What do you think of council tenants?

Question

I am a council tenant who works hard for a living and pays my way. My home is clean, tidy on a nice estate with council and private homes. We pay council tax, rent - everything those in privately owned housing does (minus the mortgage of course).

I'm just interested to what people generally think of those who live in council housing as I have heard on numerous tv programs council places being called 'dirty' and 'run down' and 'dreary' and numerous people referring to council tenants as lazy and scroungers.

If this is your opinion - why do you feel that way?

Answer 1

Two of my brothers live in council houses,they always kept then nice and clean and the gardens nice,it matters not where anyone lives ,or how much money they have,a slob is a slob no matter what walk of life they come from.I know some very wealthy people i would not have in my house.My brothers both bought their council houses when they got the chance and have never regretted it.

Answer 2

Not my opinion, my grandparents lived in a council house and they were good people.  I live in an ex-council house (which we bought, several owners back had bought it as RTB), I have some neighbours who own the houses and some council tenants. There's no difference in what sort of people they are, there are good and bad of both types.

the problem is that there are certain estates where people like you wouldn't go, only the junkies and criminals would live.  These are bad places.  Bad things happen there, then the press pick up on it and paint everyone with the same tarbrush.

Answer 3

Theres nothing at all wrong with being a council tenant!!  There are good,decent, people and undesirables living all over, whether in council homes or not!! I live in a smallish town, there are 5 council estates here, all of them have both types of people, a lot have bought their houses too!! I would certainly not have a bad opinion of anyone who says they are council tenants as most of them are, decent hard working folk who because they live on an estate that maybe does have a bad name, get tarred with the same brush, when in fact the opposite is truer!! I was a council tenant myself (i bought mine), so are my parents, and my grandparents were too.

Answer 4

You will get scum everywhere.  I am a council tenant in Ireland, we are clean, respectable and we have this house due to the fact I was a single mother .  Then I met my present husband and were transferred to a larger house with our 2 boys.  Where I live, to every 1 not so nice person with dirty house, there are about 10-15 lovely houses.  We are still renting only due to the fact that my husband needs 3 years accounting books to provide to get a mortgage.  He is self employed and is doing well enough which means that I can stay at home to mind our kids.

People are awful snobs, I live in a lovely estate.  I grew up in a private home so this is totally different to where I was reared.  It is people that drag a place down but it doesnt mean that every council estate is the same.  We are not on any benefits.  Everybody has the right to a home and this system is a great way to get every one on their feet.

Believe you me, council tenants are more grateful for everything they have unlike alot of rich ponses out there that think the world owes tham a living!

Answer 5

This is a generalisation that can be aimed at anyone, you don't have to be a council house tenant not to respect the area you live in, in fact I have heard of many areas where privately owned homes are in the same condition.

Sure it's easy to hit out, but don't tar everyone with the same brush, as quite a few residents keep their homes in better condition than some home owners do

Mike t.

Answer 6

Your way of living points out that not all council tenants are the same.

I have known of people with money who are less responsible.

Of course it depends on the council estate as to the level of persons sometimes.

We often tar entire groups of people with far too broad a brush.

Answer 7

I imagine that those that are derisory about council estates have probably never ventured in to one and have never been on the waiting list for a council house.

Council houses should in fact be for those that need them and not just for anyone to own.

I personally think that one of  the biggest mistakes this country made was selling off council houses to those that wanted to buy them because now there aren't enough of them to go around. There are people out there that really need them and can't get them.

If they were that bad then nobody would want to live in them and there wouldn't be a huge waiting list.

Some people are misinformed and ignorant.

Answer 8

people are jealous of those that dont have to pay their own rent or get cheap housing when they have to pay full price, pretty simple, huh?  

Answer 9

Personally I would never want to live in Council housing but I don't think there's anything wrong with it and I don't think Council tenants are any different to any other kind of tenants.  There are lots of Council estates that are run down and dirty but they tend to be in deprived areas where the private housing is also run down.  There are also lots of Council Estates that are very well kept and lovely places.  It would be crazy to assume that council tenants are lazy or scroungers - this kind of opinion generally comes from ignorance.

Answer 10

i think they are very evil and resposible for global warming and killing baby seals, i got this information from the daily mail  

Answer 11

I'm a council tenant but i go to college and my mums just finished uni and we pay our way and every thing but most other council tenants near us are run down dirty and sell drugs as a family business and the children are like the airs to it but others actually work for a living

Answer 12

You'll find the best of people and you'll find the worst of people living in council housing.