New council house

trobbin

I was in a brand new council house today in north Dublin. All I can say is wow.

Massive kitchen diner and very good sized living room, utility room and very large downstairs toilet with walk in shower. 3 beds plus bathroom upstairs all very good sized. Triple glazed, very nice fitted kitchen. Solar heating. House is a rated. Side gate, drive way for two cars, and good size back yard.

Was looking on MyHome just know House just up the road in lime wood €495k and it’s nothing to this council house.

What would peoples opinion be on this?

I’m honestly not sure how I feel about it myself, I work with many people struggling to pay rent and get on the property ladder, while others getting it for basically not working. Is that really a fair system? It’s like the government reward some and screw others.

Pkiernan

It's the upside down banana republic at its best.

Penalise hard working middle class people.

ShaShaBear

On that note, my best friend recently got a council house and she had to hire professional cleaners as the council had not adequately dealt with the dog and cat poo that was trod into carpets and laminate flooring and the deep nicotine stains on literally every white surface. Two of her double-glazed windows wouldn't close properly and the council refuse to take responsibility. There is a colossal crack in her bath and the council will neither repair it nor will they give her permission to replace it. She has no heating options save a fire and back boiler. The lino in her kitchen was badly torn, the laminate cover on most of her kitchen cabinets was completely peeled off and her downstairs toilet cannot be used due to a plumbing issue.

Not all council houses are flashy pieces of work!

Eric Cartman

does it have a garden big enough for a trampoline out the back ?

will these new homes with a low air change rate cause more cancer and asthma in kids when the stale alcohol smell and chain smoking Johnny blues through an 8 hour Jeremy Kyle marathon isn't being wafted away as quick ? Is the copper easier to rip out of the walls and sell to buy heroin ? will little 14 year old jacinta's 35 year old boyfriend tommo damage the kitchen counter cutting up hash with a blunt pocket knife ? is there adequate room to have a full blown fist fight in the front garden after an argument about whether dutch or bav is better ? Will the new residents be able to keep up with maintenance on these fancy new heating and extraction systems ?

the answers to these questions and more......coming to social housing near you soon. *

* Yeah Yeah, I know not everyone in a council house is like this, its a bit of humour as sadly the reality is this does happen, a lot, and short of FG enacting a 'kill all the poor' policy theres no joy to be extracted out of this except for these unfortunately all too realistic jokes.

Lumen

Same building regs for everyone. They don't have a low sir change rate, that testing is on the building fabric with no ventilation.

In any case they'll all be privately owned in a generation.

Eric Cartman

Lumen wrote: »

Same building regs for everyone. They don't have a low sir change rate, that testing is on the building fabric with no ventilation.

In any case they'll all be privately owned in a generation.

well lower air change rate than previous generations of council houses, I don't think the council have different rules to play by.

they probably will if they build them in decent middle class areas (which they shouldn't)

khaldrogo

trobbin wrote:

I was in a brand new council house today in north Dublin. All I can say is wow.

Until Jacinta gets in there with her 6 feral kids and the boyfriend (who shouldn't living there) starts using the front garden to run his off the books garage.

trobbin

ShaShaBear wrote: »

On that note, my best friend recently got a council house and she had to hire professional cleaners as the council had not adequately dealt with the dog and cat poo that was trod into carpets and laminate flooring and the deep nicotine stains on literally every white surface. Two of her double-glazed windows wouldn't close properly and the council refuse to take responsibility. There is a colossal crack in her bath and the council will neither repair it nor will they give her permission to replace it. She has no heating options save a fire and back boiler. The lino in her kitchen was badly torn, the laminate cover on most of her kitchen cabinets was completely peeled off and her downstairs toilet cannot be used due to a plumbing issue.

Not all council houses are flashy pieces of work!

Your post is quite interesting. I’ve a friend who works for Dublin City Council in the housing department. Now, there’s absolutely no chance that happened anytime in last few years. Council no longer do straight handovers of houses. If tenants left, council redo house and give to new tenants.

What part of Ireland has this happened

ShaShaBear

trobbin wrote: »

Your post is quite interesting. I’ve a friend who works for Dublin City Council in the housing department. Now, there’s absolutely no chance that happened anytime in last few years. Council no longer do straight handovers of houses. If tenants left, council redo house and give to new tenants.

What part of Ireland has this happened

This happened in Louth. I helped her move so 100% know the condition of the house the day she moved in. The council did repaint, but did not clean and did not touch the floors. They told her the kitchen units were still functional and that the aesthetics were not their problem (which she was fine with tbh) but she didn't notice the windows or plumbing issues until several days after moving in.

cloneslad

I recently bought a new build in a very small development and I'm pretty the house next door is going to become a council house.

Large kitchen/living/dining area, utility room, separate living room, downstairs bathroom, three bedrooms (master ensure) and a third bathroom upstairs with the added option to convert the attic. Room to park two cars out front and side gate to garden.

I think this is going to be a council house due to the lower spec finish that ours and the other houses (very small kitchen island, larder not installed, lower quality interior doors etc) and the fact that it's the only one that hasn't been moved into yet.

I honestly couldn't care less if its social housing or not, some people deserve a helping hand in life, things have worked out okay for me so far in life so there's no point wishing for others to suffer.

Whether someone buys is privately, rents it from a landlord, or if its a council house I couldn't care, as long as they are not a$$holes and they keep the area tidy.

trobbin

cloneslad wrote: »

I recently bought a new build in a very small development and I'm pretty the house next door is going to become a council house.

Large kitchen/living/dining area, utility room, separate living room, downstairs bathroom, three bedrooms (master ensure) and a third bathroom upstairs with the added option to convert the attic. Room to park two cars out front and side gate to garden.

I think this is going to be a council house due to the lower spec finish that ours and the other houses (very small kitchen island, larder not installed, lower quality interior doors etc) and the fact that it's the only one that hasn't been moved into yet.

I honestly couldn't care less if its social housing or not, some people deserve a helping hand in life, things have worked out okay for me so far in life so there's no point wishing for others to suffer.

Whether someone buys is privately, rents it from a landlord, or if its a council house I couldn't care, as long as they are not a$$holes and they keep the area tidy.

You’ll care when you’re going to work and they’re barbecuing, drinking and smoking. But you’ll need to work to pay your mortgage and the taxman for their house.

Edward M

ShaShaBear wrote: »

This happened in Louth. I helped her move so 100% know the condition of the house the day she moved in. The council did repaint, but did not clean and did not touch the floors. They told her the kitchen units were still functional and that the aesthetics were not their problem (which she was fine with tbh) but she didn't notice the windows or plumbing issues until several days after moving in.

Why, does she not wash?
Seems to me the bath would be the first thing I'd notice anyway.
Council are landlords BTW and bound by the same regulations as others, problems legally have to be sorted!

cloneslad

trobbin wrote: »

You’ll care when you’re going to work and they’re barbecuing, drinking and smoking. But you’ll need to work to pay your mortgage and the taxman for their house.

As I said, I won't care as long as they aren't a$$holes and keep the place tidy. Neither of these fall in your description.

Not everyone who has a council house is a scumbag and not everyone who could afford to buy their own house makes a great neighbour.

trobbin

cloneslad wrote: »

As I said, I won't care as long as they aren't a$$holes and keep the place tidy. Neither of these fall in your description.

Not everyone who has a council house is a scumbag and not everyone who could afford to buy their own house makes a great neighbour.

I never said either.

What about the people you can’t afford a house, but have jobs.

ShaShaBear

Edward M wrote: »

Why, does she not wash?
Seems to me the bath would be the first thing I'd notice anyway.
Council are landlords BTW and bound by the same regulations as others, problems legally have to be sorted!

I meant the aesthetics of the house, as in that radiators were caked in nicotine and the floors had trampled excrement on them. The council plumber that took a look at the toilet downstairs said she had been flushing nappies and it was her problem. Given neither of her kids have worn nappies in over 4 years, it's highly unlikely :rolleyes:
My FIL got a council flat in Dublin last year and while it was a smashing looking place when he moved in, it wasn't very long until the fresh paint wasn't able to hide what the council didn't bother fixing before he moved in.

cloneslad

trobbin wrote: »

I never said either.

What about the people you can’t afford a house, but have jobs.

You know some of them qualify for council houses too, right? Seems to be a common misconception among some people that it's only people who refuse to work that receive support.

trobbin

cloneslad wrote: »

You know some of them qualify for council houses too, right? Seems to be a common misconception among some people that it's only people who refuse to work that receive support.

I don’t have misconceptions. Ok, so what about a married couple, one earning 40k and the other unable to work and looking after two kids? Because they don’t qualify.

You either play the system or you pay the system.

L1011

trobbin wrote: »

I don’t have misconceptions. Ok, so what about a married couple, one earning 40k and the other unable to work and looking after two kids? Because they don’t qualify.

They would qualify with ease in Band 1 areas = 38,500 net income limit; net income for that would be about 35k.

Band 1 areas = all the dear places basically.



Social housing does not mean people on the dole or marginal incomes.

Pkiernan

ShaShaBear wrote: »

This happened in Louth. I helped her move so 100% know the condition of the house the day she moved in. The council did repaint, but did not clean and did not touch the floors. They told her the kitchen units were still functional and that the aesthetics were not their problem (which she was fine with tbh) but she didn't notice the windows or plumbing issues until several days after moving in.

Ahhh...feel so sorry for the girl.

No-one cleaned up or repaired my apartment when the Social tenant trashed it to the tune of 4 grand.

Mrs OBumble

Edward M wrote: »

Council are landlords BTW and bound by the same regulations as others, problems legally have to be sorted!

They are landlords, but they aren't subject to the same regs.

Some councils routinely remove all flooring and furniture between tenants for just this sort of reason.

Salthillprom

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

They are landlords, but they aren't subject to the same regs.

Wrong. Council are also subject to Housing (Min.Standards for rental houses) Regs, 2017. Same as any landlord.

cloneslad

trobbin wrote: »

I don’t have misconceptions. Ok, so what about a married couple, one earning 40k and the other unable to work and looking after two kids? Because they don’t qualify.

You either play the system or you pay the system.

As has been said, in your example they would get support but I understand your sentiment. People earning 60k - 100k with a couple of kids in Dublin would struggle to buy a house here but support has to stop somewhere.

Personally I'd prefer to go to work and focus on my own finances than worry about someone else being supported when they need it. I'd only care about others if they hadn't enough rather than caring about them getting fair support.

mad m

Different councils different budgets. DCC has around 950 million of a budget but its the biggest council with touching on 30,000 properties ,drainage ,waste management etc.. Louth CC Id say would have only around 20-30m if they were lucky.

To honest some wouldn't give a $hite if the bath was cracked or the kitchen units looked a bit tired looking, they have a roof over their heads!!!!

khaldrogo

cloneslad wrote:

I honestly couldn't care less if its social housing or not, some people deserve a helping hand in life, things have worked out okay for me so far in life so there's no point wishing for others to suffer.

Let's revisit this statement in a year or two........

cloneslad

khaldrogo wrote: »

Let's revisit this statement in a year or two........

I could very easily have someone I dislike beside us who owns the house, being in a council house doesn't automatically make you a horrible neighbour / person.

Wheeliebin30

Blah blah, I don’t care what anyone says, you study hard, work hard, you deserve to have nicer things than people who never bothered and just took the easy path in life.

Otherwise what’s the point in any of us aspiring to amount to anything???

aslanroars

I work in dcc council in houseing.they rip out all flooring and old tenants upgrades.its put back to decent standards new bath room kitchens if needed. But it can be shocking what they rip out.lot of stuff end s up on done deal or staff s houses. Or we give stuff to charity.which is a pretty good idea.certain council s in uk.do it.once a month they have a big sale.from stuff old tenants left behind.money gos to charity.

cloneslad

Wheeliebin30 wrote: »

Blah blah, I don’t care what anyone says, you study hard, work hard, you deserve to have nicer things than people who never bothered and just took the easy path in life.

Otherwise what’s the point in any of us aspiring to amount to anything???

Because about 90% of the council houses in Dublin are in areas I wouldn't like to live in and not all people in council houses have the opportunity to work due to other factors apart from laziness etc

Eric Cartman

cloneslad wrote: »

Because about 90% of the council houses in Dublin are in areas I wouldn't like to live in and not all people in council houses have the opportunity to work due to other factors apart from laziness etc

those areas are areas you wouldn't like to live in because of other people living in council houses.

other factors
alcoholism, drug addiction, a criminal record and many other factors that are the persons fault and their fault alone. There are obviously disability and low income reasons people would be in council houses but it certainly seems like those are minority cases these days.

ShaShaBear

ShaShaBear wrote: »

This happened in Louth. I helped her move so 100% know the condition of the house the day she moved in. The council did repaint, but did not clean and did not touch the floors. They told her the kitchen units were still functional and that the aesthetics were not their problem (which she was fine with tbh) but she didn't notice the windows or plumbing issues until several days after moving in.

Whereabouts in Louth did this happen?

I live in Louth, in a council estate, and a few houses have been given up and swapped around over the last 2 years in my estate. All of which had been completely gutted and re-done before the new tenant arrived.


The council always lift floors for exactly the reason of dirt like poo or pee in them. If a child eats it, who is at fault? The Council 'reset' houses to a standard they accept as one they'll take responsibility for.

Your friends situation sounds odd in the extreme..

ShaShaBear

Deleted User wrote: »

Whereabouts in Louth did this happen?

I live in Louth, in a council estate, and a few houses have been given up and swapped around over the last 2 years in my estate. All of which had been completely gutted and re-done before the new tenant arrived.


The council always lift floors for exactly the reason of dirt like poo or pee in them. If a child eats it, who is at fault? The Council 'reset' houses to a standard they accept as one they'll take responsibility for.

Your friends situation sounds odd in the extreme..

I'd rather not say where as it would make her very easily identifiable or even more so the previous tenants. But it's not Dundalk town and I can assure you, they left the floors down. She hired a cleaner herself and didn't complain as she's delighted to have somewhere to live but I was quite shocked myself at the state of the place!