Social Housing

[MrRichards]

I have purchased a house without knowing several homes to be used for Social Housing, Persimmons sales had plenty of opportunity to inform me, I even enquired about one such plot and was simply told sorry but sold.
It must effect my future re-sale price, does anyone have any legal advice?
Thanks inadvance for any advice
Mark

 

[NewHomeExpert]

You have made a grave mistake in not specifically asking about Social Housing provision on a new housing development.
This is just one of the many QUESTIONS all potential new home buyers should ask before they reserve.
Virtually ALL new developments with homes offered for private (owner-occupied) sale will have a planning requirement for social housing.
In recent times the social houinsg requirement is inter-mingled with private sale homes so it can be possible to have a tenant on housng benefit living next door to you.

As you discovered these homes do indeed tend to be the ones that are all "Sold" and the sales advisors tend to not be that open about who they are "sold" to!

Having said this, Persimmon should have made it crystal clear on the site plan in the sales brochure where exactly, the social and/or affrodable housing is.
It would also appear that the sales advisor knowlingly did not disclose thie information to you, which both he/she and Persimmon are legally required to do under the:
Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008.
In addition, the Property Misdescriptions Act 1992 also requires house builders (and others) to disclose all known material facts about a property offered for sale.

You are right, it will most definitely affect any future sale price -(assuming you even get offers!).
It is quite common to see up to 30% of homes back on the market just 6 months after a develepment is completed and it can be obvious which homes are the social housing too.

You need to take this up with Persimmon straight away. The CEO is mike.farley@persimmonhomes.com
I would expect the only acceptable solution for you would be to get your money back together will all moving and purchasing expenses reinbursed.
You should also report this breach of the regulations to your local trading standards office.

 

[MrRichards]

Thanks
Persimmons did not have social housing clearly shown on plan as I seen it many times. I have mail Mr Farley, but mail has been re-directed by his PA to a regional manager. As you would expect I aint had any response from them yet!
I will be giving it another week and then mailing Mr Farley again for a response to my claim of mis-selling.
Do you know of any cases where purchaser has taken action against builders sales team for not making buyers aware of items which could seriously effect the decision to buy?
Best Regards
Mr Richards

 

[NewHomeExpert]

No not personally but ther must have been a few.
But...........house buyers just do not know about the mis-selling rules.
Plenty of No-Win No-Fee lawyers out there.

You could call the PA to the CEO on 01904 543042 direct dial number.
Anyone with a problem that has been ignored should call this number! as well as e mail Mike Farley!

 

[hoodwinked]

I wouldn't have thought they'd be obliged to tell you to whom they've sold other properties to, however I'd guess, and it is only a guess that your solicitor should have checked on the Planning Application for the estate and that the planning may well have been conditional on a percentage being sold for Social Housing, like a Section 106. You can check online to see the Planning approval yourself or go to the local Council Planning Dept and ask them. If that is the case you might have something against your legal team...

 

[NewHomeExpert]

It is not like a section 106 is is a section 106 requirement!
Whilst the customer should actually ASK, house builders have a duty to provide all pertinent information so the home buyer can make an informed decision whether or not to buy.
Having social housing next door would mean most people would prefer not to buy. Unless they were influenced by a deal or the price reflected the reduced potential future value of the home.

The better house builders do show where the social homes are on the site layouts in the brochures.

 

[hoodwinked]

I tried to buy some truly derelict Council owned land next to a site I had and unsurprisingly I was overtaken by a Housing Association. My word, the quality of build and room sizes were somewhat impressive especially when compared to the rabbit-hutch crap being shoved up for Joe Public to buy at inflated prices not 400 yards away... I went back there some 10 years later, the H.A. houses still looked good although the grounds resembled a war zone.....

 

[NewHomeExpert]

They tend to be bigger as they have more children living in them.
I too went back after just 4 years and found HA homes had been wrecked.
Broken vent covers, roof tiles, vertical tiles even windows.
Vans, lorries, caravans on drives fridges and washing machines dumped everywhere.
If you live next to "anti" social housing don't expect the garden to be kept tidy!

Joke was these homes had burglar alarms as part of the specification, but the tenants went out leaving windows open!

 

[hoodwinked]

Yes, that just about describes what I saw down to a T.

Kinda makes you feel like a mug working your socks off for most of your life to buy your own place, then maintaining it yourself then, depending where you are value-wise, when you croak the dear old Government want a nice big slice of what you worked for in Inheritance Tax. The other option is to sit back after collecting the keys to an H.A. property and have an easy life... free repairs, upgrades [furniture, carpets and white goods in some cases] are only a phone call away.

How's this? A pal of mine lives in a nice end of terrace house in London, valued at around £400K, it was a Council House then taken over by an H.A. A couple of years before it was taken over the Council rewired, re-plumbed, re-roofed and re-windowed the property. The H.A. upon takeover then ripped out the still perfect double-glazed windows and replaced them as 'The previous Contractor wasn't on their approved list'. All the new lead flashings were replaced, [actually several times as the Pikeys were given good access via the scaffolding while all this was going on and made the most of it so a Security Firm was taken on, - at even more expense]. The bathroom was re-fitted [nowt wrong with the old one] along with some dire and unneeded plastering, a nice new fence to the very long garden appeared too. The rent is peanuts in comparison to market rent and for sure that property cannot ever break even.

It's a funny old world eh?

 

[NewHomeExpert]

Would you really want to sit watching your mates on Jeremy Kyle eating cakes, chips and crisps and getting fat whilst your 8 kids wreck your free house? And they are trying to persuade these people to "eat healthy" so they can live even longer for on the rest of us for free.

Much better to travel 3 hours a day and work 10 hours a day, lose half in Income tax an NI pay Council tax and a mortgage for 25 years and then see it all eroded by inflation and currency debasement. And you are right, what is left the government steal when you die. Freezing fuel duty? don't get me started!

 

[hoodwinked]

I caught a glimpse of a Jeremy Kyle show at a friends house and felt the need to either search his bathroom for some razor blades or lob something heavy at his TV...
Although I'm slowing up some now generally if my eyes are open I'm working, 7 days a week. I probably inherited my work ethic from my parents, my dear old departed old Mum worked all her life including dodging bombs in London during the Blitz as my Dad fought in Africa, he died at 57 after his 7 days a week working life. Mum wore her hips out walking to save a 5 penny bus fare and flitted from shop to shop to again save a penny here and another there. In so much pain from her hips she paid out of her very hard earned saving £16K for new hips as the wait was so long. They must be spinning in their graves.

The entire system is top-heavy, mad and openly abused.

As for fuel I bought an old Merc cheap and process used vegoil for fuel, it's quite legit, also converted my car to LPG which helps...

Sorry to be wandering off-topic but this lunacy drives me potty. In many ways I'm glad there's a lot more time behind me than what's left in front as it will surely collapse around our ears some day soon! keep taking the pills...

 

[NewHomeExpert]

Check out Channel 5 Tonight - Monday 14 October "On Benefits and Proud"

 

[hoodwinked]

I'll put a guard up over the TV screen and pick up some sedatives this afternoon in preparation, I might have some Gasket Seal in my tool box, better keep that handy in case I blow one despite taking the pills.....

 

[NewHomeExpert]

I recorded it so I could watch it in daylight today!
and speed through the scary bits too.

 

[hoodwinked]

Funnily enough I missed it because I had to work late. I think that was a good thing as I really should be looking after my blood-pressure these days! Keep some pills handy when you hit the button later on.... grrrrrrr, lazy b'stds

 

[NewHomeExpert]

"Highlights" were:
Couple in Liverpool, moaned about their free house, got a better one.
Somehow resulted in the private landlord giveing them back £75 a month from the housing benefit paid to home.
Had BOTH Sky and Virgin Pay TV. Spent more on TV and cigarettes than thye did on food!
Worst of all, horrible fat woman said she is prepared to work but only of, after Tax NI and bills are deducted she is left with £500 a week for herself! Her husband said he didnt want to work.
Their daugher actuallu got a job after four years looking £40 a day plus commission selling mobiles. She was really chuffed until her mum pointed out she was "stupid" because after working all month, she would only have about £100 left for herself.

Two fat silly single mothers in London didnt see why we should pay all their high rents rather than move to somewhere cheaper.

And the "Queen of Scrongers" with her 11 kids (she has the first at 14!) was being given a £500,000 new 6 bed house and moaned it was too near the railway. Anyway they stopped her having it and now her two semis are being 'converted' into one big house.

But don't blame those living on benefits!
Blame the elected politicians that have passed policies that allow this to happen and then do nothing about it at all.

 

[hoodwinked]

I'm so glad I missed that programme, for sure I'd have been doing an 'Alf Garnett'. I couldn't agree more that it's the politicians that have allowed this nonsense to go so far, however, many of this lot display no shame whatsoever.

This very morning I noticed two long-termers, both have never worked a day in their lives. One is on 'permanent sick', i.e. top payments. His problem I understand is eczema.. Didn't see a lot of that in the summer when he strolled along the road with not a care in the world during the summer with a teeshirt on... T'other one I hear has a 'bad back'. OK I had eczema as a kid, not a lot of fun and due to work my back hurts to the point that sometimes I struggle to walk at my normal speed and climbing in and out of my van can be touch and go. I live with it and carry on. When I hear these tales one person comes to mind, Douglas Bader. Remember him? Lost both legs in a flying accident, did that stop him flying a Spitfire [that you need both legs for for the rudder]? Errm, no.

Drives me nuts. It will implode, just a matter of when...

 

[NewHomeExpert]

I fogot to tell you that the one with 11 kids buys most of her shopping from shop lifters at "half price"
As she says "its good for me", "I get all my washing powder and thinsg like that from them" ans "its good for them as they get a bit of cash - win win"
So she has addmitted to receiving stolen goods on national TV.
A criminal and prosectable offence.
Will she go the jail or even be fined.
Hell no, who would want to foster those kids and it wouldnt be in their interests to split them up (or would it?)

Don't miss next week's "Shoplifter and proud" Same time same channel!

 

[hoodwinked]

What a valuable contribution to society that shower of ***** and their cronies make then, - not :-/

Isn't it astounding how quickly all this nonsense has come been allowed to about too? But how can it be turned around and will there ever be politicians would have the nuts to do the job? I fear we'll be 'watching and weeping' for some time to come. Oh well, I'm off to do a wee bit of work, a small ceiling to plaster, that'll have me creaking nicely later but when I close the door on that room when finished I'll be proud of earning my keep....

As for next week's instalment about 'shoplifters and proud'... my other half runs a cafe, she had a trio of Albanian con artistes in recently doing the old 'money changing' routine and had her over for £50. Turns out they'd had a good spree and took a few grand in three days. - Another valuable contribution to Broken Britain... drives me absolutely potty.....