Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

FGS, Bath does not NEED yet another development of houses costing 300k and more!!!!

33 replies

IntergalacticWarlock · 21/10/2007 15:21

We need AFFORDABLE housing!!!!!

Hardly anybody my age can afford a property here. It pisses me off. I know it's the smae everywhere.

We are desperate to move house, because where we liove now is a shithole. Th area is perfect, but the house itself is in a disgusting stae of disrepair, and the landord is as tight as a gnat's chuff and woun't cough up for any repairs (last winter we were left with no hot water for 7 weeks, despite me threatening everey single day to take him to court/withold rent/use physical violence)

DP and I had a chat on the way home from yeahinaminutes this mnorning about how we could move house soon, because I have just strated working again, and financially we are a heck of a lot more secure than this time 6 months ago.

So, off I toddle to the computer to have a shufty at whats available to buy and rent around here. Even renting we are looking at another £200-300 a month, which we can't afford without starving, so it looks like we are stuck here. I wish I hadn't bothered looking tbh, because it was tres depressing. And I know I am not alone in this situation.

It pisses me off that DP and I actually earn a decent whack between us, but we have to pout up with poor quality housing. For the same rent we are paying now (750pcm) we could get a nice flat (one bed, no garden. Not with 2 kids) or a shitheap somewhere horrid.

I need to win the lottery.

OP posts:
stripeymama · 21/10/2007 15:25

It is pants.
Did you see the thing in the Guardian yesterday about how even "affordable" housing is going for 26x the average nurse's salary? And that was for a 50% share!! Bloody ridiculous. No hope ever for me to buy, as a single parent I can't see it ever happening.

Original poster
IntergalacticWarlock · 21/10/2007 15:32

No, I didnlt see that. It's a shocking statistic, but not surprising tbh.

I wonder what things will be like for my children when they are older. I feel sad that if ever something happened to DP or I, we have no way of securing the financial futiure of our family. I'll just have to make sure both boys end up as premiership footballers, so they can look after their old mum!!!!!

OP posts:
bodycolder · 21/10/2007 15:36

The observer had apiece on affordable housing average cost 250k??????????This would need an income of approx 80-90k to secure a mortgage.This country is ridiculous

Original poster
IntergalacticWarlock · 21/10/2007 15:42

Isn't it just?

My granny bought her 5 bed house in 1959 for £3000.

If only ........

OP posts:
Earlybird · 21/10/2007 15:43

bodycolder - presumably that price is for affordable housing in London?

bodycolder · 21/10/2007 15:45

No it wasn't london I'll just check

bodycolder · 21/10/2007 15:47

It was the guardian not observer Yesterday .The same article as stripey mentioned.Just north of london I think so commutable which is good as you will be working forever to pay it off.

stripeymama · 21/10/2007 15:48

Earning the minimum wage (which is all I'm really qualified for) I would bring home about £10,000 a year. Including tax credits would get it up to about £15,000.

A two bed house (a shabby one, not a nicely done up one) round here costs around £150,000.

There's no hope. And for people in places like London its far far worse.

Earlybird · 21/10/2007 15:49

My goodness bodycolder, that is dear. If not central London, then presume that is the price for a house and not a flat? How big/how many bedrooms?

PeachyFleshCrawlingWithBugs · 21/10/2007 15:51

Agree IGW, one of the manyr easons why we live here with DH heading back over the bridge for work- far cheaper, sad to haev been effectively priced out of the area where we grew up (we came for Uni but I graduate soon and the housing we could afford in Somerset would be so inadequate compared to our rent here) We have a lovely old cottage for £595, back home we just couldnt get anything for that much where we would want to live. Lst place we had cost mroe and was sandwiched between the (then) factory that makes bridgwater so smelly, and the place where they stored the nuclear cannisters from hinkly before boarding the train- no thanks.

bodycolder · 21/10/2007 15:53

that is for a flat 2 beds.A family house is 400 plus??

PeachyFleshCrawlingWithBugs · 21/10/2007 15:54

Oh and yes it is sad- with 2 kids with sn we'd dearly love to be able to leave them something as secure as a home, never mind the other NT child and bump! When Dh graduates we migt stand a chance- 2 professional incomes- but even then it will depend on how many hours I can work with the boys needs.

bodycolder · 21/10/2007 15:57

If this govt had any sense it would create some real affordable housing which would enable average earners to stop going to ridiculous lengths to buy on the open market and this would bring prices down to a level where a decent home would be a possibility for more people.Or put wages up?Something seriously needs to be done.

WendyWeber · 21/10/2007 16:38

The Tories should never have sold the council houses

bodycolder · 21/10/2007 17:06

Couldn't agree more it was supposed to be social housing not a way to make a quick buck and live it up on the costas!Council houses where I live now sell for 250k and more

OrmIrian · 21/10/2007 17:11

I totally agree walrus. Bath is a bloody expensive place as it is - but then that is part of the reason I guess. Don't want to be oik-housing in such a desirable area now do we

Front of the Independent on SUnday money section this morning 'House prices ready to stall warn experts.'. Warn? Why is it a warning? For the majority of people it'll be a good thing - more people can get on the property ladder, more people can move up the ladder and no-one really loses out unless they're intending to sell and live in a tent or unless they've overstretched themselves which wouldn't have happened if the property market wasn't so morbidly obese in the first place.

PeachyFleshCrawlingWithBugs · 22/10/2007 09:59

House sales have already completely stalled here- a year ago nowhere was on the amrket for mroe than a fortnight (this area consiodered posh for the locality, but is significantly cheaper than over the bridge or cardiff so lots of commuters into those areas as well as Newport etc). Nowhere seems to be selling now- which is a git no doubt for those who want to move, but also its going to make a big difference to the locals who need to get on the ladder.

portonovo · 22/10/2007 12:07

IntergalacticWarlock, do you have to live in Bath or could you move a little further out?

For example, in Chippenham (15 mins train ride away), your £750 could get you a nice 3-bed semi with garden in a good area. I know people renting there with similar homes and they had no problem getting somewhere decent on that sort of budget.

Original poster
IntergalacticWarlock · 22/10/2007 12:38

We would live in Chippenham (we have considered it) but we would have no quality of lofe, as I wouls have to leave for work at 5am and in the evenings (when I work at night) i would be home after midnight

Also DP doesn't drive, so we'd spend a fortune on train fares etc etc etc.

We have thought about moving out of Bath, but to be honest, why should we?

OP posts:
NomDeBroomstick · 22/10/2007 12:50

I see where you are coming from, but I think the 'why should we' argument is a bit pointless. The fact is that houses cost what they cost. If you are priced out of an area, then you have to find a cheaper area. I know that's a pita wrt to life/friends etc, but it is what you must do if you want to to own your own home but your budget won;t stretch

southeastastra · 22/10/2007 12:53

it's crazy isn't it. normal bog standard 3 bed house here costs £300k now. that's £50k more in just 8 weeks

littlerach · 22/10/2007 12:56

One of the reasons we moved out of Bath.
Plus dh's work.

covenhope · 22/10/2007 13:08

My mum lives in Twerton. Not the nicest of areas but she's got a nice house. Just had a look on rightmove and you can get a 3 bed in that sort of area for less than £150k, which is much less than here in the South East.

They have rentals too here

Original poster
IntergalacticWarlock · 22/10/2007 14:57

DP and I both work in the centre of Bath, and we wouldn't ever be at home if we moved out of the city! We hardly see one another as it is now tbh.

I know the "why shpould we" argument is poitless, but it is also valid IMHO, because as more people move out of places like Bath and into the surrounding areas, then you get house prices rising in these places too, thus creating the same prob elsewhere, and from our pov, we, financiallyt, would be no better off given all the money we'd pay out for travelling. To be honest, we are priced outr of most places around Bath.

WRT Twerrton, that was also a consideration, but we would get a mortgage for probably about 130k, which would probably buy noit a lot. A 2 bed house in the roughest street in Bath was for sale not long ago for 160k. Tis the same countrywide.

OP posts:
portonovo · 22/10/2007 15:18

To be honest, if things are that grim, I would look seriously at one or both of you changing jobs, and moving slightly out of Bath so you had a nicer/bigger home and only one of you maximum had a longer commute.

We did this 10 years ago (move town I mean, not from Bath!) and it was the best thing we ever did. My husband did end up with a slightly longer commute, but we always looked at it as temporary, and within months he got a job in the town we had moved to.

Swipe left for the next trending thread