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.

It would be selfish if it was social housing and they were depriving a family of opportunity to rent at a reasonable rate. If they are paying to buy it then no.

What’s the issue if they are buying it? If you can afford it why not. I personally can’t be bothered to maintain such a large house but to eaches own

I ean people are obviously free to buy whatever house they fancy, but I must admit I found it a bit odd when when an elderly couple (both in their 80s) bought a five bedroom house on our estate last year.

Unless this is social housing it's none of your business.
Does your food shopping only include the 'basics' lines ?

It’s difficult because I fully acknowledge people should be able to buy whatever they please, if legal. No arguments there.

But I find it difficult when so many people really struggle and others are using far more than they actually need.

Squaring the 2 is impossible really. We have to money to buy a bigger house, but what for? Our kids each have a bedroom, we don’t really need any more space. There’s a lot of waste in the world now which is sad.

The people who are struggling to find homes i doubt are those vehicles would be able to buy a 5 bed.

Why is it anyone's business regarding how many bedroom people have? Unless its a council property. Are you aware that there are thousands of second homes in, for example, Mayfair - 4 storey 8 bedroom houses owned by one person - and they use it for a few months a year? These people pay millions for them, and to the staff keeping them clean and ready. What are you proposing to do? Expropriate?

We’ve just moved from a five bedroom house to a larger five bedroom house in a different area, and there’s just the two of us. Everyone assumed that because we’re in our late 60s/early 70s we would be downsizing but we love having plenty of space and it was never our intention to move to a smaller house. Our old house had a very large garden, and it seemed sensible to buy a house with a smaller garden and less maintenance as we get older, but the new house has been fully renovated recently and will be far less work for us to maintain. It’s really no-one else’s business what we choose to spend our money on - my husband worked full time from the age of 15 without a single day of unemployment and I worked from 16 and am still working now, with just a few years off when I was a stay at home mum. I think we’re entitled to live in whatever type of property we choose, and it has absolutely no impact on anyone else. The house we bought had been on the market for many months, so if a family had wanted to buy it, they could have done so long before we saw it. We sold our old house to a couple with just one child, who have no intention of having another - should be have refused to sell it to them because they didn’t need a five bedroom house?

We did this (with one teen). It had been on for months. Clearly no families with 3/4 kids could face a total back to brick renovation, and most families would need two full time salaries and no childcare costs to afford it..

What's the point of having money in a capitalist society, if you can't live as well as you like?

And how do you know that they aren't each high-powered professionals, and two of those bedrooms will be used as home offices? Or maybe they have a huge extended family and expect constant visitors?

Gosh I bought a 5 bedroom semi detached at 26 with my husband, I didn’t realise I’d committed a crime. At first we had an office each, a spare room, a lounge upstairs and a bedroom. We then had two children so had 3 bedrooms, an office in the box room and a spare room/office. There was one reception room downstairs so that was then a lounge/diner. There is an estate of 5 bed townhouses so it’s a really common set up around here. Surely you understand they might be thinking of a home to suit them for the future and now just now?

Because they could? Because they wanted to be among younger people ? Because they expect to have family and friends visit ?

I live alone and I would do this if I could afford it

Space for me, space for pets, home gym, space for art
, space for a kind of indoor garden room… Jacuzzi…. Actually is there room for an indoor pool. Yeah, I might need something bigger.

Family can come and stay whenever they like, sounds great.

What’s the room allocation per person in your world @activedough

and have you seen the house that Ricky Gervais and Jane Fallon live in? In London too.

When we sold our last house (3 bedroom plus box room), a single elderly lady came round to view it. I wondered why. Not only was it too big for her, she was clearly infirm and needed help climbing the stairs. I have plans to move to a small bungalow when my kids leave home and get ahead of this sort of thing.

When I met my ex, he was in a 4 bed house. Their main bedroom, a home office each, and a music studio.
When she left him, he got a lodger in.
No room was wasted.

Well following your logic all the prolific breeders should get the best and biggest houses and any singletons, widows, or divorcees should be counting their blessings in a bedsit.

So YABVU

For sure, people can own whatever the hell they want in this country. I don’t think that needs changing.

I just then find the complaining endlessly about new houses being built a bit tiresome. If you don’t want to sell your house, as you absolutely have a right to, don’t then complain about other family size homes being built!

What’s it got to do with you ?

Yeah equal opportunity house buying 🤣

Welcome to capitalism on steroids OP.

I don’t really think anyone in their 80s hosts 4+ people for days on end. I think a lot of elderly people started off buying big houses in the 70s, 80s and 90s because they were cheap, and now anything smaller feels like a ‘step down’.

Late 20s…. So could potentially of bought a house with space to start a family

Probably so they can pass it on or pass on the value. Nice.

Depending on where you live, your council/social services may assist you with a larger place or extension to accommodate foster kids.
The country definitely needs people like you 🙏

Do you literally only have what you “need”. One pair of shoes? One coat? One pair of knickers because you can wash and dry them overnight can’t you? Oh….but you mean OTHER people. Who have more than you.
I guarantee someone else will look at what YOU have and think it’s more than they would ever “need”.
We live in a capitalist society. And, thank god, because a variety of countries have tried communism….and it ain’t all that.

2 home offices and a music studio is a bit of waste IMO!