining room but enlarge kitchen & a great back garden with lawn. Now the catch is her house is 500per month whereas mines is 350per month, my house has character & not on an estate with high ceilings & long halls but hers has the large garden that I've been longing for & the house is only 2 years old, would I be unreasonable to swap based solely on wanting a large garden for my 3 DC one of whom is on the spectrum & cant play outside? Wwyd

To swap my council house
OP posts:
MyDcAreMarvel · 30/04/2019 18:01

Stick the garden furniture on Facebook and get a fold up deck chair. You have plenty of room for trampoline or sandpit/paddling pool.

Original poster
flossie86 · 30/04/2019 18:04

Thank you all so much really appreciate it! The yard is an L shape so one part is the photo I've attached which is the wider end & the other end has a tiny tiny trampoline & few plants so I may move the chairs/table & get use the wider end for the kids! Kids are 9, 7 & 4 Thank you all

OP posts:
wonderingsoul · 30/04/2019 18:04

No way.
Youd be mad to swap.

You have a garden.... just get creative with it

Original poster
flossie86 · 30/04/2019 18:05

Where do benefits come into this lol

OP posts:
feelingsinister · 30/04/2019 18:07

@flossie86 exactly! There seems to be a misconception that only people on benefits have LA or HA properties.

snowdrop6 · 30/04/2019 18:11

No absolutely don’t swap..I’ve adult kids...by the age of 8 mine no longer played in the garden.own bedrooms are more important,Ive 2 with asd.and our garden is a postage stamp..we nearly did move for a bigger garden,I’m so glad now we didn’t.

snowdrop6 · 30/04/2019 18:12

Plus that’s a lot of money extra a month to pay out

Pinotjo · 30/04/2019 18:13

No, downsize & additional rent? I'd stay put until a better offer comes in, your yard looks lovely btw

LaCastafiore · 30/04/2019 18:13

you get a 4 bed house for £350 a month and you don't call that a benefit? Lol ok then

OVAgroundWOMBlingfree · 30/04/2019 18:14

LaCastafiore

Did you mean you couldn’t wait for you to get here?

snowdrop6 · 30/04/2019 18:15

Your back garden photo is lovely ,you’ve made it look smashing

Iamheretoday · 30/04/2019 18:15

Is the other one council or housing association? If you are ever going to be in a position to buy your home, make sure you would still be able to buy the new one (some have a clause saying you can't).
I would try hard to get a mortgage one day on the one you are in now, you would get a minimum of 35% discount (at least in my region) and max 70% discount. Potentially a huge saving!

Original poster
flossie86 · 30/04/2019 18:17

Thanks again everyone appreciate the helpful advice x

OP posts:
Original poster
flossie86 · 30/04/2019 18:19

Its housing association with option to buy x

OP posts:
hayser33 · 30/04/2019 18:20

Good God don't do it !!

Original poster
flossie86 · 30/04/2019 18:20

Thank you snowdrop going to move it around a bit & try and get creative with kids stuff x

OP posts:
Widowodiw · 30/04/2019 18:20

I wouldn’t just based on a garden. Your children will get to an age quite quickly (7) when they are not interested in the garden and it’s all
About going out to places. Plus we only ever really use gardens for a small Amt of the year. Also that last quite a lot of more money each month for a garden.

dancingthroughthedark · 30/04/2019 18:22

My circumstances were different but I swapped in a similar way. My Victorian house sounds very much like yours but my kids were older and the older 2 had left home so I didn't need such a big house. The decent sized garden and a much bigger kitchen swung it for me and I am really glad I did it. A difference for me the rent was pretty much the same. It sounds like your children are younger and had mine been I think I might well have stayed put so I do think the age of your kids may make where you are the better option for now at least. I do get a great deal of pleasure from my garden as do the grandchildren I now have.

farmergilesnomore · 30/04/2019 18:27

You would be mad OP. It's my dream to live in a Vic house Mine rarely play in the garden and they will definitely want a bedroom each when they are older. Can I ask how you got a 4 bed with 3 dc?

YouSayPotatoesISayVodka · 30/04/2019 18:28

Your garden looks lovely! I’d stay put for the reasons others have given. I have a child on the spectrum and while outside space is important (even if the outside space is a park a stones throw away) his own room is more important. He needs his own space and we need our space away from him too.

EdtheBear · 30/04/2019 18:30

No i wouldn't swap either.
Something nobody else has mentioned is gardens themselves take time and money to maintain. (Says looking at weeds in mine)

Original poster
flossie86 · 30/04/2019 18:31

The floor measurements in the box room made it too small to be a bedroom because there is a hot press cupboard which took the floor size down so couldn't be considered big enough to be a bedroom, it does only fit a single bed & small chest of drawers I use it as a wash room but the previous tenant had it decorated as a childs bedroom x

OP posts:
Original poster
flossie86 · 30/04/2019 18:33

Dancingthroughthedark that's lovely you've got a garden now for grandkids to enjoy

OP posts:
MrsKrabbapple · 30/04/2019 18:34

You've made your outside space look lovely. And your house and street sound nice too.

I used to make my dc some pasta and put it in a flask and pick them up from school and go straight to the park.

Shitonthebloodything · 30/04/2019 18:45

Don't do it!