Housing associations

robfosters · 22 Jul 2015 at 22:57

i have a question.

Round my area there are quite a few new developments gone up and most of the flats and houses are really, really nice selling for 300k plus.

I was quite shocked to see that quite a lot of these are available to housing association tenants, via the waiting list.

Do property developers have a legal obligation to sell a percentage of their new properties to housing associations at a reduced price? I can't see the economic value in the associations paying £250k for a 1 bed flat just to get £600 a month rent in return.

antijoke · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:02

It's normally a stipulation by local council that x % of the development are social housing.

PapaLazaru · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:03

They do, unfortunately.

Not sure if I would be happy paying full whack and having a load of discount neighbours, to put it nicely.

doofer · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:03

They are only granted Planning Permission if they provide 'Affordable' Housing which are then allocated to Housing Associations on certain developments.

millsy888 · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:05

How dare those poor people infiltrate my nice neighbourhood!

OpenToSuggestions · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:05

PapaLazaru said:
They do, unfortunately.

Not sure if I would be happy paying full whack and having a load of discount neighbours, to put it nicely.

No way on this planet would I buy a house (at any price) with housing association tenants next door.

millsy888 said:
How dare those poor people infiltrate my nice neighbourhood!

On a £300k per property development, that is exactly the point.

robfosters · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:08

OpenToSuggestions said:
No way on this planet would I buy a house (at any price) with housing association tenants next door.

On a £300k per property development, that is exactly the point.

For your information, at the moment due to personal circumstances, housing association is the only way I could get my own place. So basically, you appear to be looking down your nose at me for no reason at all.

millsy888 · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:09

OpenToSuggestions said:
No way on this planet would I buy a house (at any price) with housing association tenants next door.

On a £300k per property development, that is exactly the point.

Why, because all housing association tenants are the same low life scum? Tar and brush are the words that spring to mind.

Fiocca · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:11

robfosters said:
For your information, at the moment due to personal circumstances, housing association is the only way I could get my own place. So basically, you appear to be looking down your nose at me for no reason at all.

OpenToSuggestions said:
No way on this planet would I buy a house (at any price) with housing association tenants next door.

On a £300k per property development, that is exactly the point.

I'm currently just about to buy a 200k house through a housing association too and i'm a railway engineer....not a typical chav...

OpenToSuggestions · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:13

The reason is that you never know who is going to live there.

Why risk it? Doesn't matter how nice the house is if the neighbours are a pain.

Just buy a house with private owners or private tenants both sides. Simple enough to do, even on a new build estate!

Fiocca · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:15

OpenToSuggestions said:
The reason is that you never know who is going to live there.

Why risk it? Doesn't matter how nice the house is if the neighbours are a pain.

Just buy a house with private owners or private tenants.

How can you know who lives in any house! My current neighbors are bloody awful and they're not housing association! One of the main reasons for getting away from this house.

robfosters · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:16

OpenToSuggestions said:
The reason is that you never know who is going to live there.

Why risk it? Doesn't matter how nice the house is if the neighbours are a pain.

Just buy a house with private owners or private tenants both sides. Simple enough to do, even on a new build estate!

So private owners are never bad neighbours?

I have personal experience that they can be the worst. Loud music, endless barbecues, parties, using our wheelie bin because theirs is full.

millsy888 · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:17

OpenToSuggestions said:
The reason is that you never know who is going to live there.

Why risk it? Doesn't matter how nice the house is if the neighbours are a pain.

Just buy a house with private owners or private tenants both sides. Simple enough to do, even on a new build estate!

So no private tenant or home owner was ever a pain in the ass? What this boils down to is your dislike for the 'lower classes'. You couldn't have been more clear about that.

OpenToSuggestions · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:17

robfosters said:
So private owners are never bad neighbours?

I have personal experience that they can be the worst.

I've had private neighbours who have been difficult, but there is no question the average private owner/tenant is less likely to be a pain in the rear than housing association tenants.

PapaLazaru · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:18

Fiocca said:
How can you know who lives in any house! My current neighbors are bloody awful and they're not housing association! One of the main reasons for getting away from this house.

Before we committed to our current house, we knocked on the neighbors doors to ask them what it was like living in our road. Both either side were lovely and the couple from across the road came over to have a chat. Sealed it for us.

robfosters · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:20

OpenToSuggestions said:
I've had private neighbours who have been difficult, but there is no question the average private owner/tenant is less likely to be a pain in the rear than housing association tenants.

That's quite a bigoted view.

Got any evidence to back this claim up?

OpenToSuggestions · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:22

millsy888 said:
So no private tenant or home owner was ever a pain in the ass? What this boils down to is your dislike for the 'lower classes'. You couldn't have been more clear about that.

You are compeltely wrong. What a dislikable thing to say.

My point is why would you knowingly buy a £250,000 house (we aren't talking cheap) next to housing association houses. It would be far harder to sell whenever you decide to.

Nothing wrong with housing association houses, I just wouldn't spank quarter of a million pounds on a private house surrounded by them.

robfosters · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:25

OpenToSuggestions said:
You are compeltely wrong. What a dislikable thing to say.

My point is why would you knowingly buy a £250,000 house (we aren't talking cheap) next to housing association houses. It would be far harder to sell whenever you decide to.

Nothing wrong with housing association houses, I just wouldn't spank quarter of a million pounds on a private house surrounded by them.

Fair enough, but a number of comments at the top implied that none of these new developments should be available to housing assocation tenants. As if they were rats infesting a palace or something.

Fiocca · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:25

PapaLazaru said:
Before we committed to our current house, we knocked on the neighbors doors to ask them what it was like living in our road. Both either side were lovely and the couple from across the road came over to have a chat. Sealed it for us.

That's fair enough, we asked about the neighbors at the new house because our current non-housing association neighbors are a pain. But to tar all people in housing association houses is a bit rich.

We can only afford this 200k house because we are only buying 50% of it even though i earn just under 30k myself. It's normal average earning people that are needing the help, it's not just chavs and undesirables.

OpenToSuggestions · 22 Jul 2015 at 23:26

robfosters said:
Fair enough, but a number of comments at the top implied that none of these new developments should be available to housing assocation tenants. As if they were rats infesting a palace or something.

Not at all!

I bought my 3 bed in Stoke for £112,500 in 2013.
The thought of £250,00 (over twice the value of mine) to be surrounded by housing association seems like madness. Southern prices are absolutely crazy.