Living near Affordable Housing - Whats it really like?

shop-to-drop

So you will be investing in a property opposite 15 council properties. Sorry to say I'd pull out too big a risk to me. We looked at a 5 bed property at the weekend that has a small piece of land in front which is still held by the farmer but will inevitably be built on. Love the house but would be stretching us financially and so not worth the risk as what they put on that land could wipe away all the equity we would have. Not to mention make it a miserable place to live. If I were you I would pull out and continue looking.

SingleSue

sinbad182 wrote: »

It's all well and good you and your neighbours being good citizens and nice people to live around, but the fact is that council and HA tenants are more likely to be guilty of anti social behaviour than other people.

There's no point getting on your high horse about it, it's just a fact.

It may be more likely but my only real experience of anti social behaviour from neighbours have been when we lived on a private estate (all owner occupiers - as were we at the time) and from the private owners on our HA formerly council road.

In the private estate, our next door neighbour was a drug addict who would steal the milk from our doorstep, have friends around for noisy drink fuelled parties and vandalised not only their own house but ours and our garden too.

On our HA but formerly council road, the private ones are the ones who play the loud music, one had a son who was sent to prison for armed robbery and I have had to rescue another from the middle of the road when they were so fall down drunk they collapsed and couldn't get up!

The HA would have our guts for garters if we did the same, or didn't look after the outside appearance of our properties (for example, our gardens, parking area etc). We can be kicked out for going outside of the rules, the private owners cannot.

Anti social behaviour can happen anywhere and to lump everyone in to the same pigeon hole is not only annoying for those who are being lumped in but also not a fair assessment for most....it really is a case of the minority ruining it for the majority.

ILW

Buy a place that is established. You will have a much better idea of what you are commiting to.

SingleSue

MrParsons wrote: »

Thanks for that detective

At least with private landlords it will be people who are working and reduces the risk somewhat. Of course, there's always exceptions to the rule and half this thread seems to have been around that discussion.

In council or HA housing, quite a few would be working too. My now ex husband was working when we got our house (albeit it a fairly low paying job but work he did and extremely hard) and I returned to work part time shortly after and continued working until I had to leave due to care issues for my disabled children.

Again in our road, the vast majority work (probably as high as 90%), much of the rest are retired with only a few (like myself) completely reliant on the benefit system, either due to disability or those who have just lost their jobs through redundancy.

sinbad182

SingleSue wrote: »

It may be more likely but my only real experience of anti social behaviour from neighbours have been when we lived on a private estate (all owner occupiers - as were we at the time) and from the private owners on our HA formerly council road.

In the private estate, our next door neighbour was a drug addict who would steal the milk from our doorstep, have friends around for noisy drink fuelled parties and vandalised not only their own house but ours and our garden too.

On our HA but formerly council road, the private ones are the ones who play the loud music, one had a son who was sent to prison for armed robbery and I have had to rescue another from the middle of the road when they were so fall down drunk they collapsed and couldn't get up!

The HA would have our guts for garters if we did the same, or didn't look after the outside appearance of our properties (for example, our gardens, parking area etc). We can be kicked out for going outside of the rules, the private owners cannot.

Anti social behaviour can happen anywhere and to lump everyone in to the same pigeon hole is not only annoying for those who are being lumped in but also not a fair assessment for most....it really is a case of the minority ruining it for the majority.

I see what you're saying, but again, the fact is that you are much more likely to experience ASB and low level crime amongst HA/Council tenants than you are private.

Thats not a slight on the good tenants in these properties, and I'm sure we can all name bad private owners and good HA renters - but the fact is council estates and HA dominated estates and the residents of these areas are much more succeptible to negative behaviour.

LittleMax

The_Cats_Been_Sick wrote: »

With the unknown numbers of Romas coming into Britain from 1st Jan 2014, buying off-plan into a house opposite to an HA block would be a big gamble.

Buying off plan opposite an HA block is a gamble. This is a standalone fact and is not dependent on the first part of the statement.

The reference to Roma is racist - why have you singled out that nationality? Bulgarians are in the same category of having certain restrictions lifted. All reports suggest that the effect on social housing will not be great when the restrictions on Bulgaria and Romania are lifted.

In addition it is likely that in an area such as Narborough, local family connections to the area will be used as criteria for allocating properties. Roma and other immigrants (there are lots of countries that people come from) would not have this local connection ... and neither would many British people.

bodmil

MrParsons wrote: »

Thanks for that detective

At least with private landlords it will be people who are working and reduces the risk somewhat. Of course, there's always exceptions to the rule and half this thread seems to have been around that discussion.

Again, my hope moving in a period property was that everyone appreciated the beauty of it and wanted to look after it, and I was pleased that nearly 70% are privately owned. I didn't realise that I'm actually the only owner occupier so whilst someone out there may be financially invested in the state of the place it isn't the current residents. As soon as it's appropriate I'll be doing the same thing, it's a great starter pad for a young family and I hope to take advantage of that like the others around me.

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

Speaking as one of these denigrated Affordable Housing denizens, we have had troubles but we have a peaceable existence with our neighbours around and about.

MrParsons

What kind of troubles would you expect though in an estate like this?

OddballJamie

MrParsons wrote: »

What kind of troubles would you expect though in an estate like this?

You may be unlucky enough to have this happen
http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2011/11/19/cannabis-factory-on-new-housing-estate/

I nearly bought a house on this estate but the 'affordable housing' residents put me off. Last time I drove down (month or two ago) there was a wreck of a car on axle stands in the street, which has been there since I viewed a house a few doors away in summer 2011.

Lucky escape I think.