Giving up council house to private rent?

[BananaSlug]

I live in a council house but I am really desperate to move areas, mutual exchange is out of the question as I live in a rough area and no one would move here, I’m thinking of giving up my house to private rent but would I be mad to do this? Has anyone done this? Did you regret it? I don’t want my kids growing up here.

I wouldn’t want to do it if I had school age children- most of the rental properties in my area seem to be on a 12 month contract- think this could be really unsettling for the children and expensive to have to move from one place to another

Nope. More security with council

You can. The odd few are open, but for most you'll require a local connection eg a job in the area or family who live there, since you don't live there yourself.

Please stay put in your council house. If the area has issues make complaints to police, local council, MP local groups. Private rent is eye wateringly expensive and drives up house prices.
Dont give up you home for someone less deserving. Before anyone bashes me I worked in local government for many years and I'm sickened by the number of new arrivals to this country are given social housing whilst so many deserving British people wait for 10 plus fears or more. In fact most are never even considered needy enough.

I'd give it a go at getting an exchange first.

Is there a residents group you can join to at least find the other neighbours who care?

How far do you want to move?

Its a big step, obviously, but some people do it for the reason you state.

Instead of blaming the most vulnerable people in the world, blame the fact social housing has not been built. This is a government choice.

Social housing never should have been sold off in the first place @Skiphopandajump

I agree that more needs to be built but the problem with that is people very much don’t want to pay more tax.

Don't give it up.I'm a retired homeless officer; you will probably find that at some point the landlord will want the private rent back and then you will be presenting as homeless with all that entails. I've met people who have done just that and lived to regret it.

Council homes aren’t just for poor people

They aren't? Then what's the aim of them? If they're being taken up by people who don't need them, doesn't that mean that people who really do them can't access them?

Council homes are for people who want secure tenancies. There's a lot of people not classed as in poverty who will never buy a home. In my area average house prices are about 10 times average income.

Everyone needs a home, the op was legally allocated a home.

Housing cost support via benefits is for those unable to afford housing costs (not that it is enough in many cases, as private rents climb).

Doesn't everyone who rents want a secure tenancy? That can't be the reason OP was given a council home because otherwise many more people would be given them.

If you can afford private rent I’d stay where you are and try to save up a deposit and buy somewhere in a nicer area. Maybe look at what the rents would be and save the difference?
I wouldn’t give up a HA property without a huge amount of thought. You might never get another one.

I'd try and at least advertise for a swap. Are there any medical grounds on which you can apply for a transfer from the council?

Where I live used to be rough but the neighborhood got together with the housing association and made some changes, as you can be evicted if you are anti social. In the end it was two families that went - before I came.

Could you start a neighborhood committee as other neighbours might feel the same?

Maybe work with the police, MP, schools and social housing, age concern etc and improve things so you don't have to move?

It's hard living in a rough area and worrying what company your kids will keep so I fully understand your concern.

I will tell you I private rented for years, one landlord said she was selling just so I would move out and she then doubled the rent and and put it straight back on the rental market.

Another landlord was pocketing the rent I paid and not paying her mortgage, she also didn't have a buy to let mortgage.

Luckily the fact I was about to be made homeless was enough to secure us a HA property (must live in a low demand area) and I wouldn't give it up now unless I was buying my own.

I too was worried about the estate but have never had any problems and my neighbours are the same as me, hard working families who just could never manage a deposit to buy.

Yes I did this, about 8 years ago, and honestly it’s the biggest mistake I’ve ever made and I feel regret about it on an almost daily basis. If we’d stayed put we would have been able to save to buy - not quickly but over time - but have ended up stuck in expensive rentals since. We’re hoping to buy soon, but our lives and finances would have been significantly better if we’d stayed where we were and saved. Although I felt at the time like my reasoning was good, in hindsight I didn’t really factor in that our incomes might go up and some other longer term things.

Can you get a job in the new area as working somewhere is usually cons a local connection for social housing.

I agree with the others, OP. I wouldn't swap the security of a council house with the madness of private. It would be difficult to reverse the decision if it doesn't work out.

If you had any opportunity to save until you can buy your way out, that might be a better solution. Or, if you can find work in another area you'd be eligible to join a list but that could be a hassle in the meantime.

Good luck.

Private rent is much more expensive and less secure.

If you could afford private rent in a nice area you could afford to put the difference between your council house rent in a horrible area vs the amount you would pay for private rent in a nice area into a savings account every month for 2 years. After 2 years with evidence of making those savings payments every month without fail as well as your up to date rent records showing you are managing those outgoings, you should be able to qualify for a shared ownership house with part rent part mortgage in a decent area. Being in council housing will generally be one of the possible criteria for getting into a shared ownership project.

As pp have said private rental is very insecure. I've also had experience of land lords selling etc. our last one we took the rental as the agents said it was an investment property for long term rent. We'd been in six months when the landlord happily told us that they lived with his 100 year old mother and when she died they planned to move into our house so they could knock down the mother's house and rebuild. We knew then it was only a matter of time til we were asked to leave. It got very unpleasant as they asked us to leave about six months after that, in the midst of covid. Fortunately for us they were idiots and thought all they had to do was say "can you get out by November ". The length of the notice period had increased to six months that year and they hadn't properly served notice. October came and they said "can you get out early November as we are booking removals". At which point we pointed out they hadn't actually served notice. So then they had to go to the letting agents and find out how to do it and get them to serve notice which gave us a six month reprieve.
They were arseholles at the end as we found somewhere perfect but it wasn't going to be ready until later than they wanted (by a month) so they carried on with court proceedings and rather than risk an actual eviction on our record plus all the inconvenience and stress we had to get out early and put dog and cat in kennels, furniture stored by removal company and stay in an Airbnb for ten days. It cost us a fortune.

We now have a very secure tenancy - we live in a large private estate in the country. Think Downton Abbey. Owned by a Duke. The whole village is rentals owned by the Duke. Many of the tenants are estate workers or ex staff or the Duke's relatives but quite a few are private like us and just like living in a beautiful area. Our neighbour is a judge and there's a barrister up the road. They've been there ten years. Houses a bit shabby as they don't overspend on maintenance but we got them to put in secondary double glazing for us in the summer which makes a huge difference as the old windows are very draughty. When we moved in and asked about putting up pictures the agent said "it's your home now, do as you wish". Obviously if we wanted to make actual building changes we'd have to get permission etc but putting up shelves, painting and doing the garden is all making yourself at home. The houses are part of the estate trust and will never be sold and they aren't going to be evicting tenants to do Airbnb

So if you really want to move and fancy rural life try looking for private estates with multiple tenants. But otherwise I join others to say be very careful about giving up the security of a council house.

Op, how old are your children? Having lived and worked in an area like you describe I think this makes a difference. If they’re young you can control the environment - take them to the clubs outside the area, drive to a slightly different area for school. If they’re teenagers then I agree, I would want to get them out too.

What's the difference if any between the council rent and private? I recently found out that where I am housing association 2 bed is £450, and private rent is £1,200. If I were able to financially consider that kind of move then I'd prefer to put the difference away for a deposit on a flat where the mortgage will go down.

If you aren't short of money, I would stay put for as many years as it takes to save a really good deposit to buy. The rental market is currently expensive and volatile, and the market for sales is flat, but will inevitably take off again eventually. You are in a good position to save for a secure home while in a secure home.

How deeply have you looked into private renting at the moment? Rents are shooting up and there's still often a lot of competition for each house. If your income isn't considered enough to rent a particular property, you'll need to have a guarantor or pay six months rent up front.

Often landlords can pick and choose who they rent to - usually they prefer it if everyone is out of the house all day and no young children because it's less wear and tear on the house.

You've then potentially got the issue that you can be asked to leave at pretty much any time if the landlord issues a section 21 - if you ask for lots of repairs to be done, if you complain about a rent increase, if they've done and inspection and think you are too messy or the landlord thinks they can get more income as an air BnB or a HMO etc.

Personally, I've never felt secure when renting privately and I really wouldn't want children living that way if I could avoid it.

If you can afford rent in a much nicer area, surely you can afford a mortgage - isn't it worth saving up a deposit (save the difference between your council rent and private rent in a nice area) so that you can buy?

I wouldn't. What happens in your home is more important than if you live in a rough area. Private rental is not secure. We've been renting for thirty years, various properties, and the thought of being given notice is horrendous