To buy a house next to housing association properties?

[Brightskiesahead]

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).

What an absolute awful post @Brightskiesahead
I work with Police officers, firefighters, paramedics and nurses to name a few who live in Housing Association houses, what a absolute snobby post.

@ZoeTurtle

Definitely don't buy it. The housing association residents deserve better neighbours than you.

Well said

@Dee1975

I think you may get a few flaming posts. But I completely understand your concerns. I live in a new build development and do see the concerns others have living close to HA. However, I wouldn’t worry about a row of 5 terrace houses. All sorts of people live in HA. They are not all dossers on the dole. In general, parts of my estate where the HA is more dense, there is more rubbish and anti social behaviour. But, not so much in the areas with just a row of a few. And of course you could buy in a street with no HA and still have awful neighbours! House sounds lovely. Go for it

Anti social behaviour and rubbish can happen in home owned housing estates as well, and I won't go into drug abuse and child abuse by rich parents that I see on a daily basis. Typical Mumsnet snobbery

OP, you can't choose your neighbours even on a completely house owners street, your neighbour could sell to a housing association or to someone setting up a house for homing ne'er do wells

It's interesting how a lot of people who grew up in them have diplomatically said it can be rough, but then others are making out everyone is automatically a saint and nought to worry about here.

One friend of mine lives in a HA and its lovely, another has massive weed smokers next door and its hell/HA do nothing - just luck of the draw but I wouldnt myself chance it.

I like in a HA development as well as having done the housing officers job.

It really depends how proactive your HA are at dealing with tenancy breaches!

You certainly get more support regarding any ASB then you’d get from most private landlords if there were any issues.

@GeorgiaGirl52

One way to judge a neighborhood is to look at the school ratings for the schools that serve your catchment area. Are they rated "excellent" or "good"? If they are "Needs improvement" that tells you something about the children in the school and indirectly about their parents.

You are talking shite, posh neighbourhood in my town full of massive mansions and elite has a school requiring improvement slap bang in the middle, yet another school on a council estate was ranked outstanding.

@TableFlowerss because the sure plans always show which houses have been allocated for affordable rent or affordable housing.

Being honest, the HA properties on our estate look unkempt and I would worry about that brining down the value of your property. I don’t know whether they look unkempt because it’s the job of the HA and they aren’t fulfilling their responsibilities or because the people living there don’t care enough to look after the properties.

@LochJessMonster

I wouldn’t. I own a house in between several council houses and I regret it. I guess because they don’t own it, they don’t care as much about upkeep or don’t see it as their responsibility, and the gardens are overgrown, full of rubbish, fences falling down etc. I’m always a bit embarrassed when people visit actually.

The people are mostly lovely though.

Another uneducated snob. Fences are the responsibility of the HA not the resident, and gardens also if medical problems prevent them doing it themselves. I am embarrassed at your shocking attitude.

@backbee or maybe for many of us there isn't anything to worry about?

In my block of 4 one is a disabled lady with MS in her 50s, another is an elderly lady and her adult son who works as a Porter at our local hospital. The third is some sort of account who works full time and has no children and is the most obsessively clean person I have ever met, bordering on unhealthily so. Then there is me and my two. My oldest is Autistic but I'm a full time masters student. There is literally no bother from our block.

It really is luck. Yes I might be reluctant if I had no idea who would be moving in but the whole point of HA being present on new build sites like planned for the OP and as I live in is it prevents council estates and the stereotypical problems occurring.

You genuinely wouldn't know who is HA and who is a home owner here.

Our block also has a gardener who comes once a fortnight in the summer and once a month in winter. That is down to the HA not us but we do pay a service charge.

Honestly I would be worried about the resale chances. There's a massive new build estate near us, quite expensive due to the area. All the houses sold super quickly apart from 1. We went to look at it 1.5 years ago as it was cheaper than the other houses. It was opposite a terrace row of HA properties that were beyond unkept. The house is still for sale now, they just can't shift it. Whether it's the HA or the tenant who's responsible for the upkeep of the properties, it doesn't matter, still affects the ability to sell!

Why is everyone ignoring the fact that "they might be fine but they might be awful" applies to anyone in any kind of property, owned or rented or HA/council?

The worst neighbours I've ever had in a house were mortgaged owners who had loud parties often and put threatening notes through the door constantly after we complained, until we left. Worst from when I lived in a flat in a nice area were the private renters downstairs who were constantly getting arrested. When I grew up in a HA house, everyone was lovely.

This country is obsessed with being able to box people off as good or bad depending on certain class markers and it's really weird.

We bought a new build house right next to the housing association houses, never had a single issue.

I would think very carefully before buying a new build as many of them have a lot of faults due to shoddy workmanship, as parts of the construction process are often subcontracted to the lowest bidder. A small local firm might have higher standards than one of the big nationals. Also if most of the houses are HA they might be priced lower due to the requirements of the HA so might be lower quality (or on the other hand the HA could have stricter quality control). I would research other properties built by the builder locally to see how many faults they have before buying. Also check it’s not a leasehold with a punitive ground rent clause (though this is hopefully going to be outlawed)

You're probably going to have little choice. It will either be that house or another like it. All new estates come with ha housing in it, they have to now. You can't afford a bigger house, so get over your pride and just buy it.

It's interesting how a lot of people who grew up in them have diplomatically said it can be rough, but then others are making out everyone is automatically a saint and nought to worry about here.

It can be. Like someone else said, any area can be rough or have difficult neighbours, bought, mortgaged, mortgage free, ha, it makes no difference. An asshole with money is still an asshole.

Renting a house next to HA properties is one thing, buying one is quite another. My advice would be don't do it.

I spent 10 years living in HA properties when I lived on benefits, and I looked after the properties and wasn't a nuisance neighbour. My own neighbours were lovely, but we were the exception trust me. It was hell and I couldn't wait to leave. It isn't snobbish to question whether moving next to HA properties is a good idea, there is a very good reason for it. Many problem families live in HA properties, that is just a fact.

I would suggest that the people up in arms about your valid question, have not directly experienced living next to nightmare neighbours.

I pay a gardener. For my council house.

My fences are falling down and need painted but they’re not my job and if I start to do them I have to take them on forever. I pay rent and am entitled to have my landlord fulfill the obligations in the tenancy agreement.

My step dad bought a house that was a predominantly HA project but this wasn't public knowledge at the time (off plan a good few years ago now)I don't quite know all the ins and outs but the jist of it is it was "missold" and the developer hid facts about this development (not quite sure how this fits with searches etc) it meant he had dramatically overpaid due to the proximity abs amount of HA properties and in the end they actually bought it back off him and compensated all costs etc.

So it's always concerned me the impact on value.

I’m loving that your “small house” is significantly larger than mine

One of the nicest places I lived was my local council estate, it was green and the people were lovely and houses were sturdy. I left there and bought on a new build estate - my neighbour is a pervert and I can’t hang my knickers on the line.

Looking to move back!

What are you suggesting about HA tenants, OP? 🤨

And yes, if the house ticked all your other boxes, I would totally get it.

Massive snobbery at play here.
Shame the knocking shop up the road is huge and not HA