To ask how ‘rough’ is this rough area?

[Jumell]

Strangers in your block of flats asking you to lend them money ‘til their dole money comes through then stropping off offended when refused

being bitten by Rottweiler outside flats

heroin addict dead in flats - body lay undiscovered for 2 weeks - admittedly happened, but admittedly NOT during time I lived here

kids graffitiing stairwells with pens

my windscreen wipers snapped off in flat car park

woman I suspect is prostitute due to comings and goings - but not 100% sure and u may have got it wrong

loud arguments between neighbours about noise

a few serious ex offenders housed

• however - it’s otherwise alright ! 👍😀

I'm from a "rough" area and the worst we have is ASB from kids
No needles, drugs, dog bites etc

I work in a 'rough' London borough and live in one that's very slightly nicer. What you've described doesn't sound lovely, but it also doesn't sound the worst. If you feel safe in your own home once you lock your door, if you can turn down the requests for loans without feeling threatened, and if you're not regularly woken up by police raids, then I'd say you could be much worse off!

🤣 And a bit of foil, missus?

There was a fatal stabbing outside of a 17 year old - but just for the sake of completeness - didn’t happen in my time here

also I often drove to work and saw around 5/6 police officers trying to force entry into the main flat doors as I was starting my car

at least I don’t need to watch The Bill on TV

It kind of depends on a few other things.

I lived in an East End borough for a few years and all of these things will have happened within two streets of where I lived - but because of the incredibly mixed nature of London boroughs, there were also 1/2 million pound homes (20 years ago, so 1.7m now). There were a couple of walkways you'd NEVER go down after dark, but also very well equipped schools, craft markets, independent coffee shops and gorgeous restaurants coming out of your ears, lots of "family bikes" (though also lots of potential for them getting nicked!).

Indeed. It was the dole in my mother's generation. Back when you had to take your giro to the post office to cash in.

To be fair - my neighbours who used to live next door were very nice/respectable

when they moved in they wanted me to boil a kettle for them - which I did - they were always very decent and straight forward and the woman said - “we just both want to get jobs so we can move out of here” - which in time they duly did ..

Stop judging and deal with the immediate problems you say you have. Unless you’re looking for attention with this post.

In all honesty, it sounds just like the council estates near where I grew up in the 90s. Not the estates of houses, but the old high rise blocks of flats.

A relative of mine is in a flat in social housing in the same area and it's a beautiful flat in a nice area. It's on one of the new developments of houses that they had to build a certain % of social housing. I'm sure it has problems and many of the properties are certainly overcrowded, but I've not heard such horror stories. She's very happy there, albeit a little cramped.

The old blocks have all been knocked down and replaced with better quality housing, but the reputation of the location has remained and similar issues to what OP had described are still present even though the blocks are now smaller and nicer to look at.

What is it if it’s not the dole??

Pip ? Edit: I only hear of these two benefits- no other name.

True - I’ve never known a nightly police raid - to be fair

Because it’s a public forum where people chat, ask questions and opinions, seek advice, have a laugh, commiserate, celebrate and discuss.

She described the area and the reasons why if you have another read.

I live in a supposedly very deprived town. I can see trees and a river outside my front door and the hills from the back bedroom window.
We do have anti social behaviour in the town centre but it's mostly groups of teenagers and the odd 'well known' drug dealer.
If I lived somewhere like OP describes I would have to move, even if it meant working two jobs I would have to go!

Sounds grotty - is it full of feckless people with four children who are expecting a 5th?

Haha - NO!!!!

What's on fire? If there's not at least one sofa burning in the street, it's fine.

Seriously, though, that sounds grim. Move if you can.

So ... You can definitely have windscreen wiper damage anywhere. Or kids writing on walls with pens. You don't Really know whether it's a prostitute who lived near you. The death was before your time (how long ago?)

Dog bite, loud arguments and someone trying to cadge money are things you have personally suffered and which sound 'dodgy area' to me. Along with criminals living nearby and police using battering rams on a regular basis this edges into rough. TBF this could be a couple of bad families.

Burned out motorcycle dumped, parked up cars with couples having sex, lots of police activity involving helicopters, stealing wreaths from war memorial, fly tipping including of cannabis farming debris sounds rough, but all actually happened at upmarket village property.

No - to be fair it’s not that bad !

shops seem quite ‘straightforward’

It sounds scary. I wouldn't care about the prostitute but the other people could be really nasty and violent. I hope not of course.

Why did you move there? Perhaps I shouldn't ask that, op.

A couple I know, 30s with a 5 year old, bought a flat in a 'rough' area a few years ago because it was all they could afford. They are on the edge of a really nice area but the prices put them off. However where they live is nowhere near as bad as you describe and they will move in time. I would be scared to live somewhere like that, I have to feel safe.

Op,if you are still young, it's not forever. Just be careful.

stop judging

The irony, seriously. She’s on a discussion form discussing her living arrangements, it’s a totally normal thing to want to discuss. One of the reasons I think people must make posts like yours is for attention.

nah to be fair - no discarded sofas!

but - there are these small mobile drying racks for washing that people leave outside on the communal lawn - a few leave them out when it’s raining with the drying clothes on - absolute scenes !

Very good.
I was wondering what was leading OP to specifically ask this.

Maybe that counts as washing clothes for them?

I was a bit daft really.

i was offered the flat and I asked a friend who was more familiar with the area than me what the block was like and she replied “not brilliant”

I took “not brilliant” literally as meaning - not fabulous but not somewhere you’d outright avoid either