Beverly W

I, like you, previously rented private properties, because I preferred the sense of choice of location and the type of home we lived in.

Obviously, private renting generally comes at an increased cost compared to social housing prices. We were fortunate to have stayed at one property for sixteen years the rent increased during the first 3 years then after that it stayed the same for the rest of the time we lived there, although it meant the property wasn't maintained as much as it needed. For instance I went halves with the landlord on a new shed when the old one started collapsing. Then out of the blue the landlord announced he needed to sell the place. That's not to say I didn't keep the place looking clean and tidy. I repainted the walls and replaced his old cooker, but generally I didn't carry out more expensive alterations or repairs. For example, we never had new carpets. I couldn't see the point of spending my money on replacing expensive items like this for if we were to need to leave it wasn't something we could take with us. So I would buy second hand rugs to preserve them and carpet cleaner to maintain the appearance of them.

So, over the years the house became shabbier and shabbier because I certainly didn't have the spare funds to update the place. Also the landlord did less and less maintenance as the years went by. Although, if it was an electrical issue or when he decided to replace the tatty fascia boards or have the 10 foot hedge chopped down, we thought it was a miracle. So much so, by the time we left the place, the bath panel, which I had repeatedly repaired and repeatedly requested he but a new one, was held together with industrial tape of a completely different colour just to stop it cracking or from hurting ourselves on the sharp shards.

Now because the landlord gave us the choice to either quit living in that house after sixteen years as soon as we could or stump up a further £150 for six more months before being turfed out on the street with no 'safety net', we rushed to get the first available property we could get our hands on.

Again it was a privately rented property, and again the rent was increased during the two years we lived there. Also some repairs were carried out initially over the first twelve months we lived there, in fact we were given a new cooker within the first six months. Only after this time we were either gaslighted about the issues with damp, mould and guttering problems, or we were expected to put up with problems that started to become apparent after living there for longer. For instance the electric kept tripping out when using certain appliances. The extended kitchen would flood during heavy rainfall, and there was a dreadful problem with the front door not locking or the key getting stuck.

All in all, we were overjoyed to finally be offered a property with social housing.

Although the initial moving in here was costly, I used the deposit from the previous property towards costs and I was fortunate to have help paying for moving costs and a reconditioned cooker from the St Vincent de Paul society.

I had no real choice but to buy carpets for the place, as we aren't likely to be moving again anytime soon so I had to stomach the costs for them.

As for furnishings, we previously bought second hand goods at the old address, and they have fitted here at the new one.

The difference we pay in rent has made it far more doable for us.

Thankfully my neighbours each side have already taken care of the fences all bar one panel which is broken but still standing, so until it really needs replacing I'm not worrying about it until the time comes.

Also, as we had to downsize our bills are also a tad cheaper than they were. So over the long term we are saving money a little bit on energy payments.

However, the biggest upside to social housing for me has to be the fact we now have a more secure tenancy than we used to have. So the security makes the extra cost worth the while. Even with the renters reform bill going through, I doubt we would have benefited from the perks of it. In my experience landlords tend to be very shrewd. I dare say they will find ways to bend the rules and regulations regarding private renting.

Overall, there hasn't been anything here we have needed to replace or repair that isn't covered by the housing association.

The only other outlay I have is with storage and furniture. This is the first time in years I've had to purchase wardrobes. I had some backpay which I've used for this.

I imagine my money will always be spent on replacing appliances or furniture as and when they break no doubt. But I would have had to do this in privately rented accommodation anyway.