We found the house we r buying is ex-council just a week before exchange. What to do?

DUTR

patfunk9 wrote: »

Thanks all for the prompt responses. I understand what everyone is saying (including the sarcy ones), but when I checked the crime statistics and the demographic 2 street across, and there are a lot of instances of 'thefts' and 'anti-social behaviour' reported in the past 3 years. That is more my worry than anything else.

What had you been doing in the last 12 weeks?
I take it you are not from Birmingham?
If you are you would know many areas are a mix of private and municpal housing, depending on th age of the property, it is quite easy to spot an ex council house, the bedrooms are larger than private but may have a downstairs bathroom leading onto the kitchen.

SkyeKnight wrote: »

And I'd be furious at the seller for not informing me it was an ex-council house. I wouldn't buy an ex-council house and loads of other people wouldn't either so it does seriously effect the price.

It depends if the buyer asked the question, but as they are FTB, then to get a foot on the ladder is a good start, depending on which outgoing postcode they are reffering to, then they are proably worrying over nothing and could be onto a winner if they are in B44 as that is rumoured to change wards, I already notice that the name of the area has been removed from maps (sneaky eh?)

gettingtheresometime

Please don't buy off a new estate then as they only get planning permission if a certain percentage is allocated to social housing. Imagine the stress you'd have if you spent £100,000s on a new build only to find that next door was a social housing tenant,

DUTR

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

Please don't buy off a new estate then as they only get planning permission if a certain percentage is allocated to social housing. Imagine the stress you'd have if you spent £100,000s on a new build only to find that next door was a social housing tenant,

I thought it was a certain % of affordable housing, (what do they deem as affordable) , that said in Birmingham there is a large mix and you are never far from a private or council estate.
That is not to say crime doesn't exist on private estates after all they have the posh cars out on the drives for beady eyed passer bys to suss for their next haulage.

GoldenShadow

SkyeKnight wrote: »

And I'd be furious at the seller for not informing me it was an ex-council house. I wouldn't buy an ex-council house and loads of other people wouldn't either so it does seriously effect the price.

What is it exactly that makes you anti ex council houses?

kinger101

SkyeKnight wrote: »

And I'd be furious at the seller for not informing me it was an ex-council house. I wouldn't buy an ex-council house and loads of other people wouldn't either so it does seriously effect the price.

Presumably, if this bothers you so much, you'd have had the good sense to ask before putting an offer in. The houses are marketed a prices the EAs think they'll fetch.

LittleMax

SkyeKnight wrote: »

And I'd be furious at the seller for not informing me it was an ex-council house. I wouldn't buy an ex-council house and loads of other people wouldn't either so it does seriously effect the price.

Most council housing is very obvious - I would assume that people buying would know that it had at one time being municipal housing and wouldn't dream of telling buyers, 'you do realise this used to be a council house don't you?'

Nothing has changed about the house other than OP now knowing is an ex-council house. They liked the house before, they presumably still like it now. I really don't understand why it being an ex-council house is such an issue.

alchemist.1

SkyeKnight wrote: »

And I'd be furious at the seller for not informing me it was an ex-council house. I wouldn't buy an ex-council house and loads of other people wouldn't either so it does seriously effect the price.

Why wouldn't you check yourself, if it was so important to you? Obviously doesn't affect the price if you cant distinguish between an ex local authority and privately built house .

Would you expect sellers to give you details of every previous owner ?

dizzybuff

Some council house estates are now very affluent areas. This would be said of my ex mother in laws.. Somehow I think your "views" of councilnhouse estates are some what tarnished by the rubbish you have been fed. You like the house so buy it. Simple.

Leo2020

SkyeKnight wrote: »

And I'd be furious at the seller for not informing me it was an ex-council house. I wouldn't buy an ex-council house and loads of other people wouldn't either so it does seriously effect the price.

No one told me ours was ex-council but I new because it was on a council estate. If we ever sell and someone like you came along and complained I hadn't told them it was ex-council I would laugh.

If the house is in the area you want at the right price then whether it used to be owned by the council or not is irrelevant.

If I put my house on the market for a reasonable asking price for the size/area etc and someone said I'm not paying that cause it's ex-council I would tell them to buy another one in the area. There are some new houses being built not far from me, you can get a very small 3 bed house for about 130k. My house is a lot larger, decent sized front and back garden plus plenty of off road parking and a large garage. Mine is worth about 95-100k.

antilles

OP, just out of interest, which website did you use to tell that there were lots of council houses in the area? I'm currently selling my house and am looking to do similar research.

By the way my Mum lives in an ex-council house, she's been there over 20 years now, neighbours have been there even longer, all bought theirs from the council. Same for my grandparents, ex-council, nice quiet area. So as people have said it doesn't necessarily follow that ex-council means a bad area, you can get bad neighbours anywhere.