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.

Depends on how the money stacks up- living in a dangerous, intimidating place could make your life more miserable than high rent could

I would be very careful about doing that. So many landlords are selling up private rentals and the prices are soaring. I don't think I'd trade security for potential homelessness down the track. Are there any non council housing associations in the area that you can get on the waiting list for?

No they don’t. This is an age old misconception especially on mumsnet. The HAs are funded by the rents. The rents pay for any repairs etc that need doing. I think people get confused because some tenants will be on housing benefit the same as people who live elsewhere. The only subsidies in recent years is on mortgages because of the artificially low interest rates and the fact of quantative easing by the Bank of England

I would if neighbours were making you miserable .

How old are your DC? If they are young, can you stay put for a bit, save and put your energy into looking properly for a swap? Can you afford to go into a HA shared ownership scheme, so freeing up a council house for someone else? Is this allowed? Could you swap or get a smaller place in a better area that you can make work for you all?

I get the stress of living in a bad neighbourhood. Put a time limit on staying there? You may be swapping one stress for another (insecure, expensive private rent). Can family advise or help out?

No my family cannot help I do not speak to them (one of the reasons why I also want to move) my child is starting secondary school this year which is why I want to get out now. I cannot downsize as that wouldn’t be allowed and we would be considered overcrowded.

I wouldn't give up a secure tenancy for anything
Peace of mind is priceless, which you don't have in a private let, plus not all landlords repair and maintain a property to the standard of the council
My son is in a council flat
What I would do is list for a mutual exchange, even if you feel it's a rough area
Your property might be ideal for someone in different circumstances

OP I don’t want to offend you if you’ve already tried to mutually exchange and not been successful but I wanted to offer up a story which might inspire you to try a bit harder. You see, your area may be rough as hell, but it wouldn’t put off someone who desperately desires to be near a relative or is in fact, ‘rough’ themselves. My exchange, from a spacious but ugly flat with no lift, on a busy road with a lovely view of the back of an industrial unit with a stinking bin area below the balcony and an interesting parade of undesirables and junkies mooching past noisily in the evenings… well I tarted it up nicely, nothing special but nicely painted/ good flooring and whatnot…
I ended up with a beautiful semi with a 200ft garden in a very very desirable area 20 miles away.
how? Well it turns out the family desperately couldn’t cope with relatives care needs and the distance between them, the house needed a full refurb and they were skint too. So I treated them to a professional removal and begged borrow and stole to get the house cleaned/ painted and carpeted within 10 days while I lived on a mattress with my son. The result? My forever home, in a real ‘old ladies and rose gardens’ road, opposite the best school in the area. We got there, it took 2 years of daily stalking every swap site and Facebook group and loudly declaring on my ad That any condition/ removals covered/ serious swapper etc and they found us! So maybe keep going a little longer for a swap. It could happen.

Council housing isn't and has NEVER been just for the "poorest in society"

Why do people keep trotting out this stuff

Bet you think they're free as well 🙄

@gamerchick 100 per cent agree. It’s ignorance at its finest.

I think this is great advice. Save the deposit to buy while your rent is less. Will give you more security in the future

Don't do it! Go onto homeswapper

Council and HA homes are not subsidised. I really wish people would realise this

Definitely I tricky one ..: council housing is cheap and secure. The rental market is awful right now , landlords selling up , demand high so rents are high and very insecure.
However I understand the need to want to be living in a better area long term … living in “rough” areas with problems is not a great prospect I’d want forever and would be making plans to get away espec for children.
I once lived in an undesirable area and hated it and never felt safe.
can you save anything whilst in the council property to go towards buying a property one day in a better area ?

No don’t do it. I live in an undesirable area with my kids. It’s not totally the worst mind.

There’s no way on this earth I would swap it for a private rental. Zero security and three times what I pay now for the same space? No chance. I’m saving for a cash purchase. Get a plan but don’t move into private. No, no, no.

The allocation policies differ by area. If the number of people who want a house is much bigger than the amount of available housing then of course criteria would be much stricter.
Some areas you'll be waiting years unless you have a disability/disabled children, victim of domestic violence, etc. Others it's enough to just be on a low income.
Council housing and 'housing associations' are also not always the same, for some of the latter you actually have to be employed for example.

council housing used to be for EVERYONE, it's only because of the shortages that criteria have been getting more and more strict.

No way, no way in hell would I give up a secure tenancy to private rent. Don't do it. Be patient and keep looking for a swap. Make your house as nice as you can so it's desirable to someone who wants your area - some people will!

Around here the rents are about 2/3 of commercial rents, though. If you then wanted to move to a more desirable area, you'd probably be looking at doubling your rent.

Rents locally have shot up in the past few years due to air bnb etc- council/HA rents haven't shot up at the same rate (which is a good thing, otherwise lots of people would have nowhere to live)!

I don’t see it as judgemental to ask how affordable you would fund private rental. I had a mortgage….but couldn’t have afforded the high (and rising) private rents.

If such sums are affordable, then I agree: explore shared ownership etc.

How long have you got? Young people aren’t usually at risk of bad influence intil Yr 6 and secondary.

I wouldn't give up a council house to rent privately, no.

Keep on looking at mutual exchange sites though, because there will sooner or later be someone who wants to move to that area for a similar reason that you did in the first place. Even if it means moving a short way first to a slightly better neighbourhood, even if it isn't where you want to ultimately end up. You might have to do it several times before you get where you want to be.

Mutual exchange is very unlikely most people with children do not want to move far as they don’t want to uproot their children, move away from schools/ friends and family most people on mutual exchange sites are just trying to upsize but remain in the same area.

@BananaSlug

Youre swapping one problem for another. Your kids might have to move school more frequently in a private rental. At least now you’re secure. Honestly? I’ve only ever known two people to move into private and it didn’t end well in both cases. Some serious regret from them both and even worse conditions when they were priced out of the private market and basically live in a similar area now but paying shit loads more for the pleasure.

You may as well try whole you mull it over. Nothing to lose from seeing if anything comes up.

The op is not to blame for 40 years of deliberate refusal to build enough council housing.

The op is entitled to her legally-allocated home.

The government is to blame for the housing crisis.

I could just as easily demand you move into a smaller house and donate money to a housing charity! I don't see you rushing to help these people you think the op should help.

That's interesting - and quite rare in a lot of locations - well you might be able to join the list but good luck getting a property. Usually you have to qualify for being in dire need to be accepted for a council home. While working for Citizen's Advice, I saw even people in these disadvantaged groups unable to get a council home.

Given my experience, I'd suggest not giving up your home unless you feel secure that you can return to council housing should you need it. Obviously this is location dependent