To really regret buying on a council estate

Get proactive. Follow the tips on the thread. You need a plan to leave.

I had similar OP but we were only renting at the time. But due to our circumstances we had to stay longer than we wanted to. Our landlord sold the house when we moved out and I pity the poor soul who bought it.

But I will stress our issues were with the individuals and not 'council estate' as a whole. When we moved in it was a lovely street. Unfortunately, 3 elderly residents died within 18 months of each other and they moved in a load of clampits. The 'Nice kids next door' also turned into drug dealing teenagers. Whose 'clients' liked to stand outside our house.

We actually still live in the same area and our street is lovely. It was just the people in the old street who were the problem.

What is it worth and what did you pay?
I would find a way to move as soon as possible. You may as well stick it on the market and see what happens. Is your neighbours house priced reasonably?
I walk through an area on my way to work that's exactly how you describe. Fuck that.

Having been a stau ch defender of council tennant type folk, then having spent 55 years living amongst them, they are, on the whole, horrible yobs, minor drug dealing, crashing cars, no consideration, dru k at all hours,spitting and every other word is fuck, just revolting scroates who repeatedly shitnon their own doorsteps. NEVER ever again!

We made a pretty similar mistake in the location of our first house. To my surprise it actually sold quite quickly, so it's worth trying (though I know it's a funny market at the moment). You have to price realistically and not think about what the same house a few streets away would get.

Sell it at a potential loss your mental health is worth more. I assume that it’s increased in value in 5 years. Assuming the house for sale is the same as yours what is the asking price of theirs compared to what you paid for yours?

Speak to council about buying back
Sell through an EA at a potential loss plus you will need to be out for any viewings unless you want to bare faced lie to people
Sell to a company that buys quickly, they buy at below market rate
Rent it out

You need to change your mindset and accept you made a mistake and you will be either making a loss or a minimal amount of money. You need to stop thinking what if this house was on one of the nice roads because it’s going to drive you crazy.

Definitely contact the council.

I think when you have an estate full of council tenants the probability of anti social behaviour is much higher unfortunately. I find new builds, with a small mix of council and owned properties works really well…I live in a new build and you would not know who the council or owned property tenants are as everyone wants keep the area nice.

I hope the council buys it off you for market rate OP.

I was in a similar situation when I bought my first house (1980's).
Single person, to afford anything I had to move to another town (which was cheaper than where I grew up) and bought an ex-council house on the worst road. Only lived there for 3-years before a rising market and my (budget friendly) improvements meant I could afford to move to a nice house on a private estate.

Mine was the only privately owned house on the road and everything the OP says applied here as well. I did not enjoy living there but it was a stepping stone and taught me a lot. There will always be a buyer as long as you price it correctly, the way I looked at it was that I bought cheap and I sold cheap but still turned a decent profit and payed a chunk off the mortgage.

We made the same mistake years ago, sold a lovely terrace for a ex council bigger house. Hated every minute of it, made us so stressed out. We ended up giving it back to the mortgage company after 2008 crash and renting. Our MH was better then owning a property.

New builds often do part exchanges. It will be a bad deal in terms of how much you get for the house but gets you out quickly

My partner used to be an estate agent, he always says 'Any house will sell in any market if the price is right' (ie low enough.) Maybe a relocation would have some nice side effects too. Good luck, it sounds like a horrible situation. Health and happiness are worth more than any amount of money.

This is just a situation that you hate rather than a generalism. We live in a close that is ex council, all the houses are privately owned now. It's lovely. My friend lives in a normal close of houses, they are all terrorised by youths from the neighbouring council estate.

Why did you buy there? You clearly didn't investigate thoroughly enough the house, the area well enough or you would've known that this was going on.

Only thing that you can do now is sell, at whatever price you can get, take the hit if you've lost any money, so be it and move on. there is literally no other way round it as far as I can see.

Is there a residents association that can bring a concerted effort to pressure councillors and council to step up?

The council estate where my parents live (huge one) had very similar problems. The decent residents, which amounted to about 80% at the time, formed a resident's association. At the time they formed it, the estate had become a no-go area as the council were taking problem tenants from all the local authorities and dumping them in this one estate. Even the police came in riot vans and full gear, fire,ambulance, buses etc didn't enter.

The rwsidents banded with the police and emergency services, got pressure put onto the council and the problem tenants were given ultimatums. It took a couple of years but things began to settle down - a decade later and it's a vastly different place, back to how it used to be.

My point (after wittering on!) if you really can't afford to move, is to see if there either is a resident's association, or if there is support for one. You are more powerful as a group than as individuals. I think that Police & Crime Commissioners have funds that they and local councils can use to help in setting associations up - it helps their policing figures to have safer streets.

Good luck.

Maybe take a hit price wise.theres no point comparing yourself to nearby roads,there is no reasoning.
Could you rent it out and move to a rental in a better area maybe .then sell ASAP say after 6 months. Ch is all very well but some of them have a mindset that includes anti social behaviour sadly

Sounds awful. You need to move. Sometimes crisis is the catalyst for something better.

Can you;

1, take out a load of equity to buy somewhere new and then let out the house? Even via the council?

2, sell cheaply and move somewhere which may be in a different location but where you have a better quality of life?

3, rent it out and move to a rental in your local area? Not ideal but a possibility…

Huh? Of course privately owned estates, ex council included, will be nicer than social housing. It’s not just a situation she hates. It’s the truth about social tenants. That’s why most people will steer clear of these type of areas.

Also, your captain hindsight comment does not help OP. She already explained why she bought the house.

What does the trajectory of the area look like? Any signs that tenants are buying their properties and/or signs of improvements in the immediate area? With the position of your estate, the area could change dramatically in the next decade and you could find you made a very good long term investment. In the meantime, could you rent it out?

Don't hold on to a mistake just because you spent a long time making it.
How much is left on your mortgage? Can you sell and cover it? If so, just do it.

Renting it out could be a good option.

Buy a campervan. Go park up in a beauty spot, give yourself a break from it whenever you need.

Living near scum must be very annoying and would piss me off daily.
If it's impacting your health just flog it for whatever you can and move on.

In 5 years a monetary loss will just be a part of life's rich tapestry of events. You'll just shrug, nothing more.

Personally I would try to relocate and sell the house for less than you anticipated. There are some lovely places to live out there that are affordable, you don't have to live like that.