Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

'Affordable housing'...what kind of people to expect?

123 replies

PussinJimmyChoos · 27/01/2010 20:47

DH and I are looking to move house. We quite like the idea of a new build and have been looking at plots etc

One thing we have noticed is that all of these new developments have a certain number of affordable housing houses

What DH and I don't want, is to invest our money in what would be our forever house and then find we have problem with the kind of tennants placed in the affordable housing - from what I have heard and seen on other developments, some of the tennants housed in affordable housing are not ideal neighbours and can be quite disruptive

Before I get jumped on, I am not being a snob. We work hard for our money and its a massive investment that we want to be sure is right for us

OP posts:
SherlockMoans · 11/04/2011 12:32

Sorry op this was never going to go well on here!

Obviously you do not want to invest your money on something which will potentially be depreciated by homes close by which are not maintained to a decent standard.

Snobbery or not you CAN drive through the area I live in and tell EXACTLY which ones are "affordable" as the tenants either cannot afford to or are too lazy to maintain the gardens (and before the PC pitchfork brigade wade in I am making no assumption as to which of the two is the case...yes I will probably be flamed but what the hell)

The only bonus I can think is that a fair few homes these days are buy to rent and you have a far better chance of getting out a problem HA tenant than from a private rental. Personally if I did not have money to burn I would be cautious about it.

SherlockMoans · 11/04/2011 12:35

Ok I am confusing affordable with HA :-) if affordable is the 50/50 buy/rent scheme then I would assume the majority with money invested in their home would also maintain it? Would still be cautious but investigate who would qualify for it more.

mumblechum1 · 11/04/2011 12:43

It doesn't matter how much you spend on a house, unless you buy half a mile of land surrounding it, you're at the mercy of your neighbours.

We own a large house with a large garden but that doesn't stop us hearing next door's daughter doing her Exorcist impression at 6am, or the other neighbours cockerel even earlier.

tethersegg · 11/04/2011 12:53

Affordable housing is mostly let or sold to Keyworkers where I live.

So Nurses, Teachers, Firefighters etc.

In other words, people who probably work a lot harder than you for their money, OP. They just get less of it.

georgie22 · 11/04/2011 13:15

Good point, tethersegg. As a nurse I would have been glad of the option of affordable housing when I bought my first home. The starting salary for nurses was so much worse than it is now. If those keyworkers are living in the affordable accommodation then there would be little to worry about I would think (and possibly some eye candy firemen as a bonus!!).

greentown · 11/04/2011 13:23

I think the OP means 'Social Housing' not 'Affordable Housing' so probably no firemen and nurses or other sticks to beat her with.

Georgimama · 11/04/2011 13:25

When I saw this in active convos just now I thought "ones with horns". Then I clicked on the thread and saw I posted exactly that, over a year ago.

At least I am consistent in my thinking.

berrieberrie · 11/04/2011 13:29

My dad bought a new build and they built a row of affordable housing right opposite it. he complained bitterly and i told him he was being a grumpy old snob. In fact we had a big row about it because I was so annoyed at his small mindedness.

Low and behold 3 months later he could sit at his kitchen looking out on a bath in the front garden, A caravan in which one home owner's teenage daughter conducted her (hehem) romantic life, A bi-weekly dog fight and almost all of the time groups of teenagers listening to music loudly on their iphones.

I wish that weren't true but sadly it is, maybe he was just unlucky but I wouldn't buy a property near affordable housing I'm afriad.

berrieberrie · 11/04/2011 13:30

Oh god, just saw the age of this wtf?

tethersegg · 11/04/2011 13:34

Who bumped this?

greentown, I am a keyworker in social housing. So are all my neighbours. I'm not sure why you think fireman and nurses don't live in social housing...

tethersegg · 11/04/2011 13:36

Oh, I see it was hard working katieathomenextdoortodrugaddictsandcreches.

My heart bleeds.

greentown · 11/04/2011 13:49

tethersegg - you said:

"Affordable housing is mostly let or sold to Keyworkers where I live.

So Nurses, Teachers, Firefighters etc.

In other words, people who probably work a lot harder than you for their money, OP. They just get less of it."

I said: - there's a difference between 'affordable' and 'social' housing - you're using the terms interchangeably - which do you actually mean?

My point was that, unlike you, I don't think societies heroes (and social workers) live in social housing - but you now say they all live in social housing - clear terms of reference always help - which is it? social or affordable? affordable or social? There's only one way to find out!

GypsyMoth · 11/04/2011 13:53

er,people who live in social housing can,and do work...or not......they are just people

SanctiMoanyArse · 11/04/2011 13:54

As wella s low paid nurses etc you'll get people like us- LAs often buy a few of these for famillies in need of hosuing, which is specifically locally where we'd fit in- DH is FT student and PT worker; I am a FT carer.

What yu'll get in relaity is a mix. Just as we get here (private, well regarded old houses) - lecturer one side, mouthy snobby older couple theo ther, young family us. Or as Mum gets in her council house.

SanctiMoanyArse · 11/04/2011 13:57

'point was that, unlike you, I don't think societies heroes (and social workers) live in social housing - but you now say they all live in social housing - clear terms of reference always help - which is it? social or affordable? affordable or social? There's only one way to find out!
'

course they do!

80% of people on housing benefit are NOT unemployed (shelter figures), did you know that? And a fair proportion of those live in social housiong, esp. ina reas like London. You also get people needing adapted houses (so where there is a disability)- and I reckon carers rank with nurses in the heroe stakes (as in, not really- having been both- but similar roles and heck a pay cheque answers nowt) and those who ahve spent some time on a low income or are now older- and a hell of a lot of people volunteering around other responsibilties which imo really IS a heroic thing to do.

tethersegg · 11/04/2011 14:02

greentown- you will find I used the term affordable housing as it was in the OP.

You made the distinction between that and social housing, saying that the latter would not contain any keyworkers, which is erroneous.

"unlike you, I don't think societies heroes (and social workers) live in social housing"

It's not really about what you think, though is it? If I think that Elephants live in social housing, it doesn't make it so.

"which is it? social or affordable? affordable or social? There's only one way to find out!"

Bizarrely, it's both. Keyworkers live in both affordable ^and social housing. This is not my opinion, it's a fact.

I hope that clears things up.

greentown · 11/04/2011 14:03

Yes, of course lots of worthy types live in social housing - but not exclusively!!!!!!

When did social housing get transformed into homes for heroes?

Must have been when I was off at my bah humbug social realism classes

Oh be still my bleeding heart - there I was thinking Britain was a divided society but it's not, in fact it's a fully functioning example of a classless utopia.

greentown · 11/04/2011 14:04

tethersegg:

It's not really about what you think, though is it? If I think that Elephants live in social housing, it doesn't make it so.

I think you'll find this applies to you too

MooMooFarm · 11/04/2011 14:05

You can get crap neighbours anywhere you know - we used to live in a lovely big old house with no 'affordable housing' anywhere on the horizon. But at the next house one side (which was a considerable distance away) the grumpy old man there used to light a big stinking bonfire every time the sun shined. And he had a grandson who would turn up most weekends with his friends and buzz their annoying mopeds up and down ourside our house constantly.

My suggestion to be really safe is to buy a house in the middle of a very large field. And not a new build, as the walls are too thin.

tethersegg · 11/04/2011 14:06

Please refer me to where I said that social housing was exclusively lived in by keyworkers.

"When did social housing get transformed into homes for heroes?"

My HA did this after the war. The houses were for returning servicemen and their families. This then changed to keyworkers. Flattered as I am that you think I am a hero, I think the term was coined for the servicemen.

Are you ok? You seem like you could do with a big sit down. I'm not sure what you're angry about, TBH.

tethersegg · 11/04/2011 14:08

Er- greentown, I don't think keyworkers live in social housing, I know so.

Do you understand the difference between fact and opinion?

This is all getting very strange.

Evilclown · 11/04/2011 14:14

Glad you posted this because I am a council tenant who has been offered an exchange. I have a three bed house and will be downsizing to a two bed on a new build.

Except I won't now. I wondered what sort of home buyer to expect and now I know and wish I didn't.

How nice it is to be able to render a house difficult or impossible to sell just by the pure fact that I occupy social housing.

Op take your predjudice elsewhere and consider getting yourself an education.

SanctiMoanyArse · 11/04/2011 14:19

You're right of course loads of people live in all types of housing

Indeed in my last house the pita were from the social housing behind; in this one it's the nasty well off woman next door who thinks it's fine to kick DH's car screaming oik becuase we rentm ( Police warned her she'd get an ASBO and she backed off, yay).

All people in all groups are a mix.

And another one who knows key wropkers live in social hosuing becuase I was one (nurse) and did (with my parents).

expatinscotland · 11/04/2011 14:24

Who is going around resurrecting all these old threads?

WTF?

MooMooFarm · 11/04/2011 14:27

expat only just noticed this thread was started in January Shock