flats for sale - Demark Hill Estate - Why?

[Freddy1929]

There is a large sign on the Dog Kennel Estate (Denmark Hill) which says ''1 & 2 Bedroom refurbished flats for sale - by Southwark Council''with some Estate Agent details. How can Southwark be selling flats?, is there no one on the housing list needing 1 or 2 bedroom flat? Also why are they using Estate Agents - which means they will be paying Agents a commission? Is it just me or is there something wrong her....................

[minder]

This is nothing new.

Around 2/3 years ago I kept noticing For Sale by Auction signs going up outside houses/flats all around Southwark.

Then 2 houses in my area, which I knew were council houses, because one elderly lady had gone into care and one had sadly died, went up for auction.

My husband had to see a Councillor about something around the same time, and he mentioned this to him. He was told that this is what Southwark Council were/are doing e.g selling off council properties and that the sale of a three bedroom house would pay for repairs for a few flats!

Just before the new government came in that Councillor (can't remember his surname but first name Kim) resigned.

The person who has replaced him knows all about selling off council homes because I'm sure I've seen a report about it in the South London Press.

Just to add that out of curiosity, I went on the auction site (Allsop) at the time. There were loads of 3/4 sometimes 5 bedroomed houses going for auction. These were all over Southwark but lots in East Dulwich, Peckham, Dulwich by order of Southwark Council!

The two houses round my way have since been renovated and are privately let.

All these homes could have been given to families on the waiting list so the housing stock has now gone down even further!

I think Southwark Council have now been given money by the government to bring all homes up to the Decent Standard so don't know why they're still selling off flats!

[Earl Aelfheah]

Saw a 2 bed flat for sale on the estate. Asking price ?190,000. This would require any purchaser to have around ?19,000 cash deposit and a ?57,000 pa salary.

[Jeremy]

Freddy1929 - I believe that the huge refurb programme is being partially funded by the sale of flats on the estate. I don't like the idea of selling off council flats either, but if that's the only way they could fund the (badly needed) work, then so be it.

rahrahrah Wrote:

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> This would require any purchaser to have around ?19,000 cash deposit and a ?57,000 pa salary.

No, more like a 38K deposit and a 38K salary.

[SimonM]

When a Council puts flats up for sale by auction it often means (1) the properties were previously sold to the Tenant under the Right To Buy procedures (2) the purchaser had been granted a Council mortgage to cover the cost of the purchase (Councils were legally obliged to offer such mortgages when the usual mortgagors quite sensibly refused to touch the property or prospective borrower with a 10 foot pole) (3) the purchaser subsequently defaulted, did a bunk and left the property in serious disrepair - floor missing, bathroom fixtures etc ripped out are not unusual. The Council then has somehow to minimise its considerable financial loss and selling off the wreck in its capacity as mortgagor is often the most sensible way to proceed.

Basically property sold at auction is the last resort.

SimonM

[DJKillaQueen]

There has been no money from the coalition government as yet for decent homes although around 50 million is promised for 2015! 50 million won't even begin to bring all homes up to decent standard.

It does seem insane to me that Southwark should be selling off 3/4 and 5 bedroom homes when these types of property are in dire supply around the borough and where many families are living in extremely overcrowded conditions. On my estate alone I know of five families living in one bedroomed flats with no hope of getting anything 3 bedrooms and above through the current bidding system.

Simon's explantion that these flats are leasehold properties bought under the right to buy scheme is correct in most cases.

[Vik]

In this case the flats were never council 'flats.'They used to be laundry rooms in the attic space of each of the blocks which have been refurbished and as Jeremy has stated are being sold to fund the refurbishment of the rest of the estate.

[Vik]

Oh and it's the East Dulwich Estate on Dog Kennel Hill for clarification.

[PeckhamRose]

And the tory arsewipe you referred to was Kim Humphreys.

He was responsible for the utterly useless and very experience Southwark Council CallCentre, amongst other things.

[Pugwash]

If I recall correctly, when the DK Hill estate was being revamped, some of the properties were sold off to another organisation to help fund the refurbishment and some were going to be given to a Housing Association to run.

I would imagine that these properties were originally right to buy properties and leasehold and that the owners may have died/gone into a care home. Southwark Council may have become Deputies under Court of Protection to manage this person's finances which would also include selling any property to pay care home fees.

[minder]

Jeremy - you wouldn't be saying "so be it" if you were on the Council's waiting list.

SimonM - I know that both these ladies were paying rent to Southwark Council.

Vik - aren't you thinking of the laundry rooms on the Champion Hill Estate being made into flats? This was also in the South London Press recently. Surely there can't be that many laundry rooms on the Dog Kennel Hill to warrant a big sign selling them off?

PeckhamRose - that's right it was Humphries - he told my husband face to face they were selling off council places.

[Vik]

No, definitely the ED estate. Most if not all of the blocks had laundry rooms at the top.

They may well have sold off other flats aswell, but that would only be speculation on my part.

[MrBen]

There's always another side to the story of course. Not all council owned properties are financially viable - particularly larger period properties that fall outside of estates and there are quite a few of those sprinkled across Southwark. For example, rather than spending 100k modernisation costs on a 1900's terrace it might be deemed more viable to sell the property privately for say 600K to raise funds can then be diverted to modern, lower build cost housing elsewhere.

At least that's the theory.....

[Jeremy]

minder Wrote:

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> You wouldn't be saying "so be it" if you were on the Council's waiting list.

Maybe not. But if you were living in the estate, you might appreciate the refurb. I think it's made a huge difference the the environment in the estate.

Perhaps it's also worth mentioning that some of the new flats on Pytchley Road are earmarked for council tennants.

Besides, there are obvious advantages to mixing private and council housing together.

[James Barber]

Several years abotu the East Dulwich Estates, Which weirdly is in South Camberwell ward, might have to be sold because it was in such a dreadful state. After a lot of concerns, horror and useful suggestons from the tenants it was decided a mixed approached to find the ?30M required. So some 'laundry rooms' which Im told are some of the huge spaces at the tops of blocks with washing lines - you could see them from a distance as the top floor without windows on the openings.

Again from memory of the 650 homes involved 100 to be sold privately.

Hi PeckhamRose,

The coalition government has offered ?77M towards making Southwark council homes decent. Southwark has to prove in the next 12 months it can spend this money wisely. This is added to the ?45M a year current tenants contribute towards decent homes pa via rent. So total of ?257M of the ?330M required to makes all homes decent by the next local elections.

To help close that gap the new adiministration is increasing the sale of council homes such as those ascquired decades ago in the likes of East Dulwich street as they become free If they'll cost more than a certain amount to make decent - the new much lower number of ?15,000 has stuck in my brain and I don't have the time today to double check this.

But mixing tenancies types up, as all new large developments have to, should lead to a more sustainable community.

[Ridgley]

James Barber wrote

The coalition government has offered ?77M towards making Southwark council homes decent. Southwark has to prove in the next 12 months it can spend this money wisely. This is added to the ?45M a year current tenants contribute towards decent homes pa via rent. So total of ?257M of the ?330M required to makes all homes decent by the next local elections.

To help close that gap the new adiministration is increasing the sale of council homes such as those ascquired decades ago in the likes of East Dulwich street as they become free If they'll cost more than a certain amount to make decent - the new much lower number of ?15,000 has stuck in my brain and I don't have the time today to double check this.

But no to street properties as some of my neighbours are still waiting to hear, what's going on with that?