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.

My sister did this.

She regrets it a lot. Kids have no stability, rent prices have increased and bad landlords.

Social housing is a lottery

If you could easily afford a private rent, I think you won’t have such concern

Nope it isn’t rare it just means you will be in the lowest band and the wait will be 10 years, anyone can join the List but only those in “dire need” get priority anyone else will be in for a very long wait.

@BananaSlug Strange question? Council homes aren’t just for poor people 🙄
Surely that's exactly who they should be for. Why are the council housing people who don't need assistance?

Yes, that's my meaning. You can join but it's rare you'll get a property without a priority, such as a disability

In the OP's case looks like she just got the property nobody wants. As even people who want to swap, don't want it.

Usually you can bid on things and depending on the priority points of the other bidders you get placed in a queue, to have a shot at it if the first person to be offered rejects it.

Because you don't have to 'poor' to be unable to afford a mortgage. In my area house prices are 10x average income. Many regular income households are priced out.

Do you begrudge families secure homes? I don't get it. I own, but have no problem with anyone eligible being on the council house list.

I'm not sure where you are, but I have never heard of not being able to exchange outwith your area, it's the main reason ppl look for a swap. There's even FB pages for it.

I'm astounded that pps here think social housing is for poor pl, mh, addictions etc
Do they think everyone is a high earner? no wonder there is such a vile attitude towards council
estates etc on MN. I know of NHS staff, teachers etc who live in SH because they cannot afford to save a deposit never mind but.

Because people mix up several different things.
In some areas all social housing is 'council' housing i.e. if you apply for a council house they put you on a register for houses owned, not only directly by them but Housing Associations, etc. Because there's such a shortage the only people who manage to get them in some reasonable length of time are those on a very low income, usually due to various other issues.
In other places council housing and other types (e.g. housing associations, affordable housing) is separate and the latter type sometimes even specifies FT employment as a requirement.
There's also the time element... people who applied for social housing more than a decade ago, when the criteria wasn't so strict might not have gotten their secure tenancies had they applied today under the same circumstances.

Honestly though I think the people who look down and have strong feelings about this aren't 'high earners'. Why would they care they can buy their own houses while renting.

It's the people who can't afford to buy yet won't get council housing. Which sadly these days includes a lot of middle earning professions. Certainly in my last council area there's no way a NHS staff or teacher would have gotten any form of social housing in 2023 such was the demand. Of course, they could go on the list but they'd be on it for years unless they had mitigating circumstances such as a severely disabled child or fleeing DV. There are people in similar professions already in social housing but they've been there ages.

Private rents are increasing year on year plus with LL's selling up it's not just about affording the rent it's about not being kicked out of your home. We just bought but have lived in several different properties over the better part of a decade....

@HerMammy I don't think social housing is just for vulnerable people, anyone can go on the list but realistically it's only vulnerable people who get offered those homes. That's not to say that teachers, NHS staff can't also fit into a vulnerable category or perhaps like me they were in a vulnerable group when they moved in but over the decades were able to change their circumnstances.

@Singleandproud

I am a teacher in a council house. I was able to sort my life out and become a teacher because I was given security. Life is a lot better now but I still can’t afford a mortgage, value my security and certainly won’t be moving into the private market any time soon, or ever infact. I count myself lucky but I would still prefer my own home. My rent will need paying forevermore and I’ll never be rent free. My rent is the same as my sisters mortgage.

@TheAloe I also became a teacher after having the security of my council flat. When my grandparents died my parents gave/lent me the inheritance money to buy it, it wasn't enough money / I wasn't on enough money for a mortgage and am a single parent to a DD with ASD so still required the security but being able to buy it and not be at the whim of rent rises but just pay my parents back a nominal amount has been worth it. I think buying is fine if you are going to remain living there and as long as you aren't going to flip it shortly for maximum profit.

I moved into a rental property after giving up my council flat, I really regret it. My council flat was £450pm and my private rent is £900. If I could go back in time I would have saved the £450pm I would have saved in rent and put it towards a deposit for a mortgage or brought my council flat.

Thank you, exactly. My sister is a teacher and lives in a council house she’s a single parent when she was a teen many many years ago! She was given a council flat. She’s now late 30s. There are many reasons why people are given council houses and not everyone is disabled or has mental illnesses. They are life long. I don’t want to move to private I’m just absolutely desperate to move areas and can’t imagine spending the rest of my life here I know people who have been looking for mutual exchanges for years and don’t get anywhere. The main reason people look isn’t to change areas it’s to upsize, the majority want their own area just more bedrooms.

I also know someone who was given a council house after his parents died and they allowed him to remain in the house.

@Singleandproud

Ahh least it worked out well for you. I wouldn’t buy mine. It’s a non brick construction so it would be a dodgy purchase with a questionable resale value. It’s a fab council house though.

From what I've read on this thread and looking at the prices of rentals up and down the county, plus the insecurity which goes with them, I think I'd be inclined to stay put right now.

Ive seen lots of house swaps on FB and that seems to be the best way of trying to obtain a property in an area which you want to live in.

Don't give up your security just yet OP.

Ok guys i need help!

So i was private renting No14 from 2017 i was paying 450 and in 2023 i got a notice saying i need to leave as landlord was selling, I absolutely loved the house, its just a little flat nothing special but i was close to family, school and work everything was 5mins away and area was perfect! this is the third time getting notice on rental property which is a horrible experience, so the council offered me a house no7 and its a new build such a beautiful house a dream tbh which i am very grateful BUT it is a horrible area, plus its 15mins away from my previous house so it is quite far but i said to myself i will need to change my ways

The issue i have is kids are horrendous which i understand kids need to be kids but alot of swearing, littering and screaming even my opposite neighbours have moved out as they were here same time as me. Let’s not forget Adults too not just the kids, My daughter hasn’t heard so much swearing in her life! I have come from an area where my neighbours are all retired. I am experiencing racial abuse too which is very scary as i feel am getting looked at differently at all times.

few weeks ago the new landlord of no14 contacted me about the house if there is any issues in the house and he said would i like to come back as i was a very good tenant and neighbours miss me! i did get my hopes up but so much money i spent on the new build and all the moving cost! He said aswell the rent will be £700 as its a good area! now i can’t stop thinking what to do! Am currently in a secured tenancy do i want to go back there? He said he bought it for his daughter and he needs to make a portfolio so she can start buying and shes from Kent and am from up North. Plus £700 for the rent!! The house am currently in am paying 630 but i feel so depressed i never see anyone or any family members. Am really stuck on what to do 😢

It would be crazy to leave a council tenancy for a private rental. How on earth is your landlord changing his mind after letting you move out? And how did you get a council tenancy without having to go through the eviction process?

If financially you could afford to rent privately, could you consider getting a shared rent/buy place on the lowest bit of the ladder, usually 25%? That would get you out of where you are and into something with the same (actually more) security? You'd be a priority as you'd be freeing up a council house as well.

I would move. £70 extra a month for being happy with your home / area is nothing.

As someone who works closely with housing allocations my advice would be to stay where you are you will not find more secure, cheaper or well maintained housing. Your best bet is to try for an exchange, if your house is nicely kept then someone who wants to live nearer their family on the estate will want it, it may just take time.

Once you leave social housing if you can afford to private rent you will not be allowed to rejoin the list, or you will be right at the bottom. Private renting is a minefield and I see people having to move every year or sometimes 6 months, unable to have pets and faced with unreasonable rent increases at the landlord's whim.

Really and truly you are better off staying where you are, get on the exchange register and be patient.

I am sick to the back teeth of people thinking social housing should just be for poor people, it’s subsidised, should only be lived in if you have no money or whatever other drivel people come out with.

we are in HA housing, given fairly as we were on the list and you just move up the list as time goes on and we became number 1 on the list in the rural area we chose. We pay full rent as we both work, myself having just about completed my nursing degree and DH as an agricultural engineer. We cannot afford a deposit or a mortgage having sat and looked at house prices here, deposit required and monthly payments not to mention being beholden to terrible fluctuating interest rates at the moment.

the rent goes up every year by a ballot to all tenants who can pick if they want it to go up a little bit (so no upgrades to houses) or a lot (more money for upgrades to houses) so that puts paid to those who say we are subsidised. The only ones who are are the ones on housing benefit

social housing was never meant for just poor people it was for workers or anyone who wanted secure tenancies otherwise you just end up with ghettos if you’re only putting poor people, people with other issues or trouble makers in them as is evidenced by some of the HA estates around here

Think long and hard about this. As everyone else has pointed out, you will be at the whim of a landlord if you move into private who can raise rents, give short notice to leave etc. This can be very disruptive for children, particularly if you can't find anything else in the area. It's also expensive. Depending on your area too, it can be difficult to secure a private rental in the first place.

If you approach the council again it's very unlikely you'd receive a priority, and even if you do, you'd end up in temp accommodation whilst you wait for something. This could be a b n b or shared house, often with drug or excess alcohol users.

It's not worth the risk I think. What can you do, where you are, to protect your children from their immediate environment?Ensure they get a good education (at home and school) so they have career choices which will mean they can move away. Teach them right from wrong. Keep them busy so they don't fall in with the gangs or see it as rewarding (sports clubs, hobbies etc). Keep on the mutual exchange lists, you never know what might come up. Make friends with decent neighbours so you feel a sense of community which can also provide a voice for change.

When you are over 55 you can move into sheltered housing in a nicer area. The council will prioritise you as they'll be desperate to get a house returned.