People who rent - effects on children?

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Electric Sheep wrote: »

Jesus. "At the mercy of a landlord". Grow up.

Wowzers!

planetX

I know where you're coming from OP. And yes, you can be at the mercy of a landlord - I had one 'longterm' rental which the landlord completely lied about, house went on the market 6 months later and I had to deal with an estate agent making last minute viewings. My childs belongings were actually posted up on the photos of the estate agents website. That was the first unplanned move - I wanted my child to stay in his school, so not a lot of choice close by in my price bracket. Moved into an old house, knew it would be cold but didn't realise how bad the boiler was until we were in. Given the run around all the time by landlord for fixing anything, even when heating oil was spilling onto the floor. It's very hard to balance cheap rent with running costs of an old house, and you never really know how it's going to work out until you move in.
Lots of people here saying it shouldn't affect your kids... well my experience is that it did. I think maybe it's easier in the city though, tougher in rural areas?

The Reamer

I grew up on a farm where, obviously, the family home was owned outright. I feel it gave me a great sense of certaintly, stability and I felt I knew "where home is". IF we had been in a rented house I don't feel I would have had that same feeling and would have been the worse off for it.
Even at 26 and living independently, I still feel to a certain extent that the place I grew up in is still Home (with the capital H).

Although I live in rented accomodation in a city at present, personally I could never live in a rental long term. God I'd hate it. No sence of certainty and it would always feel "temporary". I could never call a rented place home.
Also, I cannot see myself ever settling in a city - shoehorned into a tiny semi-D or appartment with no space, annoying neighbours and a feeling of being "closed in" or trapped.
Long term, I plan to live in the country.

Anyway, TLDR: Yes I feel rented accomodation would be a much poorer environment for a child.

IvyTheTerrible

The Reamer wrote: »

I grew up on a farm where, obviously, the family home was owned outright. I feel it gave me a great sense of certaintly, stability and I felt I knew "where home is". IF we had been in a rented house I don't feel I would have had that same feeling and would have been the worse off for it.
Even at 26 and living independently, I still feel to a certain extent that the place I grew up in is still Home (with the capital H).

Although I live in rented accomodation in a city at present, personally I could never live in a rental long term. God I'd hate it. No sence of certainty and it would always feel "temporary". I could never call a rented place home.
Also, I cannot see myself ever settling in a city - shoehorned into a tiny semi-D or appartment with no space, annoying neighbours and a feeling of being "closed in" or trapped.
Long term, I plan to live in the country.

Anyway, TLDR: Yes I feel rented accomodation would be a much poorer environment for a child.

It may be like that in Ireland, but rental is much more secure on the continent. Plenty of kids grow up here in rented accommodation and feel safe and secure!

pwurple

You can rent a place for 2000 euro a month down the road from me. It has 6 bedrooms and is on 1/2 an acre of gardens. That would hardly be a "poor" environment for a child. It's a mansion.

Or you can rent a cruddy student bedsit, and think that all rental is just like that.

:rolleyes:

Miss Lockhart

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

It may be like that in Ireland, but rental is much more secure on the continent. Plenty of kids grow up here in rented accommodation and feel safe and secure!

I agree but it must be acknowledged that rental in Ireland does not compare to the continent. It is not fair to say that Irish people just need to look to the continent and see that renting is the norm - not unless we are given similar protections and standard enjoyed by renters in those countries.

Those who are happy renting in Ireland are entitled to their valid opinion based on their experiences. That is no reason to dismiss the negative experiences of those who have not found renting with a family to provide the security and stability they need.

tigerblob

By the time I was 16, I had lived in 8 different houses - nearly all of which my parents owned. So owning doesn't mean you won't move around. I loved it!!

It just became normal and after a couple of years we would all get 'bored' of the house and decide to move. It was great, moving was fun, and I loved the change. We always lived in the same county so family weren't far away and I only had to change schools once.

Life is all about being able to constantly move, change and adapt, so I don't think kids who move about a lot are at a disadvantage at all.

The Corinthian

Kaylani Mammoth Woodchuck wrote: »

People who own are less likely to move as often as people who rent.

That's not always a good thing. A major reason that people who own are less likely to move as often as people who rent is because it is a lot harder to do so. Either you have to rent your house out, when you move (to rented accommodation or buy, if you can afford a second mortgage), sell it or you end up having to maintain a second, empty, property.

If you are renting, you just move.

I've a few friends, with families, who've been in this position. One simply could no longer afford his mortgage and had to take a job in the middle east, bringing his family with him. The home is in serious negative equity, so selling is not a realistic option, so now he's looking at renting it out, which adds a lot of cost and stress, on top of the move.

Another friend is a diplomat, so he has to spend a few years abroad, every few years. He originally bought, but after one or two postings and the stress of renting, decided to sell, because it frankly wasn't worth the stress. His family now rents whenever they return to Ireland and intend to buy only when he retires or becomes permanently assigned to the DFA.

Another friend built her dream house in the West of Ireland. Problem is, there's no work there. She's loathed to sell her house, so ends up for prolonged periods in Dublin working, renting accommodation and returning at weekends so as to see her kids.

As you can see, in this day and age of uncertain employment and globalization, the idea that we can remain in the same place for life is becoming increasingly impractical. Work will force you to move far more often than any landlord.

The issue is also how people feel being at the mercy of a landlord.

Unless you're a problem tenant or they wish to sell, you're not going to have any problems, TBH.

I only had the latter experience once in my life and you generally get plenty of warning - largely because the landlord will likely try to sell to you first. I remember when he did in early 2008, and after I stopped laughing I told him that I was probably going to be moving out anyway.

I moved out, in the end, long before they found a buyer. However, had I not, and even had the property bubble not burst, between my rights as a tenant and the reality of translating the intention of selling with actually handing over the keys, it would have probably been another year before I would have had to move out - presuming the new owner was not looking to simply rent out the property, in which case they would probably have been happy to keep me there.

I've also had the experience of having grown up in Italy for my early childhood, in rented accommodation (like everyone else). We never moved and we could have remained there for 30 years if we'd wanted to, also because most property is owned by companies and associations, as investments, who when they sell are more than happy to keep the tenants.

I think you were unlucky in your experiences. But in reality, you can have bad experiences regardless of whether you rent or own.

MurdyWurdy

We're renting with a baby due in June. However, we're renting from a family member so know that we will not be asked to leave until we are ready and we have the freedom to do what we want with the place so it's a bit different. The place is lovely and has more than enough room until we decide to have another child.

In saying that, the family member we are renting from would love to get long term tenants (after us, of course). All his tenants have moved out after a year. I know he'd love to get someone to stay there for a good few years so would be happy to see a family with a baby/kids come along and he's a very good landlord. A number of the other properties in the block are rented long-term with some tenants there for ten years or more. I can't see any problem with renting and having children. It's common in a lot of other countries, it's a real Irish thing to think that owning a property is the be all and end all. Some people, when i told them I was pregnant said how can you have children if you don't own a house? Madness! Surely it makes more sense to be renting for the moment, given we will be going down to one income and our rent is much less than a mortgage payment would be.

My husband moved around a bit as a child and had to move schools a number of times, he still has awful memories from it. We've already discussed that unless, circumstances alter drastically we will not move far from where we are now and not moev the child around in school. I don't think the house is as important to a child as long as school/area/friends stay the same.

ladysarah

as a rental agent i think it is fine for a duration but if parents move house v frequently it does effect kids.

LegacyUser

It's a myth perpetuated by vested interests.....banks, estate agents, government

A child doesn't need a mortgaged home. It's total bullsh*t.

Children are extremely adaptable. It is only adults who crave the same.

LegacyUser

Ask yourself how many children are happy with where they grow up? I grew up in a right kip with the neighbours a constant source of irritation.

It's a fallacy. Children do not crave "roots" or anything else, only the parents do.

I would have loved to have moved about when I was a nipper. Most estates bore kids to death, the same playground and parks every single day for ten years.

Children crave stimulation.