House next door is Housing Association/Social Housing. Would you still buy it?

ruby6kids

i live in an area of housing association houses at the end of a privately owned street
this end is clam and peaceful but the private end is always strange
the housing association has a strict rule - if you are complained about and do not stop you will be evicted - simple!
you can always check which housing association owns the property and then ask them what their policy is.

Debt_Free_Chick

taliwillow wrote: »

I'm not saying that everyone in social housing is awful, I'm sure most of them are lovely, but I just wonder if the house next door to you is privately owned then it may be less likely to have the occupiers changing regularly and therefore if you have nice neighbours when you move in hopefully you will have for a long time.

Privately owned is no guarantee of anything. Some of the rudest, most unreasonable and filthiest people I've come across have been well off and "owned" (mortgaged, of course) their own house.

Why does owing hundreds of thousands of pounds to a lender make you a better neighbour than someone who only owes a few hundred quid in next month's rent? Sorry, not having a go ... just curious.

All sorts of folk need "social" housing ... women with children, where their ex has left them in the lurch in particular. They can be SAHM, who suddenly find they have no income and no support from their ex.

Are they bad people simply because they end up in "social" housing?

Not all social housing is what it seems to be anyway. Much of our old stock of social (council) housing is now privately owned ... and may well be let, by an inexperienced or bad landlord.

If you want to avoid social housing - as you perceive that this attracts "bad neighbours" - then you need to extend your choice to properties that are managed by "bad" landlords. In my experience, bad landlords are far worse .. .they don't care what the tenants are like and don't care if the bad tenants create bad relationships with the neighbours. After all, the LL can simply evict and get another load in :mad:

taliwillow

Debt free chick - I think you need to re read my original post. At no point did I say that people in Social housing are bad people. At no point either did I say that people who own their own homes are good people. What I did say was that IF you have nice neighbours when you move in, then if it is privately owned then it seems slightly more likely that those neighbours will be there longer term than perhaps someone who is renting. As I said, the lady who is living there at the moment ia very nice (so I'm told by the vendor) and I have no problems with the fact she is renting at all. My only concern is what if she leaves after we move in and we end up with not so nice neighbours. It wouldn't be as easy for us to up and leave if we have bought the house as it is for her as she is renting.

I don't want to sound like I am having a go but I am quite offended that someone would think that I think I am better than others because of my housing situation. Many of my family members live in council housing (including my mum) and they are nice people as are some of the others on the street, but some are also an absolute nightmare. I know that if any of them bought their houses, it wouldn't make them different people. I just wanted to see what other people think as, if we buy it, I'd like to gauge if we may have any problems selling it in the future if other people are unhappy about social housing.

Sorry if I offended you.

Taliwillow

gazzak_2

No I bl**dy wouldn't. I'd run a mile and suggest you do too. The majoprity of HA residents are fine, but many are the scum of the earth, I'm not going to beat about the bush. Where we used to live there was a HA place 8 houses away and they STILL affected us. It took every one of us ringing up the HA 5 days a week, a letter to our local MP, a petition and much more to get rid of them. The one's that followed were bad too, but compared to the first lot we thought we were lucky.

DO NOT BUY THE HOUSE.

whirlwind

I lived in HA - it was easier to get rid of a HA tennant or resolve issues than a private home owner. More stable tennants than private renters, so they treated the home and area as their own, had a good community, cared about their homes and others around etc.

Which HA is it? Worrying about HA houses nearby would not bother me at all. I would see labelling HA tennants as worse than others as ignorance or snobbery - but others certainly would not agree! you'd need a buyer like me!!!

Your call.

Talk to the HA about their complaints and eviction procedures if you are worried about it. That might help you decide.

whirlwind

Also check about the HA policy of who they let to - some of this stuff you should be able to get from their website.

If it was a HA who let to say 16-25 year old in that area, I'd give it a miss!

That's my prejudice hey!

Also see who they prioritse, eg some HA prioritise older people in some developments, or work mainly with ex offenders or whatever.

You can also see where their referrals come from - the council or direct from the HA (mainly all come councils). Sometimes if a HA can not fill thier home, the council have the right to fill it with someone from their lists. All stuff you can ask the HA and council.

missprint

We were forced to sell our much loved house and move on after the owner of the house next door decided to rent it to the council for their tenants. A parade of families, some great but most a nightmare, eventually got so tiresome that we gave up and sold up. It wasn't only the appalling kids and thoughtless parents, it was the constant disruption of people moving in and out and having to adjust to their various life patterns. The owners of the house and the council simply didn't care about our concerns, we felt totally disregarded.

You may be lucky, but I would never choose to be in that position again.

margaretclare

whirlwind wrote: »

Also check about the HA policy of who they let to - some of this stuff you should be able to get from their website.

If it was a HA who let to say 16-25 year old in that area, I'd give it a miss!

That's my prejudice hey!

OK. Well, my eldest GD moved into a council flat from homelessness last March, she's now just 27 and she's gay.

Because she's been to rock-bottom and knows what it's like she's not about to abuse the privilege. She's proud and delighted, calls it 'her little domain'. She's in the Residents' Association and she recently got the job she really wanted, as a Youth Worker.

Margaret

Capricorn_One

Hi Taliwillow,

personally, the way the market is going I'd hold onto your money and wait for a real bargain to come up. "Location, location, location" is a cliche but it's true.

A friend of mine rented a house in a bad area. He and his wife went home one night to find the house broken into. That was a housing association area.

I'm sure it's a lovely house and the neighbours are fine and I wish her well for her sale but speaking personally, if there's any doubt I wouldn't buy it.

Find the best location and go from there.

Ed.

crawley_girl

I live in a block of 9 flats, 6 of the flats are owned and the other 3 council tenants. I have been here 5 years and there has been a fairly high turnaround of people but not once have I had any issues.

In fact, the most troublesome people in the block are the unofficial neighbourhood watch and will happily chat to anyone about what every one is up and they are owner occupiers.

Swings and roundabouts really