Offered council house in a not very good area?

[rhinnq]

I got a call today from the council to advise me that I have been offered a property.

The property isn't in a very good area to be honest and the rent is on level with a private rent.

I am not sure if I should take it.

AIBU?

Beggars can apparently be choosers.

Yes moving would mean there are more pros.
Im still surprised by the rent as it is similar to renting private but I understand with Market Rent it does tend to be more expensive than social housing.

Thank you to the posters who have offered such great advice, "think of the long term" yes it makes sense.

On the plus side the kids will be exited to see all their cousins more often.

OP, the law is changing with regards to renters rights so you will soon not even be able to offer rent up front (and landlords won't be able to request it). I'm not saying that will make referencing any smoother but that specific aspect will no longer be an option for landlords.

I hope today’s visit goes well, OP, and you feel comfortable enough to say yes to this offer.

As other post dependant on wether u would be removed from housing list do you think it might be worth a try even though the house is not in a great area ,would you be able to introduce yourself to the people each side to get an idea of who they are . Having decent neighbours either side can make all the difference also depending on personal circumstances (long shot)would you be able to councl housei swap i dontl know if that is applicable to new tenants and if all fails move back to renting privately ,I know none of the options are perfect and it's really hard when there is no best option best of luck

And insecure unhappy people can apparently be arseholes.

I'm so confused about all of this.

The kids are all under 4 so not at school yet.

So you fled DV last year but you have a partner and (2 or 3) pre-school children with your current partner? Or with your ex?

Even with OH working full time we would never pass any tenant reference checks due to me working part time.

This isn't true at all. As long as you can prove you can cover the rent then it doesn't matter. People pass credit checks and rent as single occupants so the fact there is two of you working is definitely not an issue.

Or are you applying for the council house on your own so it doesn't affect your UC?

We have applied for so many houses through various letting agents and the landlord always chooses other people and I do believe it's because I work part time.

We tried one on OpenRent and the landlord told us that due to their insurance policy both applicants had to be in full time employment.

The alternative is 6 months rent upfront until the Righters Bill comes into force but we don't have have that kind of money.

No this tenancy is in both our names.

Councilista who doesn’t want council house in bad area which is probably bad because it’s full of other councilistas is peak mumsnet

If you need it then take it then see if you can swap or find a better private place.

May I ask your rough monthly income as a couple? I work pt but still rent privately.

We have applied for so many houses through various letting agents and the landlord always chooses other people and I do believe it's because I work part time.

There's a difference between "believing" it to be the case and it actually being the case though!!!

It's really difficult to get a private rented house. We tried for years but on paper there's always someone better. We both work full time and have never defaulted but if someone earns more or such like they get picked first and there's usually upwards of 50 people for the same house (according to our local estate agents) Private rentals are a nightmare to get contrary to popular belief.

I know it would cost money that you can I'll afford, but could one of you stay at a nearby Travelodge/Premier Inn to see what it's like there at different times?

I work in the advice sector and this is absolutely not my experience of it. I am also a HA tenant myself and my HA and the other 5 county wide ones offer assured tenancies after 12 months probation. So I'm not sure what HA policies you're referring to.

@Tdcpyes it really is difficult to rent privately these days.
It is so competitive because I believe landlords are selling and there are less rental properties and more demand.

A few times there have been "bidding wars" as well and we have been asked to provide a max price for the final offer.

On a few occasions we have been advised that the house is gone due to someone accepting the property after watching a video tour, it's just so hard.

After the Renters Bill comes into force I bet it will be even harder and rents will go sky high.

Take it! Presumably you can apply for a transfer after a certain period of time if you end up hating the area.

Please take it OP. I doubt the area is 100% bad. Every place has some kind and interesting people to make friends with and there are usually people who are trying to make things better - look out for them.

I don't quite understand what you think the council should do? If you are of working age, with no children, not disabled or classed as vulnerable, then you would be expected to be independent. You are probably able to save by living with your parents.

You could house share perhaps? We always had space for our DC when they moved away for university or work if needed. They then shared until they could afford their own space. I can see my DGC doing the same depending on where they live

It is absolutely true in some cases.

I moved from private rent to social housing at the start of this year and I pay the exact same amount of rent in my social housing as I did for my private rental.

Are you sure about rent? My 5 bed is 550pcm. My neighbours pay £2150 :/

In your shoes I would take it. If it's market rent anyway, you can always give up the house and rent privately once you are working FT and the kids are in school and you will have more support around you.

But definitely investigate whether there have been formal complaints. Removing you from a waiting list for a house which is beside someone with a ream of formal complaints is unreasonable and could I think be challenged. It's not like the council actually own the house. They are not obliged to fill it.

@WhosThatPokemonItsPikachu the OP has said several times it's a market rent property, not a social rent property. Not all HA properties are let in the same way.
There's a HA near us that has an 'affordable rent' scheme where they let properties on new build estates for around £200pcm less than what they would be private, the maximum stay is five years, tenants have to be working and it's marketed as a way of renting with space to save for a deposit. HAs are non profit organisations, they can and do find ways to generate income to subsidise the social rent properties.

We've never had a problem renting privately and we don't earn much between us. I work pt. Could it be to do with your credit scores?

Its probably not the money its probably the security of council. We were stuck in private and last 3 landlords wanted to sell up, but the council would not put us on waiting list as there are just no houses... apparently... and we were not overcrowded. We ended up being able to buy a tiny flat and this tiny flat means me and dh have no bedroom, could convert loft but have no money to do that currently. Housing stability is so important.