What is a "Council House"

[mammag]

Curiosity has gotten the best of me here, I read a thread on here recently and there was a lot of talk of a council flat. I understand that it's a public housing thing, where your rent is low? Or is it free? Also, is there a stigma attached to living in one? I know here in the states we have something similar called HUD, and there certainly is a stigma and stereotypes connected to people who live in them, and I was just mainly curious if this is the same thing across the pond? Do many people live in council houses? Is it a very common thing? A secluded type thing? Like here, there are certain neighborhoods that have HUD homes and certain neighborhoods that do not. So, that's it, thanks for reading and feeding my idle curiosity about my sisters from overseas

 

[tasha41]

Subsidized housing I think, here we have a lot of townhouse complexes devoted to it (this is what I've assumed a council estate would be like)... and we also have buildings totally subsidized or with subsidized apartments, and I assume they are the same as council flats... some are bad here but most are the same as every other neighbourhood, maybe more kids than the other neighbourhoods in my exact city..

 

[Ceejay123]

I grew up in a council estate before I could move out. Our councils sort of.. Govern each area - and own the houses. The rent is cheaper than private rental. The houses are also saved and families are carefully selected in a 'band' fashion. For example, a single mum with kids in an overcrowded home would be a high priority. There's a stigma attached, people assume you leave school, have kids and live on benefits in a council house, it's hardly fair. I'm in love with my private rental , 5 bed. Plenty of room for my gorgeous boy x

 

[smokey]

In some areas council and housing assosiation are the same thing and its generaly for people that cant afford private renting, either they are out of work or like in our case the private renting is too high.
Our area HA is the norm because private renting is around £1500 a month for a two bed place.
Some areas have a bad reputation like our old place just seemed to be a dumping ground for every drug addict a ex con going so it soon turned into a nasty dirty area.
Where we are now is all HA (this area the HA run the houses the council doesnt do it as much) and you wouldnt have a clue that it was any differant.
The people are lovely the ground are kept well tended and clean several times a week we have beautifull woods, gardens and a large pond that comes in off the river and the neigbors all look after each other.
My first month here I knew more of my neighbors names then 4 years at the old place.

So everywhere has iys good and bad areas.
The road i grew up in has a realy bad reputation so much even pizza hut wont deliver down there.
My entire family live down that road and have done for 5 generations and I can honestly say I have never seen or experianced anyrhing to warrent its bad rep, everyone gets on and we all lock out for each other but it cant escape it and its stuck up stupid idiots that decided it was a bad area probably had never even been there.
My in laws rile me up over this, not one has ever been down there yet its talked about with their noses in the air.
Eveeyone for abour 4miles around knows the name of my childhood road

 

[Laura2919]

I have a council flat. The rent is cheaper but I live in London, the amount of rent I pay here on a council home I could spend on a three bedroom with garden in the north! It's amazing really how areas change the price of what you rent.

 

[babydevil1989]

were in a council flat - private rent is way to high for us!

x

 

[babyerin]

Id love to be in a council home as our private rent is crippling us but the council dont want to know x

 

[nugget80]

i have a lovely council house and have lived here for 10 years and before that i had a lovely flat. area where i am probably 2 thirds of council houses have been bought now and we are hoping to do same once oh can sell his ex house and come off mortgage. rent is subsidised and also cheaper than housing association. oh is head of year at a boys school and i'm training to be a teacher so we don't fit the stereotype for council tenants but i have had a council property since i was 17 (long before i even had kids) so i figure i'm lucky to be here...

 

[supertabby]

In the UK towns and cities are run by local government called councils but still affected by/overseen by national government - I think US equivalent might be Mayor's Office?

Council houses or flats (apartments) are owned by the council and tenants pay rent to the council. Often council properties were built by the council and in estates council(blocks?) so a whole area was council. The reason people want to live in them is because the rent is cheaper than private renting. They do generally have a bad reputation unfortunately, and while plenty of decent people live in council houses there are also lots of really rough people living in those areas which is why it brings it down.

At one time (my grandparents generation) a lot of working class people lived in council houses, because they were on low incomes and couldn't afford private. Most did work but for low wage. There wasn't a massive stigma attached and the areas were often ok. Nowadays council estates are more associated with people on long term benefits (welfare/state handouts for unemployed) and are often thought of as bad areas. My grandma has lived in the same council house since she was in her 20s, when I was a kid it was a nice quiet street but now there's loads of chavs (trash) yelling and swearing at each other up and down the street, cars on bricks, etc. It's such a shame how its changed.

There is generally massive waiting lists for council properties - years in some cases - and people get them on priority basis, if you're living in someone's spare room with 3 kids sleeping on the floor you'll get more priority than a single person with a place to stay etc.

In the last 20 years or so many council properties have been sold off - either as mass sales or to the tenants who now have the right to buy if they've lived there x amount of years (and they get a discount of the value). This has been a controversial issue in the UK. We live in an ex-council but we bought it privately, the previous owner bought it from the council years before. Only one house on our street is still council. For us as buyers council properties can be appealing as they were always built to last and to house families so had reasonable room and garden sizes. Our house is small but well laid out with a good garden and council park and play area nearby.

Hope my comments don't offend those who live in council, I have tried to explain the general reputation of council estates but I know not everyone who lives in council is dodgy or a benefit s scrounger or something! Lots of decent folk live in council too.

 

[nugget80]

re the discounts the government have now increased the max discount to 75k to help more families get on propety ladder but of course that means number of council houses is likely to decrease for a while as more are sold off. also i think government is planning to close gap between private and council rent amounts

 

[Dragonfly]

Some of the council houses here are really nice, newly built estates to. The rent is affordable. Much less than private. Priority is handed out to people on benefits although you can get one if you are working and pay your own rent to council. Housing association houses are also affordable housing, like the council but a different kinda of company. Its hard to get a council house for most as they are in high demand.

 

[mammag]

Thank You all so much! I really understand better now. Here in the states our HUD homes are typically privately owned and the government pays your rent for you. Lots of places that you see for rent will say "HUD accepted" so it is quite different. It seems like the government owning them, and you paying them to live there is a much more sensible and cost effective way to go about things. Very interesting

 

[babydevil1989]

we have that too - housing benefit is there for people who cant afford the rent in council housing or private renting x