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Original poster

Would you buy an ex-council flat in Central London

64 replies

zentaric · 05/06/2023 17:52

We currently live a few streets over from a council estate in London. We love living in this area. It’s good for work, shopping, everything.

We are thinking of buying here. We would only be able to afford a 1 bedroom flat on a ‘posh’ street where we currently live.

If we buy in the estate, we could get a 2 bedroom and be well under budget. The estate seems fine. We haven’t walked through during the night, but we are told some blocks are worse than others. The block we have seen a flat in is on the very very edge of the estate. For example, we could go day to day without ever walking through the estate if we wanted to. But as I say, it seems alright.

We might ‘not fit in’ as we are both working in highly paid professional jobs, and unfortunately there is a lot of deprivation on the estate. But for us it seems perfect as a first home.

Has anyone else bought an ex-la house/flat?

OP posts:
Drosselmeyer · 05/06/2023 17:59

I wouldn’t do this. Better to buy the one bed or a two bed further out. Problem neighbours make your life hell and they can’t be changed, council estates can be very run down, councils make dreadful freeholders, don’t keep the place in good condition and charge leaseholders over the odds for works.

JorisBonson · 05/06/2023 18:00

Would all depend on location for me!

VimFuego101 · 05/06/2023 18:21

What are the maintenance charges?

When you come to sell, others might have the same doubts/ concerns you do and it may be harder to sell on.

Lndnmummy · 05/06/2023 18:24

You might well find that most of the flats are privately owned anyway. I have lived in London for 20 odd years and many of my friends have/do live on estates. It is very common. I wouldn't rule it out at all.

TimetravellingNarwhal · 05/06/2023 18:26

Have previously and the neighbours were nightmare. People shat in the halls, hypo needles, front door kicked in, people screaming at each other and breaking each others doors down. This was not a cheap flat or in a bad neighbourhood. I felt a bit sorry for our buyer, they asked about the neighbours and we just said we didn't interact with them much which was true but still.

Clickcamera · 05/06/2023 18:30

I would not rule it out, I live in a private estate in an apartment and we have had some awful neighbours so good and bad everywhere.
I would have a walk in an evening there or try and chat with some of the neighbours.

Hannahsbananas · 05/06/2023 18:32

Lndnmummy · 05/06/2023 18:24

You might well find that most of the flats are privately owned anyway. I have lived in London for 20 odd years and many of my friends have/do live on estates. It is very common. I wouldn't rule it out at all.

This.

Motnight · 05/06/2023 18:35

I would check on other flats / houses that have sold on the estate over the last few years.

If the properties were mainly still council I wouldn't buy. Lived in a council estate in South East London many years ago and it was shit. Drug dealing, gangs etc. Police didn't want to know.

SerenityNowInsanityLater · 05/06/2023 18:38

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

civetcat · 05/06/2023 18:41

I was a council tenant for years in London, inc centrally, and am now a leaseholder in a private block. Have had good and bad neighbours in both.
I'd suggest looking around at night and first thing on Sunday morning to see if there's any debris/damage from the night before. Blocks on the edges of estates tend to be safer or at least look it.
Service charges can be high, esp when councils do external repairs and redecoration programmes/revamp lifts/communal heating etc, and difficult to challenge. This put me off buying an ex-council flat.
Council flats often well designed regarding space/storage and can sell easily in a good location, inc to letting agents.

YinYogi · 05/06/2023 18:42

I wouldn’t rule it out. Depends which estate and which area.

TheYear2000 · 05/06/2023 18:42

Really depends on the specific estate, flat and neighbours. I did this and had mainly lovely neighbours and one poor woman with a lot of issues who basically had people coming and going and using her flat for 24 hour raves. She had problems and couldn't stop them, I really felt for her and we were friendly/talked despite the strange situation. I was terrified of the men who were at her flat as they were druggy and quite scary.

Another friend had a dealer in flat above and constant arguments/loud music and hated it. It's really, really difficult to tell whether it'll be ok when you haven't experienced being in the flat at different times of day and night (and of year- summer was much worse for general noise on my estate).

Personally, I wouldn't do it again. I sold it very quickly as it was making me unwell the stress of living there, the noise and not feeling safe going home after dark.

All these problems could potentially happen with any neighbours, I know. Which is why I no longer live in central london!

Kinneddar · 05/06/2023 18:43

I live in a 4 in a block ex council house. The other 3 are council tenants. Nicer people you couldn't meet. The gardens are kept immaculate, parcels are taken in if you're out & everyone gets on well.

My last flat in a very naice area was all luxury flats & townhouses. We had a paedophile in one flat. A cannabis factory in one of the townhouses. A couple who had the police round every week for their domestics & another who got drunk every weekend and was a pest from hell.

You can get good neighbours in bad areas and nightmare neighbours in the poshest area.

Don't go discounting it just because it's in a potentially council dominated area

YinYogi · 05/06/2023 18:43

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

This is ridiculous Grin.

OP, don’t be scared off by this sort of nonsense.

Radiatorvalves · 05/06/2023 18:47

My friend bought a one bedroom in an estate in Southwark. It’s ground floor and she’s very happy with it.

trevthecat · 05/06/2023 18:49

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

What a load of crap! I work in many council estates, some mega rough, some lovely. Most are absolutely fine. In your situation I would seriously look at buying one

Hannahsbananas · 05/06/2023 18:51

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Maybe quit walking your dog around there. You’re clearly lowering the tone.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 05/06/2023 18:54

Depends on the area, depends on the street, depends on the size of the estate, the type of building, what proportion are still council...

Beehavewillyou · 05/06/2023 18:55

The neighbours are a bit of a roulette OP, my in laws live in an ex LA flat in a very ‘naive’ area of London. Over the years they’ve had lots of different issues with neighbours particularly with noise. But some you barely hear a peep out of, plus they’re subject to change when people move.

The other major thing to consider is the costs of repairs. Check when the windows, roof, heating systems etc were all last done. As leaseholders the council will charge you through the roof to make up the cost.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 05/06/2023 18:56

If you can afford off the estate, don't go there.

TheHandmaiden · 05/06/2023 19:00

It's tempting but no. If it was a safe place with no issues you would've bought it already.

Jux · 05/06/2023 19:03

I lived for nearly 20 years in an ex-council flat in a council block in Lambeth. OK, it was a long time ago now, but honestly, it's really nothing to be scared of.

Hannahsbananas · 05/06/2023 19:04

We might ‘not fit in’ as we are both working in highly paid professional jobs
Not being nasty, op, but you can still only afford this flat or an even smaller one nearby.
What makes you think you’ll be the only ones in this position among your neighbours?

Fruttidelbosco · 05/06/2023 19:07

We lived for 15 years in very central London in the most beautiful 3-bed maisonette ex-local authority. It was so well-built that our heating bills were tiny and we never heard noise, and it had a fantastic garden. You would struggle to get a garden like that where we were because property developers extend the kitchens into the back, but you can’t extend LA properties, so all that green space was protected.

We sold it for 2.5 times what we bought it for but it took a lot for me to sell and move away, and there is a part of me that regrets moving / plans to buy it back one day!

The neighbours were lovely, by the way. A mix of council tenants and private owners / renters. Some of the tenants had lived there since it was built in the 60s, and had lived in whatever had been there previously.

it felt to me like a really dignified way of bringing up your family, and it worked for us for a very long time.

livelovebath · 05/06/2023 19:10

The biggest issue is having a housing association as your freeholder that may drop a huge bill for major works through your letter box. Generally the bigger the block the bigger the bill.

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