Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
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:
Tortiemiaw · 30/08/2023 22:47

Our nasty ex council house- east anglia £525000 at last valuation

NannyOggsWhiskyStash · 30/08/2023 22:54

AnneValentine · 30/08/2023 21:37

And you’ve never had a leg up?

Show quote history

Not to that extent. We have a housing shortage, why are houses paid for by taxpayers being sold off? We need more council houses not less.

NannyOggsWhiskyStash · 30/08/2023 22:57

MillicentTrilbyHiggins · 30/08/2023 22:04

Don't council tenants pay rent? And of they buy (and then sell on) their property then they've paid a mortgage ?

Show quote history

But it's not their property, they rent it from the Council. Why should they get a house at a massive discount, that takes inexpensive housing off the market for other people in low incomes who need a home?

Valeriekat · 30/08/2023 23:07

We once rented a nice semi next to housing association tenants.
He smoked weed and played very loud music all through the night. Bob Dylan mostly.
He gloated about how much less rent he was paying than us.
He kept using our car park.
Their garden was full of weeds.
His wife was fine.
Adult son repaired motorbikes and cars with associated mess and noise.
I would happily have killed the father.
Don't.

MillicentTrilbyHiggins · 30/08/2023 23:24

NannyOggsWhiskyStash · 30/08/2023 22:57

But it's not their property, they rent it from the Council. Why should they get a house at a massive discount, that takes inexpensive housing off the market for other people in low incomes who need a home?

Show quote history

I agree that council house shouldn't be sold off.

But that wasn't the point of my post
How are they paid for by the taxpayer? The tenant pays rent.

XenoBitch · 30/08/2023 23:28

FFS, my parents are in a council house.... a semi that is attached to a privately owned house. Just because my folks are council does not mean they are smoking weed on sofas in the front garden. They get on well with all their neighbours. No one gives a shit that they will be renting from the council until they drop.

NannyOggsWhiskyStash · 30/08/2023 23:38

MillicentTrilbyHiggins · 30/08/2023 23:24

I agree that council house shouldn't be sold off.

But that wasn't the point of my post
How are they paid for by the taxpayer? The tenant pays rent.

Show quote history

Reduced rent. Council homes are funded by the public purse, which is funded by tax etc. And homes are regularly updated, new kitchens etc, reduced rent does not cover that.

MillicentTrilbyHiggins · 30/08/2023 23:41

NannyOggsWhiskyStash · 30/08/2023 23:38

Reduced rent. Council homes are funded by the public purse, which is funded by tax etc. And homes are regularly updated, new kitchens etc, reduced rent does not cover that.

Show quote history

Oh ok thanks. I thought they were meant to be "affordable" rather than "reduced" and fully self funding. Maybe that's HAs. I think council houses are so few and far between where I live that I only know elderly people who live in them, and have done so for 60+ years.

Most younger people I know are in HA/private rent. Or home owners.

Fuckthatguy · 30/08/2023 23:47

@NannyOggsWhiskyStash if someone is in a council house and is a high earner Id say their tax balances things out, for example there are trade unionists and certain MPs who live in council housing.

AzureBlue99 · 30/08/2023 23:57

Haven't read all the thread, but I would not buy the house. I am from a council estate myself- and I just wouldn't. Most people are decent but there are antisocial arseholes who just don't know how to behave. The ones that live there could be decent, but if they move...

Pinkpots · 31/08/2023 00:18

I was a council tent and now have bought a different semi detached house I’m still the same person. My issue with this would be the lack of money that councils have to carry out repairs and upgrades on their housing stock. I work for a council and even the building I work in is falling down arround our ears due to lack of money for maintenance. In our area there is a complete mix of social and privately owned properties a few years ago the council added an extra layer of stuff around the council houses ( a bit like a pebble dash effect for increased insulation) the semi detached houses where both were council looked fine but when one was privately owned it looked odd with only 1 of the houses coated. Some of the council house windows desperately need replacing and again this looks odd when the attached house is private and well maintained. So even if the neighbours are lovely and keep the property as nice as they can they are still so dependent on the council to do the bigger jobs.

Thehippowife · 31/08/2023 03:51

OP is about to spent £500k !! Of course she is considering what neighbours she will have… that is common sense. When u have HA housing you don’t know who is moving in as the tenants change, we had three in a year in my old house. We had a lovely couple and then a family from hell - so yes , OP be wary.
people crowing about being privileged and judging just for asking about HA are ignoring common sense here. Ridiculous.

NannyOggsWhiskyStash · 31/08/2023 06:59

Fuckthatguy · 30/08/2023 23:47

@NannyOggsWhiskyStash if someone is in a council house and is a high earner Id say their tax balances things out, for example there are trade unionists and certain MPs who live in council housing.

If someone is a high earner they should not be in subsidised housing.

Original poster
mumyes · 31/08/2023 07:50

Thehippowife · 31/08/2023 03:51

OP is about to spent £500k !! Of course she is considering what neighbours she will have… that is common sense. When u have HA housing you don’t know who is moving in as the tenants change, we had three in a year in my old house. We had a lovely couple and then a family from hell - so yes , OP be wary.
people crowing about being privileged and judging just for asking about HA are ignoring common sense here. Ridiculous.

Thank you!

OP posts:
Ohhelpicantthinkofaname · 31/08/2023 07:54

Are you worried you might catch poor OP?

the worst neighbours I ever had owned their house. The man is now in prison. Nice little village, all owned houses. My neighbours are housing association, lovely people, never had any issues.

Ohhelpicantthinkofaname · 31/08/2023 07:55

Should say my current neighbours.

Original poster
mumyes · 31/08/2023 07:56

Ohhelpicantthinkofaname · 31/08/2023 07:54

Are you worried you might catch poor OP?

the worst neighbours I ever had owned their house. The man is now in prison. Nice little village, all owned houses. My neighbours are housing association, lovely people, never had any issues.

Grow up!

OP posts:
Sdpbody · 31/08/2023 07:56

Do not buy!!

fiftiesmum · 31/08/2023 08:05

Can have difficult neighbours whether they are owners or renting privately/HA/council.
We have had owners who have four big cars and park making it tricky for everyone else, D-list celebs who keep odd hours and bizarre visitors, build huge extensions .......
The couple of families who are HA are very quiet (one works in a care home) and lovely.
Have a look at the road in general and visit at different times of day

Hecate01 · 31/08/2023 08:11

I live on a council estate where a lot of the houses are owned and the rest are a mix of two local housing associations. The house opposite me is used for emergency accommodation, it's honestly hit and miss with the tenants over the years. Some families have been lovely and are there through no fault evictions but some are there because the local councils won't house them due to rent arrears, antisocial behaviour etc. The worst part is you never know how long they'll be there for and the worse the tenant the longer they are there because they can't rent privately due to no references and local authorities don't want them either.

It's easy for people to mock on here but unless you've had to live with a particularly rowdy family you have no idea what it's like. We had one family there who broke into other houses on the estate Christmas Eve and stole kid's presents, another family who had teenage sons with a thing for breaking in cars, another that were openly dealing drugs and this meant that people were turning up all hours. But in typical MN style it's a case of as long as they are not in my back yard YABU.

Honestly OP I'd have a good long think about buying, we owned our house prior to the one opposite becoming emergency temporary accommodation and if it was already there we wouldn't have bought it.

workinmums · 31/08/2023 08:51

Ohhelpicantthinkofaname · 31/08/2023 07:54

Are you worried you might catch poor OP?

the worst neighbours I ever had owned their house. The man is now in prison. Nice little village, all owned houses. My neighbours are housing association, lovely people, never had any issues.

OK so YOU never had any issues so I guess it's all good then yeah?

Fuckthatguy · 31/08/2023 09:00

@NannyOggsWhiskyStash

Who should live in them then?

Itsnamechange · 31/08/2023 09:37

NannyOggsWhiskyStash · 30/08/2023 23:38

Reduced rent. Council homes are funded by the public purse, which is funded by tax etc. And homes are regularly updated, new kitchens etc, reduced rent does not cover that.

Show quote history

The rent is not reduced. Private rent is inflated. Council properties that aren't new have been paid for by rent many times over.

Right to buy was an awful idea that's led to the housing crisis. When I grew up MOST people in my town lived in Council housing which has now been sold off. However I blame the government's who have implemented and continued that scheme. Not the people who've bought their council houses.

Hubblebubble · 31/08/2023 10:05

I own a semi attached to a council house. The council has decided that this means they are no longer responsible for any of the upkeep of the shared gate and path.

Hubblebubble · 31/08/2023 10:06

My neighbour is a lovely retired lady who adores and is adored by my DS.