Charterhouse Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 I don't see a problem, in most cases from my experience working council tenants are no better or worse than mortgage holders, it is nice to have a mix in a community... people can be so up themselves and snobbish at the best of times...just because you have a 10% deposit to buy a chain around your neck does not mean you are superior to those that choose not to and prefer to spend their money in different ways. Hmm. I see your point to an extent. Neighbours are like a box of chocolates. Only difference is council estate tenants are shitty chocolates not Thorntons. You pays your money and you takes your choice. I live in close proximity to a lot of council but I'd really rather not share an estate with them, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eightiesgirly Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 I don't see a problem, in most cases from my experience working council tenants are no better or worse than mortgage holders, it is nice to have a mix in a community... people can be so up themselves and snobbish at the best of times...just because you have a 10% deposit to buy a chain around your neck does not mean you are superior to those that choose not to and prefer to spend their money in different ways. That's where the rub comes, most working people are rarely a pain the neck to their neighbours, however housing benefit claimants are frequently anti-social and cause no end of problems. Folk paying a high mortage feel aggreived at paying a BTL mortgage via taxation so the social claimants can party all night and sleep all day in a free house while you're working your whatsit off for the same level housing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Hmm. I see your point to an extent. Neighbours are like a box of chocolates. Only difference is council estate tenants are shitty chocolates not Thorntons. You pays your money and you takes your choice. I live in close proximity to a lot of council but I'd really rather not share an estate with them, thanks. Well Mr Charterhouse, the reason why it is a council estate is because all the council housing is lumped into one estate...that is not a mixed community in my mind and not all the people living on the 'estate' are shitty chocolates as you call them...how much money you have is not a guide of shittyness...beleive me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 A rise from 35% to 66% is HUGE and effectively makes that development a "stealth" Council Estate. I would see a solicitor to see if there was any recourse against Berkeley homes personally. There's no way this won't hammer their home values. I hope it doesn't become as bad as Thamesmead further up river. My mate lives there and he has regular run ins with his noisy Somali neighbours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPC001 Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 (edited) That's where the rub comes, most working people are rarely a pain the neck to their neighbours, however housing benefit claimants are frequently anti-social and cause no end of problems. Folk paying a high mortage feel aggreived at paying a BTL mortgage via taxation so the social claimants can party all night and sleep all day in a free house while you're working your whatsit off for the same level housing. I don't party all night and sleep all day, this house isn't all mine nor does it come without a lot of strings attached, on top of that the owner's a c_nt with no respect.. Also, a lot of people in social housing or that claim HB are on lower incomes (IIRC more than half, 2.4 million) and not necessarily down-and-out breeding scroungers... Edited August 9, 2009 by HPC001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workingnomad Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Buy a house in a nice area, simples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impatient_mug Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Rent/buy into a well established area where only one or two places are for sale or let at any point in time. Do a bit of research on the area - insurance quotes are a good indicator without even physically looking at a place. Drive round the area - not just the street - and look for tell-tale signs (crap dumped in gardens, abandoned cars, wing mirrors hanging off, poorly maintained houses etc). Speak to the neighbours if possible - less likely these days but if moving to a more 'family' oriented area it could happen.... And that's just the basics. Anyone who agrees to move into a fresh estate that's practically empty is taking a huge risk. They should understand this before signing on the dotted line and plan accordingly - make sure the price is very good or they have another get-out option. I'm sure most people have experience of the misery of being surrounded by the odd badly behaved council tenant - the break-ins - the ones that vandalise and take personal items as well as just the electronics are the worst. The tyre and paintwork repair bills, the lack of sleep and constant worry whenever you're away... Why people don't remember these things is beyond me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BecksMyCat Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 We made the mistake of buying a shared ownership house on a mixed estate in 2005. The first year or so was alright, but after that we had a run in with some of the teenagers in the area (a mixture of somalians, iraqis, pakistanis and other muslim countries), and suffered years of harrassment, with no support from the police or the housing association responsible for these people. I am not sure of the percentage mix of the estate, but where we were they had stuck all of their tenants and the shared ownership together at one end, with the privately owned at the other end. We were at the wrong end. The housing association had been economical with the truth when we purchased. We had asked what kind of estate it was and were told it was a mix of ownership and rented. Little did we know the rented bit was all HA tenants, who had been moved from a dodgy estate that was due to be demolished as it was so bad. (We were rather niaive/stupid first time buyers) Fortunately earlier this year we managed to sell up and did quite well out of the sale. We are now living in a very normal private street and our quality of life is so much better. I would never go near any kind of estate, or anywhere near social housing ever again. When we were looking for our current place I refused to consider anything new build in case we ended up in the same situation again. Once bitten twice shy. To be honest I think all social housing should be abolished except for the severely physically and mentally disabled or for the aged. I would gradually sell off the social housing stock and not replace it. I lived in Switzerland for a while and they manage perfectly well without having housing estates. With their system if you can't work you get benefits, but you remain in the private system. I heard one Tory MP as describing housing estates as warehouses of poverty, or something similar, which seems very accurate. When you do eventually buy a home please learn from our mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toilet-Currency Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 BecksMyCat - thanks for that post It just shows that anyone who thinks that they will be kept away from social housing, rental tenants or whatever purely on the strength of what the housebuilder / housing association says is fooling themselves. A few months or years down the line, your neighbours could be anybody. Of course , you could try to throw money at the problem- pay so much for a flat (500k + in London) and then trust that the rich people next door aren't a-holes, but clearly that option isnt available for everyone. It's quite old now but I have just revisited that great article from the FT dated Oct 2008 on newbuild mortgage fraud in Thamesmead. (No doubt it has been posted already on HPC- but it's well worth another read) In a statement, Barratt said: “The homes [at Thames Walk] were on sale from 2003-2006, during which time the market for flats in that particular area moved downwards. As the market turned and the scheme became more difficult to sell, we increased the levels of incentives for some customers on the development.â€------ Once a large-scale mortgage deception had been executed, the fraudsters found tenants to occupy the properties they had purchased. In Thames Walk and the Pinnacles, these were largely young West Africans. The mortgages were left to fall into arrears from day one – yet it often took a year or more for the lender to repossess the property. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/1235fb4e-8f5f-11...00779fd18c.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Just an observation from this particular estate..... New tenants seem to be switched on and reasonably well off (self-employed) and all appear to be very careful about not causing problems for their neighbors though when they first arrive the do seem very defensive! Maybe the council is diverting all the bad cases to HAs? It would make sense wouldn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timil Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 I used to have something to do with the planning process locally the biggest advocate of of affordable housing was a local councillor who insisted that every development even as small as 4 houses should have an affordable element to it, it was a tad ironic in that he was one of the biggest land owners locally he insisted that all affordable housing should be spread through all developments even "executive" ones, i.e. there should be no ghettoisation of affordable housing. All well and good in a perfect world, but I always thought it was a bit rich coming from someone who's nearest neighbours where about a mile away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Loblaw Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 (edited) This property interests me: 4 Bed Terrace It is a nice four bedroom semi-detached in a nice estate in a great village. Its on sale for£325,000. The builder seems to be having trouble selling the other units on the estate. The seller of this property I assume is not the builder. They have specified in the rental advert that 'housing benefit is welcome'. So we have a 'high end' estate with £325,000+ houses where your neighbours will be a large family on benefits. Nice. Edited August 9, 2009 by fossildog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPC001 Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 This property interests me:It is a nice four bedroom semi-detached in a nice estate in a great village. Its on sale for£325,000. The builder seems to be having trouble selling the other units on the estate. The seller of this property I assume is not the builder. They have specified in the rental advert that 'housing benefit is welcome'. So we have a 'high end' estate with £325,000+ houses where your neighbours will be a large family on benefits. Nice. They must be desperate... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imminent_plunge Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 What's the point in working? It's becoming apparent that you can enjoy a better house on benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Loblaw Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 They must be desperate... I guess they need to sell, paid £300,00+ for it so cant sell for less and need to either sell or rent pretty quickly. If it wasn't grossly overpriced I would put an offer in, say £190,000. Instead they will get a social tenant which will drive prices down on the estate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPC001 Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 I guess they need to sell, paid £300,00+ for it so cant sell for less and need to either sell or rent pretty quickly. If it wasn't grossly overpriced I would put an offer in, say £190,000.Instead they will get a social tenant which will drive prices down on the estate. Or maybe people need to give up their pathetic prejudices...or its overvalued What's the point in working? It's becoming apparent that you can enjoy a better house on benefits. Only if you have enough children or other qualifying criteria..and don't mind the government having additional information on you, and inteference in your life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Loblaw Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Or maybe people need to give up their pathetic prejudices...or its overvalued Only if you have enough children or other qualifying criteria..and don't mind the government having additional information on you, and inteference in your life. The newbuild estate I live in has one social hosuing tenant (never worked in her life, four kids by different fathers). People have paid up to £380,000 for their houses on the estate. Whose kids are out at 4am in the morning, drinking from cans and shouting in the street? I can only base my 'pathetic predujices' on my experiences and my experience is that when people get their houses for free they tend to look after them the least and cause the most bother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cartimandua51 Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 This property interests me:4 Bed Terrace It is a nice four bedroom semi-detached in a nice estate in a great village. Its on sale for£325,000. The builder seems to be having trouble selling the other units on the estate. The seller of this property I assume is not the builder. They have specified in the rental advert that 'housing benefit is welcome'. So we have a 'high end' estate with £325,000+ houses where your neighbours will be a large family on benefits. Nice. Not only acceptable but intended - the maximum LHA for Darling ton is £183 pw: *52/12 = ta-da! £795pcm! that's for a 5-bed house, so some-one will be using the lounge as a bedroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Loblaw Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Not only acceptable but intended - the maximum LHA for Darling ton is £183 pw: *52/12 = ta-da! £795pcm! that's for a 5-bed house, so some-one will be using the lounge as a bedroom. Thats interesting (and cynical of the landlord). How do you find out the maximum local housing allowance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charterhouse Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Thats interesting (and cynical of the landlord). How do you find out the maximum local housing allowance? Not just that but amusingly that gives the lie to the £325k sale price. A house renting out for £183 p/w is not worth more than £200k unless yields are even worse than I thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPC001 Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 (edited) The newbuild estate I live in has one social hosuing tenant (never worked in her life, four kids by different fathers). People have paid up to £380,000 for their houses on the estate. Whose kids are out at 4am in the morning, drinking from cans and shouting in the street? I can only base my 'pathetic predujices' on my experiences and my experience is that when people get their houses for free they tend to look after them the least and cause the most bother. So one bad apple ruins the entire barrel...this is why I called it a pathetic prejudice. You will find an increasing number of people made redundant recently that see their life as much more than that, forced to temporarily claim welfare through economic hardship... Edited August 9, 2009 by HPC001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toilet-Currency Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 (edited) Not just that but amusingly that gives the lie to the £325k sale price. A house renting out for £183 p/w is not worth more than £200k unless yields are even worse than I thought. ... but what about the capital growth??? Edited August 9, 2009 by Toilet-Currency Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 I used to have something to do with the planning process locally the biggest advocate of of affordable housing was a local councillor who insisted that every development even as small as 4 houses should have an affordable element to it, it was a tad ironic in that he was one of the biggest land owners locally he insisted that all affordable housing should be spread through all developments even "executive" ones, i.e. there should be no ghettoisation of affordable housing.All well and good in a perfect world, but I always thought it was a bit rich coming from someone who's nearest neighbours where about a mile away. Agreed. I've also noticed that the architects and planners of modern commercial and residential monstrosities frequently seem to live in period houses in town, or outside on a few acres out in the country. A surprising number of Mp's like the farmhouse-in-the-Cotswolds style of life as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toilet-Currency Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 A surprising number of Mp's like the farmhouse-in-the-Cotswolds style of life as well. Yeah and I bet MPs say 'strictly no DSS' in their buy to flip properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 (edited) Yeah and I bet MPs say 'strictly no DSS' in their buy to flip properties. Remember James Clappison MP?. Owns 22 buy to lets in Hull - but surprisingly doesn't find Hull too congenial, because he lives in leafy Herts with his family. Oh, also owns a farm and a cricket club... http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/n...il/article.html Edited August 9, 2009 by juvenal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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