Buy flat close to asylum seeker hotels?

[Kat256M]

Hello everyone!

Long story short I just read a post in our local newspaper about city centre hotels being converted to asylum seeker accomondation. We are in the process of buying a flat near the city centre with all 3 of the hotels within close walking distance. A lot more hotels in close proximity that could potentially do it too.

I knew that the area had its risks and the main street has gone downhill over the years but this is about house prices too, not only security. Do you think they will be affected long term? Are people going to avoid buying there because of this even if crime rate does not increase? I am not from the UK so I am not familiar with market preferences etc. so much

You do realise that the vast, vast majority of asylum seeking people are decent hard working people don't you? They're not here to be antisocial and the overwhelming majority just want to get on with their lives. I personally wouldn't be put off by that in the same way I would be cautious about a men's hostel for ex offenders. Plus most cities have a lot of homeless accommodation spread across the area so there's likely more in the area than you realise that just doesn't get the level of media attention that anything set up for asylum seekers does.

Of course people will be put off buying property near there, just as they are with Social Housing.

Unpopular, but true.

@Lavender14 I know and that is why it wouldn't really put me off either. I was to see if it would other people though in case we want to sell up in the future. I thought that the easiest way to get some honest opinions would be to ask here!

Yes it will stop some people buying your flat should you come to sell it. Not saying it should. But it will.

I used to live next door to a hostel for homeless recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. Now I live in a leafy riverside suburb next door to a pair of surgeons.

I’ll give you one guess which set of neighbours have caused me endless problems.

Clue: it wasn’t the addicts.

Flats are difficult to sell OP if buyers have other options. Asylum seekers aside why do you want to buy one in a 'risky' area? Is it all you can afford?

People use to get their start in a grotty flat in a grotty area but with many FTB older now they're going straight for properties in safe areas, for the kids. Even if it's a small flat.

If it's a major city then you could rent it out as accommodation is in short supply but if it has it's own 'main street' I'm guessing that it's not?

Or is it even a city... is it actually a town?

You're spending a huge amount of money on the flat. if you can't sell or you lose money you'll be in trouble.
This is not about neighbours - that's always an unknown whether you buy in the "leafy suburb" like StrangePaintName or a desirable London postcode, an idyllic rural village or an urban jungle.
It's about what affects property prices and that will include schools, transport, population density, potential development, perceived risk (like a planned estate or the hostels you mention).
Most people would steer clear I suspect.

It sounds like it could be near me, we have issues daily unfortunately. It would absolutely put me off.

Yes it would put me off, we've 2 hotels near us that house asylum seekers, mostly men, crime has risen and I personally do not feel safe walking the town after dark anymore due to groups of men from the hotel hanging around outside.

@BrideToBe2313123 We are FTB with a small baby. Ironically, we think of flats as safer than houses because back home everyone lives in flats. In houses the fact that windows are street level, easily accessible back doors, being upstairs and hearing noises downstairs at night etc. freak me out! I know people really dislike living in flats here but it is the norm for me.

It is a city, I probably phrased it wrong! The area we are buying is not bad, it is just very close to (not in) the centre where you have the usual drug addicts, homeless, drunks...but we wanted to live centrally as we don't drive, can both walk to work and be near the train station and other amenities. We have mostly companies and high-rises around us.

As it's happening everywhere, I'm not sure how much difference it makes.
I've just moved but previously was in outer London and a hotel about 20 mins away had a change of use.

I had no issues just walking by the hotel but the police had increased presence in the high road and there were incidents. Some of them were related to assumptions about women.

I don't think I can say anything else because these threads always get pulled.

This sounds very discriminatory if not outright racist.

So it looks like most people would just avoid it? That is sad (even if true) especially when you don't know if it will actually cause issues. I would like to give everyone a chance to prove they are just as trustworthy as everyone else. But I wanted your honest opinions, so thank you.

Well I think it’s probably more that a group of unemployed, financially destitute, bored and possibly traumatised men who are trapped in the never ending years long AS paperwork system where you cannot work, are forced to eat food they don’t like, have no access to make their own food, little privacy, separated from their families for a long time do not always make for a calm sociable group of people when crowded in together in large groups. It’s not a bed of roses for them for anyone it’s true that it does affect the local community. Once applications are granted then people can work but until then, it’s a very long road. The system does not lend itself to be valuable to many people, apart from the rental landlords of the hotels….

Sorry, I wasn't clear

it's happening everywhere so I wouldn't let it affect my choice,

I was stating my experience.

which is certainly no issues walking past the hotel, no issues with groups of men hanging around, but the stuff I mentioned was known in the community....but no one is really allowed to talk about this so I only discussed it with a couple of neighbours.

What issues do you have?

Ultimately with a small child you need to secure your future.
If you were stuck in negative equity and couldn't sell it (irrespective of whether or not the neighbours are absolutely lovely asylum seekers) would this be okay or would it mess up your lives?

Personally I don't have any trust funds or inheritances coming my way so if it were me I would be looking elsewhere...because the reality is it will may well impact both value and resale.

In my town centre there is a hotel that is used by asylum seekers. There hasn’t been any trouble there.

I live between two council houses. One has a born and bread British family living in it, the other has a refugee family (I know refugee=/=asylum seeker). Guess which side is noisy and gets into fights in the street.

Ask Terence Carney’s family.

One swallow does not make a summer.

But attitudes / scaremongering like this will impact on the OPs ability to sell the flat at some point.

What about the families of people killed by Fred West? Would they advise against living near men from Gloucester? Or what about all the women killed by their partners, should no one ever have a relationship?

I wouldn’t. It doesn’t matter whether or not I personally think asylum seekers are the most wonderful, law-abiding, hardworking people on earth: a lot of other people don’t think that which is going to make reselling a lot harder.

It bothers you enough that you need to ask. That should tell you everything you need to know, your future potential buyers will wonder the same, and realistically, will go for an easier option.

Enough to say I'd love to be able to move out of the area.

If I knew that the Government was going to be warehousing large numbers of disaffected young men of unknown provenance in a building nearby then it would put me off buying a property, yes.

I don't care if the men are black, white, or green or if they are from Somalia or Sunderland. Having lots of young men crammed together in a small space in a city centre is a recipe for more trouble than would be ideal.

I know the world has problems and most asylum seekers are nice. NAMALT, etc. That's a different question to whether I'd be queuing up to move in next door.

And obviously, as PPs have said, even if you don't have any such concerns, your potential buyers might.