Questions on private developments
So, when is a private housing development not a private housing development? It’s admittedly an odd question, but one which some purchasers of new homes in Edinburgh might want to ask before completing a sale.
A report to Edinburgh Council’s housing committee this week details efforts being made to boost council ownership of new homes, so the authority can lease more properties at affordable rates. This includes block buying new-builds at market rate, even if they are not designated as affordable homes, so presumably there is a discount for bulk.
This means that other purchasers might think they are buying in a private estate, but are actually neighbours with council tenants. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it’s surely reasonable for people spending a lot of money on a new house to understand the nature of the development.
Once in council ownership the authority can allocate the homes to whoever it likes, and recently a couple who had just moved into their smart new terraced starter home found their neighbours were two families who had been moved in temporarily.
Again, nothing inherently wrong with that, but the transient nature of such tenants means the homeowners could find building a sense of community in which neighbours get to know each other can become more difficult if there is a constant churn.
But there is an issue for the housebuilders who must surely have a duty to explain such arrangements to their customers. Or do they think that might put people off?