Would you buy an ex-council flat in Central London

[zentaric]

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?

I lived in several ex council flats in different parts of London and they have all been absolutely quiet and lovely. Most of them were rented or bought by young professionals or families. As others have said it depends on the area and the estate.. perhaps visit and see the place/the block at a few random ones over the course of a few weeks to get a
sense of the noise levels at weekends/evenings etc..

Hi. I did this - bought in a high rise block in Central London 19 years ago and am still here. As some have said, it depends on the block. Mine is very well run -concierge, and manager on site 9-5 Monday to Friday who you take any problems too. Before I bought my place, I spoke to the police who told me that they never had any trouble here. I also knocked on the doors on the flats close to mine (beyond direct neighbours) and asked them what it was like living there. The word that they kept saying was 'peaceful'. On the basis of all that I bought and, although I'd love to live in glossy flat with massive kerb appeal, it's just so easy to live here. It's great having everything on your doorstop. Also things that cost a fortune in a private block are cheap as chips here e.g. £20 a month for my own private parking space, £5 a week for a storage unit. It just makes life super easy. As for the other people in the block, there's a huge mix but everyone just rubs along together fine. We have pensioners who've lived in the area all their lives (and in the block since it was built), families from lots of different cultures/backgrounds, and professionals (like me) and academics - and we've all lived here ages. Basically, just really check out the precise place you're thinking about. In my last flat (Victorian conversion), I had nightmares neighbours, so it's completely false to say that it's council blocks that are full of problems/terrible tenants. Finally, the flats when the come up for sale sell like hotcakes probably because they allow people to live centrally for hundreds of thousands less that they would pay for private blocks. You do have to be mindful of major works. In my experience these come round ever seven years or so and my advice is to put £100-£150 aside a month for these.

Forgot to mention - I raised my child here and he loves high rise living. Lots of children in the block including middle class ones (just mentioning that given that you thought that as professionals you might not fit in).

What a load of tosh on this thread
I live in an ex LA flat in Central London. They range from £450- £1 million plus
It is great- low maintenance and a great service
Major works advised years in advance and can be paid in instalments
Daily bin collection
Low heating bills
Really low council tax as westinster
75-80% private in the blocks (it is Westminster they sold off big time) . Fabulous mix of tenants. Site office who deal with any problems immediately
No anti-social behaviour (go help is if deliveroo drive through the quads- it is mass protest)

Where are you looking at OP?

To add. Mine is Victorian and purpose built.

Daily bin collections

Sunday as well and bank holidays
Refuse and recycling

Jesus. I am as jealous as a rat.

@zentaric I bought an ex LA two bed flat 6 years ago in NE London. Couldn't afford anything else a similar size in the area.
It has its pros and cons- the neighbours are a mix of council tenants, private renters and leaseholders like me. There is a really nice community feel across most people who live in the block.
The ground rent is peppercorn due to it being EX LA- £10 a year, service charge is approx £80 a month. My flat was built in the 60s so very well proportioned/large rooms, very thick walls so relatively quiet.
No issues of an anti social nature like needles/drugs/defecting as an other poster mentioned.
Sadly the council are hard work to deal with- slow to respond, poor communication etc. Slight tension between private renters/council tenants who don't pay for the upkeep and the leaseholders- who pay service charge. But other than that I would say it totally depends on the estate! I've had more issues in other parts of London as a private renter with other private renters

This.

I work in community healthcare in Central London. Anyone who could do Right to Buy has done it years ago, made a mint and is long gone. Even the tower blocks are full of owner-occupiers.

I wouldn’t want to live there, and lots of others will agree so you may struggle to sell it on and end up stuck there. I wouldn’t want to be in that position!

Have a look at Land Registry for the frequency of sales to see if people are staying a long time, especially the more recent, expensive purchases, say in the last ten years.

I've lived in a couple of council estates in Central London, and lots of friends/relatives do/did, so I've visited quite a few. The day to day living is fine, there are aspects of antisocial behaviour at times, but I was never a victim of crime at home or on the estate over several decades. Neighbours were generally other tenants or sometimes private renters, the other tenants were all disadvantaged in some way (refugees, health issues, DV etc.). They wouldn't have been able to get priority otherwise.

I bought my flat under RTB after living there for 13 years. I don't think I would have wanted to buy an ex-council flat on the open market though, and I sold up after five years. I think the biggest risk is becoming liable for major works bills, which didn't happen while I owned but I felt nervous about it which is why I wanted to sell as quickly as I could. There's also a smaller risk in some areas that an entire block could get earmarked for demolition and rebuilding and the leaseholders get a raw deal as the property becomes worthless once the plans are released, and the council offer a sum which isn't enough to be able to buy an equivalent property in the same area. Has happened a few times in my area, and you'd be screwed if it happens to you.

Yes, like a shot. I have a friend who has li ed in one for over 15 years now and loves it. It was very solidly built.

If it's been well maintained - yes.

This happened to me. Massive service charge increases and constant repairs/ lift maintenance payments. Any damage done by social tenants becomes your financial responsibility.

would entirely depend on where. The Pimlico estates I would be throwing my money at. Same for the Camden Town estates behind Regent’s Park. Not so much at the Tottenham high rises. And I’d run a mile from Edmonton.

OP please share the Rightmove link!

Make sure you find out what the local council or housing association is like as a freeholder.

You could find yourself spending hundreds of thousands on unexpected service charges which only get levied on the owner occupiers

This. You might find most of the flats are no longer council flats but privately owned. That’s certainly the case in my zone 1 council estate. Neighbours are all professionals and the block is very well maintained by the council. Our service charge is also less than that of the lovely Georgian flats opposite.

Look up the Tennants' Residents Association for the estate and have a chat with them about what it's like to live there OP.

I’d be much more tempted if it was in a low rise block or a maisonette.

I’m an Architect and frankly the circumstances that allowed the Grenfell fire to happen are far from unique. If there have been any cladding works unless it was done very recently the cladding will be combustible. You have no idea on the quality of the workmanship as it would have been done under a very similar contract type to Grenfell.

Stair cases (if there are enough of them) will be too narrow for fire fighting, especially for fire fighters to run up with hoses as people try to run down or be carried down to escape.

Staircases may not have the ventilation systems in place that newer buildings have to keep them smoke free in the event of a fire.

There will be a stay put policy.

Fire compartmentation (if there is any) will not be up to modern standards. Unless you can clearly see that fire doors etc. Have been replaced quite recently. Even if they have this is a bit of a sticking plaster if the fire ratings of walls haven’t been reviewed and upgraded as they rarely are.

Fires are also more likely to happen in places where people may have more chaotic lives.

Im more risk averse than most on fire because of my job. But I really wouldn’t risk it for my family if I had a choice.

Pinkplantcase's post hass made me very glad I live in a house and not a block of flats. I had no idea of the issues regarding stairways and fire safety.

your not sure you will fit in because you work ?!
yes because everyone who lives in council houses is a drug addict asbo and doesn’t go to work 🙄
same as I’d say anywhere go and look round on a Friday night and early Sunday morning.

I think people’s answers here will depend hugely on their own experience, as “council block” covers a whole range. Both my sisters bought ex-council. One was a period conversion, the other flat in the house is still lived in by a council tenant and it’s been great- her neighbour is lovely. Only issue is that the council is a hopeless freeholder and keeps trying to bill for works that haven’t been done (basically dodgy contractors charging for undone work and no one at the council checking) which is a pita.

Other sister bought in a high-rise and has had similar issues to @TimetravellingNarwhal - people shitting in the lift etc.

The fact that op describes the estate as particularly deprived and is happy the block is on the edge of the estate so she doesn’t have to walk through it sounds to me as if either it’s a problem estate or at least not one suited to op. I wouldn’t want to live somewhere where I was scared to walk around.