Page 10 | To buy a house next to housing association properties?

Brightskiesahead · 2021-01-13T20:55:05+00:00

I need some advice/opinions please. Soon to be divorced and left with some equity to buy a small house for me and 2 primary age DC. One has come up on a new build development which is great on paper. Detached, 3 bed, garage, 2 parking spaces and west facing garden. It's in budget. I can't stretch to the next house type up. But the house types I'm looking at are next to housing association properties. The immediate neighbour is a disabled property then its 5 terraced houses of HA. Would you buy it? I can't investigate the area as it's not complete yet. The general neighbour hood is lovely (I live close by currently).

formerbabe · 14/01/2021 11:14

@Tenyearsgone

And I lived next door to a drug dealer who got 8 years inside for drug and fire arms offences. No wonder he could afford to buy such a fancy house on a nice leafy street.

I'd imagine if you're a very 'successful' criminal, you probably don't get pissed and stand outside your neighbours house hurling verbal abuse at them?

Tenyearsgone · 14/01/2021 11:18

Oh so it's ok to be a drug dealer as long as you deal in coke and not weed and do it quietly. 😂

You couldn't make this shit up.

Mumofsend · 14/01/2021 11:19

I think one of the PP's actually said the best advice to look at which the HA is.

I know there is not a chance we would get away with ASB. My neighbour's car broke down and when it hadn't moved in 30 days she got a warning letter to move it within 10 days or it would be towed at her cost. We also had to be working to get our tenancy, they wouldn't rent to non-working families.

Our HA has a reputation for being tough but another local one have a rep for being a nightmare the other way.

formerbabe · 14/01/2021 11:22

@Tenyearsgone

Oh so it's ok to be a drug dealer as long as you deal in coke and not weed and do it quietly. 😂

You couldn't make this shit up.

Clearly it's never ok to be a drug dealer.

But from the point of view of a random neighbours quality of life, someone who does something quietly that doesn't impinge on the enjoyment of their home is quite different to someone who makes noise, causes endless dramas and anti social behaviour, needles on the pavement etc

Sillyduckseverywhere · 14/01/2021 11:24

Fuck no.
No chance.
I grew up in SH and then privately rented next to SH as an adult and the horror stories are real, I witnessed a stabbing once outside my block, weed smoking, had my windscreen smashed, domestic violence, intimidating teens.
I'd do anything I could to avoid living anywhere near that again.

HeyMister · 14/01/2021 11:27

@Waxonwaxoff0

Er, yes. HA tenants are no different to anyone else.

Of course they can be. Some don't care because they don't own their own properties.

Personally I wouldn't Op.

LadyHedgehog · 14/01/2021 11:46

I lived in a flat owned by a housing association. My flat was a market rent, not an affordable property, but it was a mix of properties in the block, so some were affordable housing. The housing association were incredible. We had issues with people not using the bins properly and they installed CCTV and threatened offenders (no idea if they were on market rental or affordable property) with eviction. I would much prefer to be next door to a HA property than a private rental.

Idontbelieveit12 · 14/01/2021 11:48

I think it does depend on where you live....i live in a HA house in an affluent small market town, obviously it’s a lot different to inner city areas.

possumgoddess · 14/01/2021 11:58

I used to live in a HA property and I am very nice 😁. We now live in our own house in the same part of town - it is in a private housing area but the surrounding areas have a LOT of council and HA properties. What I will say is that we could only afford to buy our (quite nice) house because the general area is cheaper, because of the HA and council estates nearby. It will affect house prices going forward, but if you're not paying over the odds now I would probably do it. I would look at the crime state for the area first - but you probably can't do that as it isn't complete yet.

mum133566 · 14/01/2021 12:29

Snobbery at its finest. I’m in a new build HA property I wouldn’t want to live near you. What is your issue with people who are in social housing? What do you expect will happen? Do you think your higher up than us because you live in a house that you’ve bought ? WOW

mum133566 · 14/01/2021 12:30

@HeyMister

Okay you won’t want to live near a standard rented house then either? People can buy houses and not look after them

Astormofswords · 14/01/2021 12:49

We have housing association opposite and if you have the details of who it’s through it’s a breeze.

No massive issues at all. We live in a nice area and my neighbours complained to the the housing association about someone not cutting their grass and it looking unkept. It was sorted within a week.

LizFlowers · 14/01/2021 13:02

@mum133566

Snobbery at its finest. I’m in a new build HA property I wouldn’t want to live near you. What is your issue with people who are in social housing? What do you expect will happen? Do you think your higher up than us because you live in a house that you’ve bought ? WOW

I see no snobbery in any of the op's posts though quite a bit from people with large chips on their shoulders, being defensive.

When people are buying a house they naturally look at the area from all angles, it is a huge commitment. The op said there are only about five HA places near her anyway, and some for disabled. She likes the house and area but wants to be sure - a home is an investment after all, nobody wants to buy something that won't sell easily in the future.

randomsabreuse · 14/01/2021 13:19

I currently live in a tiny little estate. Next road over is a big former council estate, now about 70% privately owned - our council properties are very very obvious as they've all had roof tiles replaced, full exterior paint and new post and rail fences in the last couple of years. Road after that is an executive development of 3-5 bed detached properties. I spend quite a lot of time running the two big loops and the former council estate is much quieter and has a nicer feel with fewer illicit parties (been in lockdown since pretty well forever) and less noise... The executive development is also the route to the skatepark and canal, plus has pub/shop on the corner.

Our tiny estate is a mix of 5 detached 4 beds (some now extended) 8 3 bed semis and 4 smaller terraces, mix of private rental and owner occupied. It has a lovely community feel as it's tiny.

It's all about luck with new builds as you have no way to tell who will buy. Investor landlords are generally far worse than HA's for maintenance!

formerbabe · 14/01/2021 13:32

I don't think it's snobbery. No one has said that everyone that lives in social housing is a scumbag and anyone who doesn't is a model citizen. However, on a general level, anti social behaviour is generally more prevalent in social housing.

Spongebobsquarefringe · 14/01/2021 13:41

[quote AnxiousSM]@FitzsimmonsMarvel - dog poo belongs just to the HA tenants does it? Do mortgaged owners dogs not poo?[/quote]
@AnxiousSM their dogs use the downstairs WC and wipe their own arsed with the highest quality scented toilet roll from Harrods

Kylee300 · 14/01/2021 13:50

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for privacy reasons.

Tenyearsgone · 14/01/2021 13:51

Cockapoo and Labrador shit is absolutely fine. It's that staffy shit that lowers the tone

RealisticSketch · 14/01/2021 14:03

@formerbabe

I don't think it's snobbery. No one has said that everyone that lives in social housing is a scumbag and anyone who doesn't is a model citizen. However, on a general level, anti social behaviour is generally more prevalent in social housing.

Agree, it's a bit politically correct to pretend that anti social behaviour is uncommon in social housing. There are oodles of lovely people in social housing. I lived for over a decade on a housing estate that was mostly social housing, and chaotic families and anti social tenants are also the sort of people who end up needing social housing. There are many hard working lovely / perfectly reasonable people in social housing too obviously. The difficulty op had is that as a new build estate she can't drive past and have a look at her prospective neighbours.

RealisticSketch · 14/01/2021 14:03

Isn't.

LST · 14/01/2021 15:39

I lived in a HA property from aged 18 until I was 30. Worked the whole time as did my dp. Never claimed benefits, not that it matters.

Plenty of twats own their own homes

Pinkyandthebrainz · 14/01/2021 20:19

Absolutely not. I'd stay well away. Plus I don't like new builds.

LizFlowers · 14/01/2021 20:21

@Tenyearsgone

Oh so it's ok to be a drug dealer as long as you deal in coke and not weed and do it quietly. 😂

You couldn't make this shit up.

I think it is unlikely that you would know they are a drug dealer until they are banged up, so it wouldn't bother you.

Dinocan · 14/01/2021 20:32

No, it’s quite obvious whose a drug dealer even more so in the lockdown. It will bother you because it will attract crime to the estate (fighting/nasty people coming and going/threats of violence and knife crime) not to mention all the social problems they bring. And unfortunately unless they’re the big boys they won’t ever get banged up, so the other tenants are stuck with these shitbags for the long haul. Experience, and that’s in a small town. County lines have wreaked havoc in so many communities.

Tenyearsgone · 14/01/2021 21:16

@Dinocan

No, it’s quite obvious whose a drug dealer even more so in the lockdown. It will bother you because it will attract crime to the estate (fighting/nasty people coming and going/threats of violence and knife crime) not to mention all the social problems they bring. And unfortunately unless they’re the big boys they won’t ever get banged up, so the other tenants are stuck with these shitbags for the long haul. Experience, and that’s in a small town. County lines have wreaked havoc in so many communities.

I was talking about the drug dealers who live in big private houses who supply the ones further down the chain. But those sort of dealers are ok by MN standards.

Just as long as they do it behind closed doors and don't lower the tone.