I regret buying a house on a council estate. I’m not a snob, but it’s horrible
A mother has said she ‘really regrets’ buying her house on a council estate.
Although she insists she is ‘not a snob’, she feels she has made a big mistake because of the type of behavior neighbors she has.
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The mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, did so online forum Mothernet to express her frustration.
She asked others if she was “unreasonable” to “genuinely regret her purchase on a council estate”.
The homeowner wrote: “Five years ago we bought our first house.
“We live in a very expensive city, so buying a house instead of a flat meant buying a former council house on a council estate where around 90 per cent of flats and houses are still owned by the council.
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“It’s a small estate, surrounded on both sides by millionaires, in a good location.”
Initially she didn’t think about buying on a council estate.
The mother continues: “I’m not a snob, I grew up living in normal working class/middle class suburbs and interacted with all kinds of people in life and when we looked at it it seemed peaceful and nice.
“But after living here for five years, I hate it so much that it makes me sick.
“First of all, some lovely people live here. This is not an attack on the council’s tenants, but the truth is that these are the main problems:
“Teenagers are yelling/drinking outside my house all night, dog poop everywhere.
“Waste everywhere – think bins tipped over and not collected, used nappies thrown in the hedge etc.”
She then talked about how sofas and TVs are dumped outside for months, how there are loud arguments and regular police visits, and how music is also played.
The mother adds that there is “pot smoke incessantly wafting into the nursery when we open the window,” and that “young children stay outside until late cursing and yelling at passersby.”
She continues: “I’m desperate to move into the house next door, but despite that there has been one on the market for over a year Nice and a bargain and no one bites.
I’m becoming increasingly angry at these people who are literally costing us thousands of dollars because they can’t be bothered to pick up their stuff.
Anonymous mother
“No one but us is stupid enough to buy here.
“If you were to pick up our house and put it on the street behind us, you would essentially increase the price by about £100,000 and it would be sold within a week.
“Every time I walk through the estate to get home I feel so trapped and depressed, and I feel completely stupid for having bought it.
“And I’m becoming increasingly angry at these people who are literally costing us thousands of dollars because they can’t be bothered to pick up their stuff.”
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Many rushed to the comments section to share their thoughts as some related to her pain.
One wrote: “It’s awful, I’m so sorry you’re in this position. We did something similar years ago and moved as a result.
“If no one would buy, were we thinking about renting it out? Could this be an option?
“You could at least choose the tenant?
What it’s really like to grow up on a municipal estate
Fantastic reporter Leanne Hall remembers what it’s like growing up in social housing.
As someone who grew up in a block of flats on a council estate, I had a lot of wild stories to tell.
From seeing a neighbor throw dog poop at the janitor for asking them to mow their lawn (I think they ended up on the Jeremy Kyle show later in life) to blazing arguments over missing packages, I’ve seen it all.
Although things have often started happening, I truly believe that this is usually because families living on council estates get to know each other so well that they forget that they are neighbors and not relatives.
Yes, it can go from zero to a hundred quickly, but either way you know you can trust your neighbor to borrow some milk or see all the kids playing outside.
And if you ask me, it’s much more fun to be in a close-knit community where boundaries can be crossed than never knowing your neighbor’s name while living on a fancy street.
“It depends on your situation, but can you sell at a loss and move to a smaller area for a while until you can move again?
“It’s sad because I know how unhappy it can make you.”
Another added: “Yes, we bought a flat on a council estate and are trying to sell it.
“It wasn’t the worst, but a lot of tipping, often loud parties, etc.
There’s no point in just thinking it won’t sell and doing nothing but being miserable
Mumsnet comment
“It was all we could afford to buy, but we decided we could tolerate selling it for three years and then have a larger down payment.
“It made me realize that finding the right location is the most important thing, I would never compromise on that now.
“You’ll either have to wait a while to sell or just accept a low price.”
While a third wrote: “I’d just put it out there and see what happens.
“There’s no point in thinking it won’t sell and doing nothing but being miserable.”
The reality of life in a town hall
LEANNE Hall, Digital Writer at Fabulous, has discussed what it was like growing up in a council estate, and why those who live in such properties are often judged…
As a child I grew up in a council estate and was completely unaware of the discrimination that came with it until I became an adult.
My younger years were spent running up and down the stairs of my flat, meeting other friends who lived there and making the most of the communal garden.
But now it seems that no matter your circumstances, everyone has something to say about why you shouldn’t be there.
Living just outside London, as I do, rents are still high, and with my mother raising three children at home at the time, it wasn’t easy to find a job that fit the bill.
People in town halls are often labeled as ‘scroungers’ or ‘lazy’, but it is nothing of the sort.
Most families in social housing suffer from overcrowding, not to mention the terrible amount of damp and mold that comes from living in old social housing that has not been touched for fifty years.
It’s not ideal for many, but it does provide a safe home without the fear that your rent will skyrocket every year, which I think is essential for children growing up on the poverty line.
