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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be worried about buying a semi attached to a council owned house?

338 replies

mumyes · 30/08/2023 14:48

I'm about to spend nearly £500k on a semi that is attached to a 4-bed house owned by a housing-association...the one I'm buying used to be a council house.

I'm nervous. The little estate it's on is still partly (maybe 50/50) 'council' owned.

Should I be worried?

The house I'm buying is lovely, and well kept. Next door less so...but not as bad as some.

OP posts:
Yahyahs22 · 30/08/2023 19:01

Diffrent · 30/08/2023 15:21

You should be TERRIFIED. You should be CRYING, SHAKING, THROWING UP. Make some preemptive calls to 101 to log your concerns just in case.

😂😂😂😂

VeronicaSawyer89 · 30/08/2023 19:01

Dotjones · 30/08/2023 15:05

YANBU to be worried about buying next to social housing. It's not that all social housing occupants are "bad" and private housing occupants "good" but social housing increases the likelihood of antisocial behaviour and decreases the chance that problems can be solved amicably.

The trouble is that even if your neighbour is a decent person there's no guarantee that they won't be replaced with a troublemaker.

One of my neighbours is run through a social housing association and it's shocking how much of a trouble magnet that property is. Police round every few weeks, fire engines called out because they've locked themselves out, people shouting abuse at all hours of day or night. The occupant changes every couple of years but the calibre of occupant remains more or less the same.

If you can avoid it, do.

I live in social housing, I've been in my house for 15 years. Several of my neighbours are also social housing tenants and they've been in the their homes for over a decade. The only trouble we've ever had on our estate has been from private tenants, who change pretty frequently.

Tinytigertail · 30/08/2023 19:02

Thehonestybox · 30/08/2023 15:21

Sure. Someone who can afford a £500k house has almost certainly grown up middle class (unless lottery winner, or just got very lucky).

Someone in a 4 bed council house is very likely from a very poor background and possibly doesn't work (because council housing lists are so competitive now, you usually have to prove you'd be homeless otherwise and can't afford private rent).

They're just potentially two totally different households and no one likes the idea of their rich new neighbour moving in and then starting to complain about parties, noise, fence not being repaired, etc.

I think if the OP is a working class person "made good" they'll more likely fit in, otherwise I'd pass personally

Show quote history

That's just not true in many parts of the country. Where I live, you would be lucky to get anything much below £500k, we are definitely NOT lottery winners or from a privileged background.

ididntwanttodoit · 30/08/2023 19:03

No no no - you can"t see into the future. What if (eg) council tenants move on and it's let to ... (fill in your worst case scenario) ? For 500K you have to be sure !

Itsnamechange · 30/08/2023 19:04

You're absolutely right op I was a council tenant for a decade and i was a nightmare neighbour, treated my garden like a flytip, out screaming at the kids in the street drunk, having wild parties.

As soon as I bought my home 3 years ago I got my decent human card and now my behaviour is immaculate.

Wonkyboobs · 30/08/2023 19:05

As a HA tenant of 10 years... let me inform you we both WORK FULL TIME, always have, have aspirations for our kids, and even have degrees ourselves, look after our house, and don't make noise or mess. Your attitude disgusts me. Before living next to a home owner I lived on a lovely, quiet, ALL HA estate for years where I experienced precisely ZERO trouble from anyone and a lot of community spirit.

Luckygreenduck · 30/08/2023 19:06

Unless in an area with a lot of available housing (v. Unlikely with that price) a HA 4 bed property will be a very big family. Probably 6 plus children. They could be the nicest, hardest working family but with demand as it is they will have to be a big family to qualify for it.

TheSkull · 30/08/2023 19:06

Wonkyboobs · 30/08/2023 19:05

As a HA tenant of 10 years... let me inform you we both WORK FULL TIME, always have, have aspirations for our kids, and even have degrees ourselves, look after our house, and don't make noise or mess. Your attitude disgusts me. Before living next to a home owner I lived on a lovely, quiet, ALL HA estate for years where I experienced precisely ZERO trouble from anyone and a lot of community spirit.

Well said

Visciousviscose · 30/08/2023 19:06

I wouldn't buy a semi detached for 500k anywhere ,@Op. We are being had with property prices. For that money, I'd expect detached with a decent sized garden and where I am from , you could get that easily. Wouldn't care if it was near council tenants or home owners, for that money, I'd expect space away from any potential wankers. Ex council estate girl and proud.

PickoftheMix · 30/08/2023 19:07

From personal experience I wouldn't. I'm mid terraced, the side that HA are like the cast from shameless. They have been the worst! So for me it would be no way, especially with 500k to spend! I'd go detached with that!

I live on an estate where most are now private, the pockets of HA are the roads that always has antisocial crap going on. Not everyone in HA are like that, of course not. But if I had 500k I'd avoid council estates/ex council estates and anyone directly attached full stop especially HA.

drinkuptheezider · 30/08/2023 19:07

I live in a council place, and all the darnright nasty antisocial neighbours have been owner occupiers, not tenants.

PurpleBugz · 30/08/2023 19:08

I'm a homeowner on a council street. 3 bedroom properties. It's loud, loud cars, dog's barking all night, kids playing all day (this I don't mind at all). Music. Fucking cats everywhere shitting everywhere going through the food bins. Neighbours fighting over who owns the cats. Apparently there have been a few drug raids but I've not personally noticed but neighbour told me. Smells of drugs most of the time. One neighbour burns rubbish. Cigarettes bits all down the paths (and dog poo). I'm fairly sure my neighbourhood is the bad part of town that how I could afford the house.

BUT the people themselves are all really chatty and friendly (just don't feed their cat! Or ask them to make less noise) most work. I've left my car door open all night by accident not had anything taken from it. I would buy the house again because for the money it's alot of house but I wish there was less litter dog poop and c

FoodFann · 30/08/2023 19:10

No chance I’d buy that

Dotcheck · 30/08/2023 19:10

Thehonestybox · 30/08/2023 15:21

Sure. Someone who can afford a £500k house has almost certainly grown up middle class (unless lottery winner, or just got very lucky).

Someone in a 4 bed council house is very likely from a very poor background and possibly doesn't work (because council housing lists are so competitive now, you usually have to prove you'd be homeless otherwise and can't afford private rent).

They're just potentially two totally different households and no one likes the idea of their rich new neighbour moving in and then starting to complain about parties, noise, fence not being repaired, etc.

I think if the OP is a working class person "made good" they'll more likely fit in, otherwise I'd pass personally

Show quote history

Sooooo

’working class made good’ would fit in with people who don’t work, don’t look after their home ( which they would have worked hard for), and make excessive noise.

Raging snobbery from someone who is clearly wilfully ignorant of most of the population of the country.

TheSkull · 30/08/2023 19:11

I know people in HA on estates who have lovely neighbours who would do anything for anyone. I know of home owners in a very upmarket place who can hear the people next door effing and blinding and smashing stuff up

Munchies123 · 30/08/2023 19:12

I'm sure many council tenants are thoroughly decent, but I wouldn't chance it.
My sister had a beautiful home attached to HA. The family that moved in were noisy, inconsiderate, awful. My sister ended up having a breakdown and leaving her home empty to move back with parents.

Anxioys · 30/08/2023 19:12

OP it's like any house. Go back on a Friday and Saturday night, check for noise, and if any boundary to the property is damaged. If there is a problem with either, then think carefully.

500k does not go very far in London or the SE so semi detached is quite possible btw

punishedbyrewards · 30/08/2023 19:16

Before we bought our home, we rented a flat in a lovely area. The next door flat was a dog walker/ dog minder? I was on maternity leave and I spent the entire year when I was desperate to sleep when our baby was having an afternoon nap, listening to 5 dogs barking loudly and continuously. While we were renting and house searching, we actually knocked on neighbours' doors and did much more research about noise levels.

I don't think you can know what sort of neighbours you'll have just by the type of house they're living in. But I do think it's a good idea to spend some time there after work hours to get an idea whether it's a quiet street or not, not just from the homes but also traffic etc. We live in a quiet street and have really nice neighbours but both of us text each other from time to time to apologise when our kids our having tantrums!

upsidedownandturnaround · 30/08/2023 19:23

BMW6 · 30/08/2023 16:14

OP I was born in a council house, lived in council houses on council estates till I was 25.

I wouldn't move next to one now. Sure you take a chance wherever you live, but the chance that you get a problem neighbour are higher if the house is council owned.

There have always been anti social families, there always will be - but the prevalence of drug abuse nowadays has exacerbated the problems.

Came to write a similar reply

WrongWayApricot · 30/08/2023 19:23

I don't think it matters. I think you should find out what rooms are going to be behind your party wall, what the sound insulation is like on that wall. Also, are there any things you have to share (bin sheds/driveways/drains). I think you won't be able to tell much from if they are sh not. But if you don't have to have much to do with them, then it won't matter and difficulties are unlikely to arise.

I say this as someone who has lived in sh and had many different sh/non sh neighbours.

AnneValentine · 30/08/2023 19:32

So here is the cold hard reality. Former council houses are cheaper, get more for your buck. If you could afford something else you wouldn’t be considering it. This is what you can afford. These are your people.

Ladyinbleu · 30/08/2023 19:35

I’ll probably be crucified for this but I wouldn’t buy it. I recently bought a new build on a development with 30% affordable rent. We bought knowing there would be social housing tenants. Fine.

however, since the economy went to pot last year housing sales have slowed down and the developer (Barratt) sold a load of houses in bulk to a social housing provider. We didn’t know this and several families moved in. We now hear screaming swearing arguments at all hours, have kids knock on our doors “trick or treating” in June, have dealers driving down our street, the smell of weed wafting into our garden, safeguarding issues with a pair of children who’ve befriended mine who simply aren’t fed because, and I quote “mum is sick because she drank too much wine.” So i basically fed an extra two kids all summer, crowds of people drinking in our street.

obviously most social housing tenants are ordinary people but we appear to have been unlucky. Praying better tenants will move in in the future.

Krickley · 30/08/2023 19:36

£500k to live in an ex council house on a 50:50 council owned street. Its not even detached. This is utter madness!!!

my last house was on a road like this, absolute shit hole. Council tenants dont care the state of their houses/front gardens. Fridge freezers/mattresses left out. Surely for £500k you should be looking at a nice area fgs

Muddyfeetgood · 30/08/2023 19:36

The council house I grew up in was solidly built. The uk hasn’t actually hilt council houses for so long, the ones left standing are likely to be better constructed than any new build.

postingandtoasting · 30/08/2023 19:36

Would need more info before I'd say yes or no. I'm in commuterville, West of London and I'm picturing similar sounding areas and think it sounds quite a bit of money for what you are describing. I'd be most concerned with the house keeping it's value over time. If the area has nearby good+ schools, a few shops, transport links, nice parks, leisure centre close etc is obviously very different than if it is on the edge of a town with not much to do.