Buying a house next to a council rented property?

ska_lover

Op, if the garden is that bad, the current tenants have only been there for two months - it must have been left like that from the previous tenants. Maybe they work full time, and are trying to sort the inside of the house out before tackling the outside.

starlight_xx

I cant believe some of the comments on this thread. Obviously the only type of neighbours to avoid are those of us who rent. Noone who buys a property is ever going to be a problem neighbour.

I take serious offence to some of the generalisations on here. I rent my flat. I work for the police, earn around £30k a year, spent an arm and a leg on new furniture when I moved in and Ive just had the place decorated at my own expense. My landlord says Im his ideal tenant and would hate if I moved. I treat this place exactly as if it was my own.

On the other hand, theres someone in my street who has bought their flat. Theyve vandalised another neighbours car no less than 5 times, have been arrested several times for a breach of the peace in the street, have regular loud parties, and are just a nightmare. I was in court just the other day as a witness to their latest debacle. Yet by the comments made by some on here - the mere fact theyre home owners make them a more desireable neighbour than me?

billybear1

I cannot believe the comments towards the OP in regards to what is a pretty logical summation of human nature. Owners will generally maintain their properties to a higher standard than those that do not. They have a vested interest in it's maintenance due to it's value. True, not EVERY person that rents will not look after their house, but a percentage WILL NOT.

You are much more likely to realize this potential as the turnover of renters is, in general, higher than buyers. Also, due to the GENERAL reasoning behind people choosing council housing and the criteria to acquire said properties, money for home improvements and maintenance may not be of primary concern to the tenant or council. Again, logical thinking really. So, to raise concerns of this nature are natural and I believe fair.

Chrissiew

I am a HA tenant, my front garden is an overgrown messy eyesore, my back garden is paving slabs so no grass or what have you to cut, I am disabled and my husband has COPD so neither of us can physically do the front garden, the HA do not do tenants gardens for them although they are looking in to getting us some help.

We are not noisy, drug taking, nasty people, we keep our house in order and live quietly and respect our neighbours, just because the garden is a mess does not mean the tenants will be trouble and I find it despairing that social housing tenants are all lumped together into a trouble making, theiving, noisy, disrespectful bunch when most of the time that is so far from the truth!

The people in that house may not have the money just now to fix the garden up, they may be concentrating on doing work inside the house which is more important, if it were a home owner I bet the OP wouldn't have given the overgrown garden a second thought, I guess this means if the OP needs to do work inside the house it will have to take 2nd place to the garden, after all if there is one little weed, or on blade of grass too long, passers by might thing he/she is a dreaded council house dweller.

themull1

Chrissiew wrote: »

I am a HA tenant, my front garden is an overgrown messy eyesore, my back garden is paving slabs so no grass or what have you to cut, I am disabled and my husband has COPD so neither of us can physically do the front garden, the HA do not do tenants gardens for them although they are looking in to getting us some help.

We are not noisy, drug taking, nasty people, we keep our house in order and live quietly and respect our neighbours, just because the garden is a mess does not mean the tenants will be trouble and I find it despairing that social housing tenants are all lumped together into a trouble making, theiving, noisy, disrespectful bunch when most of the time that is so far from the truth!

The people in that house may not have the money just now to fix the garden up, they may be concentrating on doing work inside the house which is more important, if it were a home owner I bet the OP wouldn't have given the overgrown garden a second thought, I guess this means if the OP needs to do work inside the house it will have to take 2nd place to the garden, after all if there is one little weed, or on blade of grass too long, passers by might thing he/she is a dreaded council house dweller.

I thought that if you were registered disabled that you could get help with your garden?

gingergee

^^^^
Really?? never knew that!! xxx
Im HA tenant and have spent about 10k doing this house and garden up. Went to a shindig at village hall yesterday and us (6) and the only other social tenant (who work about 90 hours a week between them) we sat at the end away from everyone else. Just cos the houses here (a very tiny town on exmoor) are all worth 500k+!! Was disgusting the way we were treated!! xx

jason1231972

I grew up on a council estate and have just inherited the very property in which I grew up in. My parents were owner occupiers thanks to RTB, but - trying to avoid speaking ill of my dearly departed relatives - the house is an absolute disgrace, both inside and out (gardens, too).

The situation is much the same for many (not all) owner-occupiers in the same street/estate - they got to buy their houses cheaply, but did not benefit from periodic upgrades from the council, like new windows, central heating, kitchens, bathrooms, roofing, etc. Mostly being on low incomes, their small mortgages may be affordable, but major refurbishment is generally out of their grasp.

Many (not all) of the council tenants - who comprise a large majority of the estate - have immaculate houses. Yeah, there's the odd very scruffy garden, but looking past these minor cosmetic details, all of the houses that remain in 'social' hands are in bloody good nick, because the tenants haven't had to keep up with the Joneses - the council has kept up for them!

The estates where my sister (HA estate, but she owns her property) and my partner (HA tenant, no right to acquire) live are both immaculate, so it's a bit of a mixed bag.

geoffky

Oh dear......Most people on the debt boards are homeowners trying to keep up with the Jones, much to their shame...









Hows that for stereo typing people..