AIBU to think a couple moving into in a five bedroom house is selfish?

[activedough]

AIBU here??

I’ve noticed that a couple have recently moved into a 5 bed detached property in my area. They don’t have any children…

I honestly don’t understand it. Why on earth would two people need five bedrooms?! Surely a house that size should be going to a family who actually needs the space?

It just seems incredibly selfish to me when there are families struggling to find suitable homes.

Orrr they need a couple of ‘special’ rooms for their parties 😂

Am quite grateful for this thread as it has triggered an online search to look at the council housing estate that I started my life on; the galleried landings where we played on our scooters outside the front doors and the spiral stair cases we used to run down as fast as we could so we would make ourselves dizzy. There was usually a tramp asleep at the bottom lying in his pee and vomit, so the whole staircase, despite being open to the elements, smelled like a urinal. It won awards in the 1950s, apparently, but I’ve discovered was often used as a film set in The Sweeney, Minder and the like.

Now, within a few mins walk or drive from a house that OP thinks is too big for people like me, I can walk to hundreds of acres of woods managed by the National Trust. So beautiful that have been used to film Gladiator, the Marvel films and even served as sets for the Swedish locations in Citadel 2 on Netflix. (My dogs have run through the log cabin and around the ‘supermarket’ set on evening walks. 🤣).

I now don’t feel in the least bit guilty that my house is currently too big for our needs. Instead I am deeply grateful for the education and opportunities I was given, the life and home I have built, and the gift of raising my children (and fostered boys) in this large, safe space. Even though my DS’s bathroom often smells like a urinal, as he never flushes.

It is very selfish to stay in a house that is bigger than you need. But I would hesitate to say it should be illegal. There should probably be a higher rate of council tax to pay though.

There already is!!! Larger houses => larger council tax levy. Especially ironic if you have fewer people living in it and using the services that it is supposed to fund.

(Plus people on low incomes are often 100% council exempt, or can get a 25% discount if they are single, so may even pay next to nothing compared to those of us in bigger home.)

I love in a 6 bedroom house and it's me and DH in one room, 2 foster DC on their own rooms. I have the spare rooms for when DD, sil and DGC come to stay and 1 room DH uses as an office. I'd actually like to downsize to 4 bedroom but DH won't hear of it. He won't give up large garden, double garage and his garden shed.

Maybe they want to start a family and have bought a family home accordingly (rather than buying a starter home then trading up, which would incur more costs eg SDLT etc).

They might be expecting triplets

Pah! They need to up their selfishness game.

Over the years on MN I've been called selfish for multiple housing related reasons. We live in a large 3 bed (just me and DH) bungalow (neither of us disabled) with a massive garden in an area we weren't born in (locals priced out) bought partly with inherited money (privileged). I'm thoroughly ashamed of myself.

And so you should be…

I’m so baffled as to why this is an issue

im same age and I’d love to get a house that size. I’d make one room a gym, another an office. Why not throw in an art studio and a walk in wardrobe too? I certainly wouldn’t be concerned about the housing situation of others, that’s for the government to sort out surely?

if they have the money to buy that house, they can do what they want with it

it’s also crazy on your behalf to be all like “they don’t have children!!” As if these people aren’t peak family planning age.

Wow who do you think you are. Nikita Khrushchev had similar desires, anything else you want controlled by the state?

Of course it's not. My MIL is in a six bedroom house all on her own. They built it, it's where they raised their family, her garden she has spent decades building is there, she loves her neighbours and the social connections in the area. Why should she move until she is ready? When it comes on the market, may the best person win.

I have a five bedroom house I can't wait to downsize from one day, but it's not the right time yet.

Well, given that having children in the UK in 2026 is very much a choice, how is a person less selfish if they decide to buy a large house and fill it with children instead of something else? Should those people move out of their home into a smaller house the minute their kids move out?

I’m bored of the notion that childless people are selfish for having nice things. I work hard (educating other peoples children and often spending my own money on basic resources for other peoples’ children) and happily pay all of my taxes into a system that I have never taken anything from since childhood (apart from one trip to A&E for a broken arm about 2 years ago). I’ve had more spare cash by not having children and I’ve used it to save for my future. Unless something majorly unexpected happens, I will unlikely ever have to rely on the public purse….and if I did, I guess I could always sell my house and downsize.

People with children require so many more state resources and have a much bigger environmental impact on the planet. I don’t begrudge them a single thing, so why get bothered about some of us childless folk having a couple of extra rooms that we’ve paid for?

What does it have to do with you? Do you frequently feel the need to pontificate on how others spend their money?

We live in a 5-bed detached house and would love to downsize but each time I do the calculations I can’t see a downsize costing less than 50k and then think what is the point?

😂😂😂 who cares? They can live where they like

God forbid people without children have anything 🙄

What on earth has it got to do with you? If they’re paying for it then can have twenty empty bedrooms, if someone with a larger family wants it let them buy it.

They’ll be turning it into a HMO just to spite their nosy neighbours

youre an idiot

Some people really struggle with how an economy works

i would think they probably want to start a family but even if they don’t, they are perfectly entitled to buy it.

But rooms aren’t something you “waste”. They’ll use them for something. They’re allowed to buy a ten bedroom house and use them for their teddy bear collection if they want. Never mind the fact that they’re young and probably want to have kids.

but the main baffling bit is: if it’s not social housing and they’ve bought it…how is it “taking it away” from other people who could also have bought it but didn’t?

😂😂😂
What is the measure of need?

All any family needs is somewhere to live. Leys shove 3 families into a 3 bed house now, because after all they don't need a bedroom each, nor do they require exclusive use of any facilities.