Experiences with Social Housing in developments

[Stags Head]

Hi

I just wanted to know what people's experience of social housing in their developments.

I was thinking of buying in this new development in heuston south quarter (www.hsq.ie) beside heuston station which launches on Thursday but I found out today that 2 beds START at 520k and since it was planned originally by DCC 20% of all apartments ON SITE will be social housing - seems a crazy price in the current dodgy marketplace for phase 1.

Anyway seems a bit too risky to me but maybe I've got it wrong? What have other people's experiences been with social housing in their developments?

 

[JohnJay]

I'm currently trying to buy an affordable house, though the chances of me getting anything close to the city centre will be slim. If/when I do get a chance to buy, I will be buying one of those 20% properties that you mention. I will have a mortgage for the property which will take up a good 40% of my income. I intend to maintain my property the same as anyone else in the development. I dont intend to hang my washing out on the balcony. Non of my family own a caravan, so I wont be letting them park in the car park.

In other words - not all people who get Social/Affordable housing are bad...

 

[asterix]

I've bought a new apt. in Dublin 8, although I haven't moved in yet. On the day of the launch, the sales agent accidentally gave me a breakdown of the units that included a column indicating which of them were designated as social/affordable. They were evenly distributed between the blocks that make up the complex. The interesting thing, however, is that they were for the most part located on the ground and first floor with a few on the second floor. The apts. rise to 6 stories. So it would seem that developers designate "cheaper" apts. as social/affordable. Before being handed the list, I asked the sales agent a general question about the social/affordable allocation in the complex and he made the point that social/affordable is not the same as straight up corpo housing. I've heard of nurses and teachers availing of the scheme so if your concern is that a load of chavs are going to move in beside you, it's probably misplaced.

 

[Superman]

4/5th of a scheme would be affordable housing - so no problems with this - teachers, guards, civil servants, nurses and anyone on less than €52k (in Cork City - I think it's €40 elsewhere [don't necessarily rely on my numbers - they are off the top of my head])

1/5th would be social housing. That's where there are potential problems.

 

[liteweight]

I'm currently trying to buy an affordable house, though the chances of me getting anything close to the city centre will be slim. If/when I do get a chance to buy, I will be buying one of those 20% properties that you mention. I will have a mortgage for the property which will take up a good 40% of my income. I intend to maintain my property the same as anyone else in the development. I dont intend to hang my washing out on the balcony. Non of my family own a caravan, so I wont be letting them park in the car park.

You will be buying under the affordable housing scheme which is a different ball game altogether.

In other words - not all people who get Social/Affordable housing are bad...

Of course not. IMO there are scangers in all areas these days....they just have different accents!! However, I understand the OP's concern. Property costs a huge chunk of money these days, probably the biggest investment anyone makes in their life, so it's prudent to question any set up which might make it a bad investment. As Superman says, social housing might prove problematic, then again they might make the best neighbours. It really depends on who you get.

 

[JohnJay]

You will be buying under the affordable housing scheme which is a different ball game altogether.

Actually, its not a different ball game. Under the Part V scheme, developers must give up 20% of their developments to the local authority who in turn break this up in to social housing OR affordable housing, as they see fit. So I will be part of the 20%

 

[Stags Head]

Re: Heuston South Quarter - Bad Investment

I think I'm going to give this a miss. Affordable housing no problem but who knows who you'll get with social housing and Heuston station is not an area that commands big rents so I could be stuck with a non appreciating asset and a massive mortgage - 520k + strikes me as crazy for the area so I think like a lot of people I'll watch how the market goes over the next 6 months.

 

[liteweight]

Actually, its not a different ball game. Under the Part V scheme, developers must give up 20% of their developments to the local authority who in turn break this up in to social housing OR affordable housing, as they see fit. So I will be part of the 20%

What I meant was that with affordable housing, you pay for your house and receive help from the council to do so. If you sell you have to pay a percentage back. Therefore, IMO you're the same as any other FTB except you were given 'a leg up' by the council if you know what I mean. You're perfectly entitled to this and would be a fool to pass up the opportunity IMO.

Social housing is where the council own the property and rent it cheaply to those who need it (AFAIK?). Again, admirable as far as I'm concerned but I have to say that some tenants may be problematic. Then again, you could move into a complex with no affordable/social housing and have some yahoo next door who makes your life a misery! It's the luck of the draw really.

 

[Superman]

I remember one of the architects from Cork City Council muttering darkly about the fact that some housing coops were cherry picking social housing tenants - meaning that the Council was being left with higher and higher concentrations of difficult cases. Unfortunately in Cork there are some particularly large ghettos of social housing - which means it is very difficult to resocialise (and I mean that very literally) these people. Policy has since changed, with the idea of dispersing social housing, but I would personally remain worried if a social housing unit were located near me.

 

[lff12]

Hi

I just wanted to know what people's experience of social housing in their developments.

I was thinking of buying in this new development in heuston south quarter (www.hsq.ie) beside heuston station which launches on Thursday but I found out today that 2 beds START at 520k and since it was planned originally by DCC 20% of all apartments ON SITE will be social housing - seems a crazy price in the current dodgy marketplace for phase 1.

Anyway seems a bit too risky to me but maybe I've got it wrong? What have other people's experiences been with social housing in their developments?

Its probably affordable housing, and as the limits in DCC are up to 150k you're hardly talking about hard-up wasters . . .

 

[lff12]

I remember one of the architects from Cork City Council muttering darkly about the fact that some housing coops were cherry picking social housing tenants - meaning that the Council was being left with higher and higher concentrations of difficult cases. Unfortunately in Cork there are some particularly large ghettos of social housing - which means it is very difficult to resocialise (and I mean that very literally) these people. Policy has since changed, with the idea of dispersing social housing, but I would personally remain worried if a social housing unit were located near me.

I what is happening in Cork city is that the housing coops are trying to have social mixes, which is something that the city council won't do because they only house the most desperate cases.

This isn't so much a result of coops dumping on the corporations, but because the councils are creating so little social housing that only those in extreme hardship can apply or are likely to succeed. If social housing was increased then it would be accessible to working people or those without severe problems, and so there would be a better social "mix." Its the councils fault for failing to build more social housing in the first place!

 

[Superman]

Its the councils fault for failing to build more social housing in the first place!

That's true - I remember reading up on social housing in Germany. By "flooding the market" with social housing,(e.g. 50% of all housing being social housing) the stigma of social housing is removed, and as a consequence a good social mix is ensured.

Don't think we'll see that around here anytime soon though.

 

[casey1234567]

from reading on here as a person on the social housing list.Im nothing but totally discuisted with what im reading.I come from a very well brought up family so because ive not got the money to fund an affordible new home does this in the eyes of a person or persons give them the right to condem me because im seeking to try get a social home in the same estate as the person that have the very little money that cant buy through the banks for an out right mortgage and have to go the affordabile way which because everybody works in my house hold that we are paying more rent than any affordable council mortgage and any of you are in any way a better person than what i am and what i was brought up to be.This is nothing but being narrow minded in my mind god help us all if this is the way people are thinking or feeling.I ask you all do you all honestly think you are better than anybody else just because any one of you can or have got a city council affordable home.God help us all

 

[Brooklyn]

I live in a development that is mixed private/affordable/social. We've had no problems with either the affordable or social elements. Actually, the people who tend to complain are those who live in the private section. Because these apartments are often rented out to young people/students who, not being owners, have very little house-pride and also tend to be very noisy.

 

[dafmurray]

I'd have to agree with the point that it's not a person's financial means that create problems - it's their character. My wife and I live on a new estate and the biggest problem is young, inexperienced renting tenents and owners who just don't care about other residents (i.e. observing house rules). Even more mature owner occupiers of apartments can behave problematically (i.e. not observing basic security and safety regulations). It's down to their character and not their perceived social status (which I agree with a previous poster is both snobbery and misleading). You take a gamble when moving into a neighbourhood.