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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be concerned about living near social housing?

183 replies

XNC · 12/06/2023 16:31

Hi,

So before anyone starts with the popcorn emojis or snobbery accusations, I'm well aware I'm going to offend some people by asking this question and whereas I'm not happy about that, I could really do with some advice and experiences, so I've decided to ask a controversial question.

I should also make it clear that I'm fully aware that the majority of people living in SH are not anti social arseholes - I have friends in SH. I have also had issues with neighbours who own their house or rent privately. I know SH doesn't automatically equate to issues.

However, statistically speaking, there are more issues with anti social behaviour in SH areas, disproportionately so, so am I really being unreasonable for being concerned about moving to a road which has SH?

Thanks.

OP posts:
Leo227 · 12/06/2023 16:35

is it a new build or old estate/Road? council or housing association?

AdditionalCharacter · 12/06/2023 16:36

Depends on the SH area. Have you looked at the crime figures for the one you're potentially moving near?

WonderDays · 12/06/2023 16:38

I live in
a newish house with about 25% social housing mostly occupied by police and nurses. It’s a lovely place to live.

Mylifeislikeaboatrace · 12/06/2023 16:42

I'm not offended, as I'm not residing in social housing district but this might not go how you would like it to.

WhyCantYourPartnerDoIt · 12/06/2023 16:43

"I know I'm being unreasonable, but ... am I being unreasonable?"

Readingisgoodforyou · 12/06/2023 16:44

How could anyone on here possibly know the answer?
There are estates like the one from shameless all over the country. There are also little roads with smart Housing Association properties with 60 years olds which you might also want to avoid as they're full of Mrs Bucket type personalities.

I'd personally be more concerned about privately owned properties with snooty owners.

Starlightstarbright1 · 12/06/2023 16:44

I live in social housing - my now old neighbour who got the Asbo was a woman in her 50’s who owned her home .

you never know

MichaelaLearnsToRock · 12/06/2023 16:45

🍿 🍿

Haha joking!

Okay YANBU to want to live in a place with less crime but you only need to look up the stats to decide. It's not always as simple as near social housing = likely higher crime. It depends.

I used to live where there were a good number of social housing and as it was a smaller town closer to the big town, it seemed all the anti social youths travelled to the big town to do their thing before coming back to chill.

So it was a surprisingly quiet and nice neighbourhood which you wouldn't have known if you only judged by the SH aspect.

Parky04 · 12/06/2023 16:46

House next door is social housing. I have had 5 different neighbours in 27 years, and they have all been lovely.

skyblueblue · 12/06/2023 16:47

Compare the house prices （with or without SH）， then you get an idea

(PS. I am not familiar with SH system, above is merely from economics demand/supply perspective )

Arightoldcarryabag · 12/06/2023 16:47

This is very very area specific.
In general I'm sure your assumptions are broadly reasonable but check out the area as some are fine and others are a nightmare, same can be said for areas without any social housing of course so just have a good look around before you move anywhere.

Eiouley · 12/06/2023 16:47

Speaking from personal experience, I'd say don't do it. I moved to a house, unknown to me, it had council housing just behind and I've had a lot of issues with noise - loud offensive music, shouting, swearing, rubbish/cigarette ends being thrown over garden fences, large dog constantly in garden til past midnight, barking at anything, kids just walking and playing on my garden. Having a tiny baby also adds to the stress as his sleep is disturbed a lot. I don't know if it's like that everywhere with council housing, but that's just my personal experience. I've cried countless times. Reported to the council. Called police. Nothing's done. I'm just stuck here for a little while, only been here a few months and I want to sell.

Redglitter · 12/06/2023 16:49

You'll get great neighbours in some social housing areas and absolute horrors who make your life hell in privately owned. Its impossible to say.

My last flat was in a really nice quite posh village. We had a paedophile in one house & a cannabis factory in another. There was a couple who had the police out pretty much every weekend due to their drunken domestic incidents

Conversely where I live now I'm the only home owner in the block. The others are council tenants & are the nicest people. Houses & gardens immaculate, no noise & get on well

You can't put antisocial behaviour down purely to the fact they're social housing residents.

Yes YABU & snobby too

44PumpLane · 12/06/2023 16:53

Agree with others that you should perhaps look at the crime statistics for the specific area.

You might also want to go for a couple late evening walks with someone round the streets, go on weekend afternoons and see if there is lots of loud noise.

If it's a new build estate get on the Facebook page (there is usually one set up) and have a trawl through.

I live on a new build estate and the only gripes I see on the Facebook page are about thieves coming round at night checking car door handles every couple months, or one or two of the residents from the social housing whose kids seem to be terrorising the rest of the kids on the estate and whose parents don't seem to care.

PlatBilledDuckypuss · 12/06/2023 16:53

Let's put it this way, having been brought up in an area between 2 South London council estates, I would not see it as a plus on any property I was thinking of buying.

Fretfulmum · 12/06/2023 16:54

I wouldn’t move to the house- not because of the occupants of the social housing. But purely because the house value may not increase as much as others would nearby, and it may be harder to sell. Those points are not because of people in social housing but the perceived value of living near social housing

Coffeepot72 · 12/06/2023 16:55

OP, I posted the same question about six months ago and got a barrage of abuse. We decided not to buy the property near the social housing.

Jenn3112 · 12/06/2023 16:56

There is hardly any real social housing left. If you mean affordable housing, its often part buy/part rent now on a new build estate so really depends on the area.

artichikeheart · 12/06/2023 16:56

YANBU. I’d do everything I could to avoid it

Ive been a property manager for 15 years, every site I manage that’s next to or attached to social housing has issues from the social housing residents. This is a sample of 15,000+ properties across England.

flimsywhimsy · 12/06/2023 16:56

In cases like these, I'd say it doesn't really matter if you're being unreasonable or not. If you're concerned, you're concerned. Your reasons don't have to be politically correct or even logical. Do your research, weigh up the options, and make your decision. It's no-one else's business why you choose one place over another.

Darby3785 · 12/06/2023 16:57

I live in a SH area.

My neighbour to the left of me are council tenants but my neighbours to the right aren't. We are the only two with privately owned houses. The rest are council owned and have tenants in.

I too had my reservations about moving to this area , council areas immediately have a reputation but we needed to get on the property ladder and it was a steal! So far no problems. Been here 6 years. We are going to sell up and move but that is nothing to do with the area or my neighbours. The street behind...totally council and still no issues.

I work in what's considered an affluent area of the city I live and I experience more issues with the locals there than where I live. People cause issues, not areas!

NorthWestThree · 12/06/2023 16:59

A big block of SH flats were built on the road I used to live on. People were in uproar and petitions etc, but then the flats were built and literally nothing changed. It was absolutely fine and there have been no issues.
It depends hugely on the area though. Some places will be "worse" than others. But social housing wouldn't hugely bother me personally where I live.

Dinoboymama · 12/06/2023 17:02

My street is a social housing street within a new estate, when everyone moved in we all were working families. I'm not sure if the council hand picked families but we did all find it a little odd as we thought we would have waited longer than we did. There was only ever one issue but that family moved away in months and an elderly couple took that house.
Again I was not sure how that was decided as the house has three bedrooms.

DemonicCaveMaggot · 12/06/2023 17:04

I am on a new build estate that is 30% social housing. There is one flat where the police get called out fairly often and they have shouty, sweary, rows. The other 30 or so houses and flats are no different to the rest of us home owners. In fact given that the true jerk on the development is a home owner, and the psychopaths who intentionally killed every plant in their front garden are also home owners it could be argued the social tenants are way better.

Our town has the reputation of being packed with drunken idiots which may be why the police relocated their area headquarters here, it is about a mile up the road. There is quite a heavy police presence in the town and I think that helps calm things down a lot.

It is a smallish country town towards the West country.

pinkyredrose · 12/06/2023 17:06

Ffs