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Original poster

New build next to housing association

111 replies

Happydove · 28/03/2019 21:13

This will sound awful but I need opinions. Pearl clutching Boden wearing mumsnetters are who I want blunt opinions from here!

So new build development nice 4 bed house with big garden BUT it’s next to the housing association houses. As in they back onto the garden all along one side and end.
For this reason the house is affordable for us plus the garden is biggest on development.
This is a expensive town and certainly not a cheep house.
Be honest would you consider it? We are talking at least 5 LA gardens along one side of the garden.
I know it sounds horrible and snobbish but I’m worried about antisocial behavior would we have resentment/ a social divide that could cause a problem etc.
We are both professionals I’m public facing ( locally) DH is a high earner but not local. We have children also.

OP posts:

EmrysAtticus · 30/03/2019 07:10

We live in a new build next to a block of housing association flats with our garden backing on to their parking and bin area. Zero problems whatsoever.

Sargass0 · 30/03/2019 07:30

Why don't you go and live in Wren Mews? At least then the social housing tenants will be segregated....

UnPocoLoco2 · 30/03/2019 08:11

Be grateful that you can afford to buy a house . I'm sure you , high earning dh and your 'little darlings ' will survive the experience and be very happy. You might even make new friends with 'undesirables ' 🙀🙀

Sorry for the sarcasm. As a family with a low income and three kids we get help with our private rent each month. We do not drink, do drugs, trash the place or terrorise the neighbourhood. My kids are also intelligent, polite and do not live on crisps, cola and chocolate. Our ds also attends the local 'uppity' school but has pupil premium, Which we are very grateful for. The usual stereotypes about social housing, benefits etc really gets my goat. Rant over ....

UnPocoLoco2 · 30/03/2019 08:13

@SummerDog yes that assumption is there, it really gets me angry and is a load of bollox in reality with most people.

flitwit99 · 30/03/2019 08:44

The fact that it's so cheap and the developer is struggling to sell it would put me off no matter who the neighbours were.

And 5 neighbours down one side sounds a lot. That's a lot of polite chit chat to have to make over the fence. But I will happily admit I'm not very sociable, whether you are millionaires or not.

TBDO · 30/03/2019 08:55

If I could afford not to, I wouldn’t buy a house with 7 neighbouring gardens - even if they were all privately owned.

SlowDown76mph · 30/03/2019 09:14

Definitely a gamble. You may have nice neighbours. But, you may not!

Where I live, the HA have to house families allocated to them by the council in these new build estates. Often the families allocated are the less easy tenants that the council want to off load :-(

Flicketyflack · 30/03/2019 09:18

I have bought three new builds and the 'problem' people have not been in HA.

I would be more worried that there are several gardens regardless of who the residents are. The more gardens the greater the risk of a noisy neighbour. Nothing to do with their personal circumstances ime

Flobochin · 30/03/2019 09:21

We looked at a house which was perfect in every way apart from it being next to HA house. We didn't buy it, you just dont know who will move in next door!

EmrysAtticus · 30/03/2019 10:30

But that's true regardless Flo, there are plenty of nightmare neighbours who own their houses.

Witchtower · 30/03/2019 11:19

I don’t think you can really defend your post. It’s horrible.

I wouldn’t want you as a neighbour.

Why should owning your own home determine what kind of personality you have?

HauntedPencil · 30/03/2019 13:43

I should think that's it's having 7 gardens backing on that's proving a put off, no matter who is in them.

BlessedBeTheFruitCake · 30/03/2019 13:50

I think the amount of houses overlooking the garden has made it hard to sell regardless of who owns the houses.

Redglitter · 30/03/2019 14:01

I lived in a flat where 90% of the properties in the street were HA. The neighbours were lovely. Couldn't do enough for each other. Gardens & communal areas were immaculate

I moved then to a flat in a very naice area. The couple across the road were arrested numerous times for domestic incidents. A flat in my building had the police put the door in on a warrant and found a cannabis cultivation. Someone 2 blocks down was a paedophile & is now back in jail.

I finally bought my own (ex council) house. My neighbours are council tenants. They're lovely. Their gardens are absolutely gorgeous they're very friendly & I never hear a sound from them.

Having HA/council neighbours doesn't automatically mean trouble just as owner occupier doesn't mean great neighbours.

At least if HA tenants are problematic you have somewhere to complain to.

Having said that - the 5 gardens issue would put me off regardless of who the neighbours were

Redglitter · 30/03/2019 14:05

We looked at a house which was perfect in every way apart from it being next to HA house. We didn't buy it, you just dont know who will move in next door

So when you bought a house that had non HA neighbours did it come with a guarantee that only nice quiet people would only live next door?? I cant understand your logic there

Flobochin · 30/03/2019 15:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Disneymum48 · 16/01/2020 21:22

Try avoid living in close proximity to the larger detached social housing if you can. From previous experience I know that families from minimum of 8 persons are allocated the large 4 bed properties. So potentially a lot of people in say 3 or 4 neighbouring properties.
Some HA are super strict on who they allow as tenants.
I've seen it from both sides of the coin.
Having recently fallen on bad times due to husband of 20 years walking out I've had to swallow my pride and accept a HA property, however I had to be on minimum income of £431 per week for a 4 bed, so clearly not all HA properties are occupied by bad tenants. My HA rent is £840 pcm, less than the £1200 pcm private rented we were in, but also more than regular council housing.
Do your research. We didn't, we just went by what the developers told us.
Ended up selling our house at below market value because the social housing nearby was really bad, turned out over 40% residents were social housing.
Personally though, I don't like properties that are surrounded by too many houses. I prefer a private aspect at rear garden, not backed onto by lots of neighbours gardens.

Jada1234 · 16/01/2020 21:43

I brought a house last year. To be honest I didn't even think about the council flats opposite until week two my car was keyed from front to back. Week three look out of window during the night to see naked man masturbating so I had to call police. I didn't know until I spoke to neighbour's that the council were housing drug addicts and problem families. Its a temporary housing estate. I've no choice but to stay here because I've recently divorced and have no money to move.

TheJoxter · 16/01/2020 21:46

This thread is nearly a year old @Disneymum48 @Jada1234 I’m sure the OP has decided whether or not to buy the house by now

Jada1234 · 16/01/2020 21:48

To be very honest I've lived on a council estate most of my life and the people that did give me trouble were the ex council tenants who have brought their homes.

misspiggy19 · 16/01/2020 21:54

Be honest would you consider it?

No I wouldn’t consider it at all.

mumwon · 16/01/2020 22:01

I have lived alongside both social housing & in established well -to-do area - some of our neighbours over time in the later were problematic - (understatement of year)

Disneymum48 · 16/01/2020 22:01

Whoops, sorry, never mind. I'm sure the continued thread will be helpful to anyone else in a similar house buying dilemma as the op. Quite a common scenario I would have thought.

Marshy86 · 17/01/2020 09:37

Hey OP,

I actually work in new build sales so deal with this quite often. The questions I'd be asking the developer are the following:-

Are they rented or shared ownership? If shared the people living there still require a mortgage.

What size properties are the housing association properties ? If 2 bed plus more likely to get families and less anti social behaviour.

Who's managing the properties if rented ? Have a look into their policies, a lot of our HA houses are on a 3 strike system. If the worse was to happen you can gather evidence and look to get tenants out, some management companies have really strict contracts which can be helpful. Last site I worked on it went into details regarding cutting grass ect.

I actually live opposite housing association myself and have never had problems but make sure you do your research first.

Stayawayfromitsmouth · 17/01/2020 09:43

Perhaps do a few reconnaissance walks around the adjoining streets at different times see weather there is any antisocial behaviour. Although more likely to see this in hot weather.

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