Buying a house that was previously council owned

[Freezingwinter]

We've fallen in love with a house that was previously a council owned property. It's in a really nice area, the majority of houses and maisonettes have now been brought and privately owned, but certain family members have turned their noses up and said they wouldn't buy an ex council house! I wasn't bothered (and I'm not now either) but thought I'd ask - is it not generally the thing to do?! I wasn't even aware that anyone might think it was a problem. It's a nice big house built in the 1950s and feels sturdy and homely. Those family members can be a bit snobbish about other silly things.. What does everyone else think?

I am guessing the things mentioned show up on a survey? Which we haven't had done yet, so I think we'll see. However, we are pleased with the rooms. The current owner has done a lot of Reno work which means the kitchen and living rooms are ginormous. There's planning permission in place for an extension and the first floor has been reconfigured so there's three double bedrooms. It seems like there is some mixed opinions on here, but, the area is nice and the house feels homely.

Love ours.

Big kitchen. Sensible sized other rooms. Well built. Decently maintained. Nice garden. No silly rules.

Depends on the area. Council houses tend to be really well built with larger than normal living spaces so are a good investment as long as the surrounding estate is ok.

Ours was build in the early 50s. It's on the edge of town/village on a road that's predominantly 1930s houses. It's a lot bigger than the neighbouring houses despite them all being 3 bedroom semis.

It's solid compared to modern houses, i.e. all inside walls are brick rather than studwork. Large gardens front and back as well.

I just bought an ex-LA house in london, freehold and not on an estate so no issues with service charges or major works notices.

Check if it's leasehold or freehold as some ex-la houses are leasehold. I would have thought twice about a leasehold one.

As long as the area is nice, the road is nice and the house is of good construction I can't see the issue.

Never going to have 'period' charm (mine is 1960s build) but for the money it was by far the best thing I could buy.

Mines was built in 1945. It's solid - brick between rooms rather than plasterboard. Decent sized rooms, big garden, off street parking for 4 cars as the front/side is so big.

We looked at 60+ houses. Period houses were too small (ones within our budget) and new houses were all plasterboard, with the third bedroom always being tiny/a box room.

My parents are also in an ex-council house but there's is more like 1970 and it's not as well built and a lot less outdoor space.

Personally an older council house in an okay area would always come on top of a new built one for me.

I'm a surveyor so see lots of ex-council houses.

Bad points - they tend to be ugly, in ugly streets.

Good points - they are well proportioned and often have large gardens. Some of the ones I see are really nice from the inside.

I have a surveying degree and guess what kind of house I bought? 1950s ex council in a semi rural area where pretty much all the council housing is now private. Solidly built houses with low maintenance costs, massive garden and reasonable price. Ignore any snobbery as it is simply that.

Yes, totally agree! House is actually OK from the front. Not my dream house with the bay window, but nice coloured brick, new windows, massive drive! And like I say, the rooms are massive. A new house they're building around the corner costs about 80K more, no joke, for a house the same size! 80k! you have all actually reassured me. Thanks so much!

Love ours, massive 100m garden backs on to a council park which will never be developed. 3 huge bedrooms.

Disadvantages are surface mounted pipes and wiring easy to maintain expensive to hide now! Neighbourhood here is lovely almost all houses private but the ones that aren't are lovely bar the family with old abandoned cars in the drive but you could get that anywhere

My last house was ex council and I bought it following divorce. A great house for all the,good,reasons previously mentioned. The one house that was not private was,next door and was occupied by a lovely elderly gentleman. He died when I'd been there 9 years. The council placed a mother and three teenage children as emergency housing. They didn't look after it. Mother took off for days at a time and the teens partied. Police involved because of drugs.
Then the estranged hubby found where they lived. Police further regularly in attendance to cart violent hubby off. After a year I sold up.

However I reckon this could happen anywhere, I was unlucky.

Mine is a 1930s end terrace, and I love it. It's very solidly built, and in a great area in the catchment of an outstanding school. The street has a wide mix of people, which gives it nice community feel - my neighbour on one side runs a small art gallery and on the other side is a chambermaid. I was burgled five years ago, and one of the elderly neighbours saw what was going on and called the police who caught them red-handed and were able to return my property.

My house is one of the very few in the area to have three decent sized bedrooms and a garden. The non council equivalent on my area would be an elegant Victorian terrace for double the price.

Because some people don't like ex council properties, the prices tend to be lower and stay lower, so it's not such a good choice if you want to resell soon.

And I think it depends a lot on the area. My house is part of a couple of streets of council housing, in a very mixed area with some of the most expensive houses in the city within a five minute walk. Friends living on large estates have had more problems.