Living near Affordable Housing - Whats it really like?

LittleMax

MrParsons wrote: »

I've been on the phone to the developer again and they have said there will 15 rented accommodations and 3 shared equity. The rentals are "affordable rent" properties and will be managed by a company called Hello Property.

That doesn't sound quite right. Hello Homes are part of the East Midlands Housing Group and according to their website they "are the sales and marketing division of East Midlands Housing Group representing East Midlands Housing Association, Foundation Housing, Three Oaks Homes, Midlands Rural Housing and Three Valleys Housing Association"

I would have expected affordable rentals to sit with one of the other parts of the group. It sounds like they may be intermediate rentals where they are rented on a shorthold tenancy for 6 to 12 months and then occupiers are given the option to part buy. This would make a difference to me, as they will attract a completely different tenant. If they are affordable rentals and not intermediate rentals then I would walk away.

If you contact Hello Homes you should be able to find out more.

martinsurrey

LittleMax wrote: »

That doesn't sound quite right. Hello Homes are part of the East Midlands Housing Group and according to their website they "are the sales and marketing division of East Midlands Housing Group representing East Midlands Housing Association, Foundation Housing, Three Oaks Homes, Midlands Rural Housing and Three Valleys Housing Association"

I would have expected affordable rentals to sit with one of the other parts of the group. It sounds like they may be intermediate rentals where they are rented on a shorthold tenancy for 6 to 12 months and then occupiers are given the option to part buy. This would make a difference to me, as they will attract a completely different tenant. If they are affordable rentals and not intermediate rentals then I would walk away.

If you contact Hello Homes you should be able to find out more.

http://www.hellohomes.org.uk/main.cfm?type=AFFORDABLERENT

it looks like Hello Homes are taking over the admin of the affordable rental for the group.

MrParsons

Good spot! I think that would make a big difference to me as well. I've tired calling them but just get voice mail. I'll see if they call me back!

bodmil

Regardless of the tenants that they put into the properties, you will still have to deal with the HA which in my experience are fairly awful places, and yes I've worked for one too so I know what it is like on the inside. It is very much based on old school council princples, start work at 9, finish at 5 and if you have a problem outside of those hours, tough. If I ever have to arrange a repair or get in touch with anyone about a communal area issue, they are always surprised that any of their tenants actually work and appointments outside of office hours cannot be accomdated.

If any of the tenants have a problem with the building or surroundings, I have to pay a share of that, even if it is their error. For example, I pay £10 every time someone thinks the entry system isn't working, even if it is a problem with how they use it. They don't have to pay any of the service charge, but I do!

Whilst working at the HA itself, I saw so many examples of what I consider to be wasted money, typical to government organisations, like staff team building days, allocated sick days, giving tenants a reward for not trashing their properties instead of taking money from a deposit, giving a reward for paying rent on time instead of evicting people that don't, translating every document produced for every language in the spoken world, wining and dining counsellors and just a general attitude of 'I'll do it when I feel like it' instead of 'I'm here to work hard'.

The tenants are only one part of the whole 'affordable housing' saga. I've already worked bloody hard to be able to afford a property of my own, sadly I live in a city where flats are the norm instead of houses, there are many £1mill plus houses so management companies are a way of life. Had I known the housing association that manages half of the entry level properties in town would have been so bad I would have made sure to avoid them. Unfortunately I didn't realise I would be funding an organisation with higher priorities than the service I am paying through the nose for.


Just be warned!

bclark

bodmil wrote: »

Regardless of the tenants that they put into the properties, you will still have to deal with the HA which in my experience are fairly awful places, and yes I've worked for one too so I know what it is like on the inside. It is very much based on old school council princples, start work at 9, finish at 5 and if you have a problem outside of those hours, tough. If I ever have to arrange a repair or get in touch with anyone about a communal area issue, they are always surprised that any of their tenants actually work and appointments outside of office hours cannot be accomdated.

If any of the tenants have a problem with the building or surroundings, I have to pay a share of that, even if it is their error. For example, I pay £10 every time someone thinks the entry system isn't working, even if it is a problem with how they use it. They don't have to pay any of the service charge, but I do!

Whilst working at the HA itself, I saw so many examples of what I consider to be wasted money, typical to government organisations, like staff team building days, allocated sick days, giving tenants a reward for not trashing their properties instead of taking money from a deposit, giving a reward for paying rent on time instead of evicting people that done, translating every document produced for every language in the spoken world, wining and dining counsellors and just a general attitude of 'I'll do it when I feel like it' instead of 'I'm here to work hard'.

The tenants are only one part of the whole 'affordable housing' saga. I've already worked bloody hard to be able to afford a property of my own, sadly I live in a city where flats are the norm instead of houses, there are many £1mill plus houses so management companies are a way of life. Had I known the housing association that manages half of the entry level properties in town would have been so bad I would have made sure to avoid them, but unfortunately I didn't realise I funding an organisation with higher priorities than the service I am paying through the nose for.


Just be warned!

Again we are lumping 'affordable housing' in as rented/council housing.

Some is like this but a lot of 'affordable housing' is shared ownership properties on new build estates. There are no common areas or tenants or deposits to withold, these are people who have a mortgage on the majority of their home.

LittleMax

Have you seen that there is a planning application pending for the business premises in the centre of the development?

They are applying to extend the premises and convert to 13 apartments. 5 x 1 bed and 8 x 2 bed, each apartment has only 1 car space plus half a dozen for visitors. Personally, I would not sign up for any house on the development until this is sorted ...

https://w3.blaby.gov.uk/online-applications/files/9020D5ED296F4DE6DA32175B0B2FEB21/pdf/12_1026_1_PX-DESIGN___ACCESS_STATEMENT-184514.pdf

https://w3.blaby.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=MFDSO3CY00400

Building_Surveyor

affordable housing and social housing and two completely different things!!!

Too many people on here are confusing the two. I have just bought a property with affordable housing opposite - that includes first buy, help to buy, shared ownership, - all them schemes.

Social housing is a completely different ball game. However, There are 3 properties under social housing in my scheme. All are lovely, clean tidy, look like they work and behave like the rest of us. No issues whatsoever and the only way i knew it was social housing was seeing it on the site plan. Albeit it may not stay like this forever but the tenants have just been given a brand new house, i doubt they'll be moving anytime soon.

bodmil

Call them different names but you'll be speaking to the same person in the call centre regardless what trading name put you there. That is my point, I own my property outright yet because my neighbours are affordable, shared ownership AND council tenants, I have to deal with their systems and I still have to step over my neighbours' refuse to get to my door.

Building_Surveyor

bodmil wrote: »

Call them different names but you'll be speaking to the same person in the call centre regardless what trading name put you there. That is my point, I own my property outright yet because my neighbours are affordable, shared ownership AND council tenants, I have to deal with their systems and I still have to step over my neighbours' refuse to get to my door.

sounds like you live on an unfortunate estate. why would i need to call a call centre to deal with the neighbour opposite on a first buy or help to buy scheme, they bought there house and are an owner just as much as i am?

bodmil

Building_Surveyor wrote: »

sounds like you live on an unfortunate estate. why would i need to call a call centre to deal with the neighbour opposite on a first buy or help to buy scheme, they bought there house and are an owner just as much as i am?

You tell me? Why do they tell me they won't put their rubbish out
ny day of the week then do it anyway? The 'estate management' manage another 12000 properties in the area, with more new builds all the time, I'm not the only one to have the misfortune of dealing with them and I'm sure many others like them.