What is wrong with buying an ex council house?

[icepackquestion]

I am looking at houses to buy. When I have mentioned some to a few people they have asked if the are ex council. I don't know the answer so I just move on.

When I viewed a house yesterday the estate agent said "this is ex council but it's one of the few I would happily live in myself"

What is wrong with ex council houses? I literally have no idea, and couldn't tell the difference between them and others.

What they mean is, you might live near poor people.

As in all the neighbours will be in council houses?

We live in an ex-Council house from the 1950s (or "housing association" as they are now). Pros - built very solid, big rooms, has a decent sized garden. Cons - houses were built without driveways so it's on street parking.

I would say the neighbours are also a downside, but that would be prejudice. There's nothing wrong with HA people, you get bad eggs in private rentals too. At least with HA neighbours you can find the complaints email address easily!

Haha. Thank you. There isn't many neighbours in the area and to be honest, any are better than where I currently live

No idea.

We have an ex council house in an estate on the edge of a “naice” village.

We paid £190k last year for a 4 bed with a dressing room and en suite (previous owner was a builder who did the work himself). The house is solid and still in excellent condition. Something with a similar footprint in one of the private developments on either side of our street would cost £400k +.

So people can be snobby as much as they like, but I’d rather have the extra money thanks!

Yes this house is built solidly, is huge and much better than new builds we have viewed.

People are just being snobby.

I own an ex council house and it's brilliant. Great location - looks out over fields, close to the village pub and primary school. Quiet col-de-sac, lovely neighbours. The house is solid with a good size garden. Moved in 7 years ago and it hasn't needed any major work doing to it (unlike my parents new build on a 'posh' estate). I'm not planning to move until DD is high school age as it's a bit of an isolated location for a teenager.

Ignore other people - everyone will always have an opinion. If you find a house you like then get it.

There has historically been social stigma attached to them-council estates often ended up as areas of high socio-economic deprivation.

I don’t know if this a goady thread and posters will be accused of being NIMBY snobs but unfortunately a lot of council and local authority housing estates suffer with higher levels of antisocial behaviour than solely private estates and areas. That’s not to say that there isn’t crime in privately owned areas, it’s just a different sort and perhaps more hidden.

Because more than likely it will still be in a street that still has council houses.

* People are just being snobby.*

Not really. Where I live, crime rates are higher in these areas. You can call people snobby for wanting to live in the nicest area they can.

Can’t call people snobby.

I wouldn't buy one, because I think it's wrong of the council to sell them. People still need decent places to live.

People are being snobby. I grew up in a council house and now live in a 4 bed ex-council house. Generally the older council houses have big rooms and big gardens. I’ve got 4 double bedrooms, a decent sized garden, and the front garden has been turned into a drive where I can easily park two cars. Only downside is that there is no garage. It is 100k cheaper than a four bed that’s 1 min walk away.

There are some upsides to buying an ex LA house though, you get more for your money, often bigger houses, on bigger plots and you’ll get extras like off road parking that you might not be able to afford in a ‘privately built’ house. Plus, of course, not every LA house is part of a sprawling sink estate, just as not every private house isn’t part of some Utopian dream.

@BalladOfBarryAndFreda

I don’t know if this a goady thread and posters will be accused of being NIMBY snobs but unfortunately a lot of council and local authority housing estates suffer with higher levels of antisocial behaviour than solely private estates and areas. That’s not to say that there isn’t crime in privately owned areas, it’s just a different sort and perhaps more hidden.

Yes, unfortunately here (SW market town) they are lower priced because of the anti-social behaviour in those areas. There is a horrible pub in the middle of the estate at the end of my road and you get fights, the occasional dog walker being mugged/punched, and the odd stabbing.

not every LA house is part of a sprawling sink estate, just as not every private house isn’t part of some Utopian dream.

Yes, exactly this.

It really depends. My grandparents bought their house but so did everyone else. But l know someone who bought theirs and the next door housing association tenants drive them mad. It really depends on the neighbours. Go on a era evening and see if there are hoards of feral kids on the streets.

I grew up on council estates and the best one was the one with lots of old people who had or were planning to buy.

They can have higher insurance premiums due to the higher probability of undesirable neighbours. Probably won't make a huge amount of difference if you're paying less for the house due to it being ex council, but something to consider.

Other than that, no issues that I can see. Usually well built on good sized plots. My sister lives in an ex council house and has no desire to move.

@hugoagogo

I wouldn't buy one, because I think it's wrong of the council to sell them. People still need decent places to live.

They generally are several owners on from the Council/HA so that doesn't make a great deal of sense - it's unlikely the HA are going to buy them back

Also, check the school catchments if that’s something you need or are likely to need. Where I am, the main pockets of LA housing are in catchment for the poorest performing schools in the area. There are obviously lots of factors feeding into those results and it isn’t necessarily a reflection of the passion and commitment of staff and students but it is worth thinking about.

My house is ex-council. Many of my immediate neighbours are council tenants.
My house and 10 others were bought by the council when the houses were built in the 40s. The rest of the estate is privately owned.
There is a snobbery about living in close proximity to council houses and I do understand some of it. However it’s the owner houses who are are the problem here.

We moved last year from an ex council house. The rooms were a good size and the garden was massive. It was 70 years old and only had general wear and tear issues such as roof replacement, but structurally it was very sound.

Most of the street were owner occupiers and quite elderly, however there were one or two problem families.

The house we moved to is in a naice leafy suburb area and it's got so many problems thanks to shoddy building work!

The first house that DH and I bought together was ex council, and it was a brilliant house, large bedrooms, solidly built, decent garden. As far as the house itself was concerned I would have stayed there forever, but unfortunately the area it was in wasn't great, I had my car window put in a couple of times for no reason, there was drug dealing going on in the flats across the road and the corner shop at the end of the street was robbed at knifepoint. We left because it wasn't an area I wanted to bring up a family in, but it took us almost a year to find a buyer because of the area issues so that's something to bear in mind.

@LadyTiredWinterBottom2

“Go on a era evening and see if there are hoards of feral kids on the streets.”

What?!