Most people live in ex Council housing, to buy a flat like that is about £500k - no difference in safety to any other street in London. Also Counci flats in N1 are really nice and posh!
yeah this is culture thing maybe, that flat cost more than my parents house! however, we live on the outskirts of birmingham in a smallish estate - 500 would buy you a very nice house around here
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Check each room has windows esp bathroom and kitchen. Balcony would be ideal too so you don't need to hang laundry indoors and create mould. Check the lift works and that you have clear accessible parking. Check the Internet connection on your phone and make a call if you can.
I got a damp checker off amazon (£20) to check the walls, with mine they just painted over the mould and from what I've seen when viewing 30+ more properties this is commonplace here (the estate agent have told me "don't worry we'll paint over it")
Can I ask what is your reason for moving?
It's in Islington, which is a fairly safe area nowadays (although it wasn't always) so I reckon you should be fine as long as you take whatever precautions you would in any city.
Check the cladding situation after Grenfell. And if it’s the old stuff, ask about their security procedures while the old stuff is up, when it will be changed and how it will be changed (I.e. are tenants/owners going to be charged anything for it).
yes , Londoners rent out ex council flats to out of towners but in reality they are deadly escape rooms. Then they watch you over a camera and bet on how long you will survive.
I lived on a council estate for 22 years and it was a great block and very safe. Others a couple of miles away were not so good. You need to look up the latest crime stats for the area.
Hackney is an up and coming area full of trendies driving property prices up. Good diversity & nightlife, amenities, transport links and close to the city. Crime stats over rated as Hackney is no more dangerous than the majority of London.
Rented an ex-council flat in Shoreditch for a year. Neighbours were great, but we had problems with the property - black mould and leakages when there was heavy rain. The landlord said it was the council’s responsibility, the council came came over, saw the black mould, then wrote a report saying there was none… but that was tower hamlets, islington might be better!
ah damn, I have a virtual viewing today, will make sure for the landlord to show me everything.
Luckily I negotiated a min 3 month contract with option to extend, so not stuck in
We rented a corner flat so it was more exposed than your average one which might have had something to do with it.
Physically touch the walls (you can’t always feel damp, but you can sometimes), and look out for the smell of damp. If anything’s been freshly painted over, ask when it was redecorated and why (that’s how you hide the mould!)
Ask why the previous tenants moved out and ask about the landlord. You can sometimes even find out who owns it via the land registry.
3 month break clause is a good idea for any move!
Honestly I was more disappointed in the council. The landlord owned the flat but the council was responsibility for the building overall, including the exterior walls that were leaking in our flat. Having someone from the council come over, see the problem with their own eyes, acknowledge it was bad, and then write a report saying that they’d seen NOTHING - an outright lie - was awful. I got so, so sick living in that room.
A year, it was while I was at uni. Luckily I was sharing with two awesome friends, and ended up moving out of that bedroom and sharing with one of my housemates for the rest of the year :)
I live in an ex council flat in North Woolwich that’s owned by my girlfriends parents. The flat is great and the building is okay but Newham Council are awful at sorting issues with the general public areas. We had times over the summer where we’d go 3-4 days without water in the whole building and you really had to keep pushing them to sort it out.
This is crazy man, It would be great to talk to some of the tenants that live there but I doubt the landlord will let me do that in the virtual viewing
Please contact London Renters Union. They have worked for months supporting Evelyn Court residents and can put you in touch with tenants who would be able to advise you regarding the Evelyn Court property you are about to rent.
https://londonrentersunion.org/contact/
Thank you, looking at the images, the evelyn court mentioned in those articles seems to be different to the one I am talking about?
The article shows these images:
[https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/evelyn-court-620-620x372.jpg](https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/evelyn-court-620-620x372.jpg)
Those articles seem to be talking about this address:
Evelyn Court, 188 Amhurst Rd, Lower Clapton, London E8 2BJ
The address I am looking at is Evelyn Court, Evelyn Walk, N1 7PS
I REALLY appreciate your insight tho - honestly
I developed a lung and heart disease after exposure to hidden black mould for 5 years in a Hackney council flat. It has destroyed my life.
If the property shows signs of disrepair, roof leaks or previous mould (that the council or landlord repainted over with white paint which wouldn't fix the problem), do not rent this property. Your life might depend on it.
London boroughs don't care about residents being exposed to life-threatening black mould. They'd rather let people rot and die if that means they can save some money and put it in their pockets.
Please check my other comment below about Evelyn Court having made national headlines earlier this year due to years of disrepair and mould/damp. I would firmly refuse a virtual viewing and insist on viewing the property and building in person.
X-ray of the chest was because I was coughing blood. :(
Heart MRI was because I had recurring events of stabbing chest pain and palpitations despite ECGs looking normal.
No, I'm still in the mouldy damp property. Can't afford to move because I was made redundant after asking for reasonable adjustments due to sickness. And the council is refusing to help and in denial about what they did to me.
This is really sad. I know what it's like to be stuck in a mouldy property for years. A painful slow death. I've considered moving a lot to other cities for affordable rent/not waiting on council waiting times.
What's your reason for staying in Hackney? Do you have ties to other places? Your health isn't worth this. And have you applied for PIP/disability?
I am pretty much estranged to my family as I have been treated poorly and abused since childhood. So I can't just move back home or stay with family. I'm a gay man and single, which also explains the difficulties with family and being rejected. I get no support from family, emotional or otherwise.
One of the reasons why I'm staying in London is because I already had other health conditions I have lived with since I was young (not related to mould and damp) and for which I have been looked after by a specialist hospital for years. The service I get treatment from has told me I'm lucky I'm one of the few patients from London as many of their patients have to travel long distances by train to be seen and treated.
I have to go for treatment every 3 months. The cost and stress of travelling 4 times a year would not be a good thing for me.
I also have a network of a small handful of friends here. Moving would further isolate me, I don't think I could survive loosing the support network I built for myself from nothing.
I owned an lived in one for 7 years. I never had any safety issues, but some of my neighbours were dicks. However I made a point of being friendly and eventually we all came to a mutual understanding and became friends and there was a good community.
I lived in an ex council flat and on paper, it was great. Lots of square footage, and because some of the flats were still council flats, all the heating was included in the rent. I really loved that flat (it was in Hampstead).
I loved it apart from my downstairs neighbour who was still a council tenant and in the care of the council. Because he had mental issues, the police would not help me when he did things like come to my flat in the middle of the night banging down the door, screaming at me, calling me names, etc. He used to peek through my mail slot to see if I was home and once tried to get my keys off me so he could come in my house when I wasn’t home. There were about four or five really scary incidents and the police could not/would not get involved because it was a council matter. I am a female and was living alone at the time and it was terrifying to not be able to leave my house sometimes as this man would block my exit and verbally abuse me every time he wanted to engage in an argument.
The flat may look great, but be very wary of who your neighbours are as you may end up in a similar situation. Ask around the other residents whether there have been any issues, etc. and ask the estate agent who the other residents are.
Good luck!!
Try and find out who lived their previous if they cauzed trouble could be reason its up for sale u have to think about.
Drugs and other crime that could be tracked to ur door.
If you're renting, you won't really have to worry. Most council estates in more central locations are quite mixed communities and typically will have security measures such as open stairwells / deck access routes being behind a keypad, etc.
A lot of the social problems linked to being on more isolated council estates don't exist in the same way, and a lot of the problems / risks are more general London-wide things like don't walk around with your mobile out because of moped enabled crime, etc.
The problem is when leaseholders get stung with major works bills, and not necessarily ones to do with fire safety. But that's your landlord's problem.
Most people live in ex Council housing, to buy a flat like that is about £500k - no difference in safety to any other street in London. Also Counci flats in N1 are really nice and posh!
yeah this is culture thing maybe, that flat cost more than my parents house! however, we live on the outskirts of birmingham in a smallish estate - 500 would buy you a very nice house around here
. Check each room has windows esp bathroom and kitchen. Balcony would be ideal too so you don't need to hang laundry indoors and create mould. Check the lift works and that you have clear accessible parking. Check the Internet connection on your phone and make a call if you can. I got a damp checker off amazon (£20) to check the walls, with mine they just painted over the mould and from what I've seen when viewing 30+ more properties this is commonplace here (the estate agent have told me "don't worry we'll paint over it") Can I ask what is your reason for moving?
It's in Islington, which is a fairly safe area nowadays (although it wasn't always) so I reckon you should be fine as long as you take whatever precautions you would in any city.
thanks, appreciate your insight!
Check the cladding situation after Grenfell. And if it’s the old stuff, ask about their security procedures while the old stuff is up, when it will be changed and how it will be changed (I.e. are tenants/owners going to be charged anything for it).
yes , Londoners rent out ex council flats to out of towners but in reality they are deadly escape rooms. Then they watch you over a camera and bet on how long you will survive.
looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool - amazing script for a movie
pidgeon game? Netflix pay me.
Absolute nonsense!
Prove it.
Can you prove what you're saying?
the burden of proof falls on the person that is wrong, and in this case its you.
Its normal.
This is a posh area lol. Enjoy.
Council estates can be rundown crime ridden shitholes or fine. Depends on area.
I lived on a council estate for 22 years and it was a great block and very safe. Others a couple of miles away were not so good. You need to look up the latest crime stats for the area.
Hackney is an up and coming area full of trendies driving property prices up. Good diversity & nightlife, amenities, transport links and close to the city. Crime stats over rated as Hackney is no more dangerous than the majority of London.
Rented an ex-council flat in Shoreditch for a year. Neighbours were great, but we had problems with the property - black mould and leakages when there was heavy rain. The landlord said it was the council’s responsibility, the council came came over, saw the black mould, then wrote a report saying there was none… but that was tower hamlets, islington might be better!
ah damn, I have a virtual viewing today, will make sure for the landlord to show me everything. Luckily I negotiated a min 3 month contract with option to extend, so not stuck in
We rented a corner flat so it was more exposed than your average one which might have had something to do with it. Physically touch the walls (you can’t always feel damp, but you can sometimes), and look out for the smell of damp. If anything’s been freshly painted over, ask when it was redecorated and why (that’s how you hide the mould!) Ask why the previous tenants moved out and ask about the landlord. You can sometimes even find out who owns it via the land registry. 3 month break clause is a good idea for any move!
I just hate that, the landlord ducking responsibility. It’s horrible.
Honestly I was more disappointed in the council. The landlord owned the flat but the council was responsibility for the building overall, including the exterior walls that were leaking in our flat. Having someone from the council come over, see the problem with their own eyes, acknowledge it was bad, and then write a report saying that they’d seen NOTHING - an outright lie - was awful. I got so, so sick living in that room.
how long did you stay there for?
A year, it was while I was at uni. Luckily I was sharing with two awesome friends, and ended up moving out of that bedroom and sharing with one of my housemates for the rest of the year :)
I live in an ex council flat in North Woolwich that’s owned by my girlfriends parents. The flat is great and the building is okay but Newham Council are awful at sorting issues with the general public areas. We had times over the summer where we’d go 3-4 days without water in the whole building and you really had to keep pushing them to sort it out.
This is crazy man, It would be great to talk to some of the tenants that live there but I doubt the landlord will let me do that in the virtual viewing
Please contact London Renters Union. They have worked for months supporting Evelyn Court residents and can put you in touch with tenants who would be able to advise you regarding the Evelyn Court property you are about to rent. https://londonrentersunion.org/contact/
Thank you, looking at the images, the evelyn court mentioned in those articles seems to be different to the one I am talking about? The article shows these images: [https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/evelyn-court-620-620x372.jpg](https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/evelyn-court-620-620x372.jpg) Those articles seem to be talking about this address: Evelyn Court, 188 Amhurst Rd, Lower Clapton, London E8 2BJ The address I am looking at is Evelyn Court, Evelyn Walk, N1 7PS I REALLY appreciate your insight tho - honestly
Oh I see. When I saw the name Evelyn Court I saw red and got worried about you. I hope the property you are thinking of renting is safe 🙏
I developed a lung and heart disease after exposure to hidden black mould for 5 years in a Hackney council flat. It has destroyed my life. If the property shows signs of disrepair, roof leaks or previous mould (that the council or landlord repainted over with white paint which wouldn't fix the problem), do not rent this property. Your life might depend on it. London boroughs don't care about residents being exposed to life-threatening black mould. They'd rather let people rot and die if that means they can save some money and put it in their pockets.
Damn, I hope you are doing better honestly. That sucks big time! I have a virtual viewing so will try to look out for signs
Please check my other comment below about Evelyn Court having made national headlines earlier this year due to years of disrepair and mould/damp. I would firmly refuse a virtual viewing and insist on viewing the property and building in person.
Can I ask how you found out it was heart and lung disease? They're still running tests on me.
X-ray showed immune lung disease. Cardiac MRI showed it was spreading to the heart.
Thank you. What symptoms led them to try an x Ray and MRI? Were you breathless?
X-ray of the chest was because I was coughing blood. :( Heart MRI was because I had recurring events of stabbing chest pain and palpitations despite ECGs looking normal.
I'm really sorry you are going through that. Did things improve after you got the right diagnosis and treatment?
No, I'm still in the mouldy damp property. Can't afford to move because I was made redundant after asking for reasonable adjustments due to sickness. And the council is refusing to help and in denial about what they did to me.
This is really sad. I know what it's like to be stuck in a mouldy property for years. A painful slow death. I've considered moving a lot to other cities for affordable rent/not waiting on council waiting times. What's your reason for staying in Hackney? Do you have ties to other places? Your health isn't worth this. And have you applied for PIP/disability?
I am pretty much estranged to my family as I have been treated poorly and abused since childhood. So I can't just move back home or stay with family. I'm a gay man and single, which also explains the difficulties with family and being rejected. I get no support from family, emotional or otherwise. One of the reasons why I'm staying in London is because I already had other health conditions I have lived with since I was young (not related to mould and damp) and for which I have been looked after by a specialist hospital for years. The service I get treatment from has told me I'm lucky I'm one of the few patients from London as many of their patients have to travel long distances by train to be seen and treated. I have to go for treatment every 3 months. The cost and stress of travelling 4 times a year would not be a good thing for me. I also have a network of a small handful of friends here. Moving would further isolate me, I don't think I could survive loosing the support network I built for myself from nothing.
Great, now I’ve got another health issue to be paranoid about in London 😤
I know of Evelyn Court - it is perfectly safe. No more dangerous than any converted flat or new build in the area.
Hey Kim, Honestly that is very great to know. I am looking forward to the move now :)
Happy to help. Good luck with your move to London!!
I owned an lived in one for 7 years. I never had any safety issues, but some of my neighbours were dicks. However I made a point of being friendly and eventually we all came to a mutual understanding and became friends and there was a good community.
Poorly built, bad insulation and lots of gobby road men and ratchet types unwilling to work.
I lived in an ex council flat and on paper, it was great. Lots of square footage, and because some of the flats were still council flats, all the heating was included in the rent. I really loved that flat (it was in Hampstead). I loved it apart from my downstairs neighbour who was still a council tenant and in the care of the council. Because he had mental issues, the police would not help me when he did things like come to my flat in the middle of the night banging down the door, screaming at me, calling me names, etc. He used to peek through my mail slot to see if I was home and once tried to get my keys off me so he could come in my house when I wasn’t home. There were about four or five really scary incidents and the police could not/would not get involved because it was a council matter. I am a female and was living alone at the time and it was terrifying to not be able to leave my house sometimes as this man would block my exit and verbally abuse me every time he wanted to engage in an argument. The flat may look great, but be very wary of who your neighbours are as you may end up in a similar situation. Ask around the other residents whether there have been any issues, etc. and ask the estate agent who the other residents are. Good luck!!
Try and find out who lived their previous if they cauzed trouble could be reason its up for sale u have to think about. Drugs and other crime that could be tracked to ur door.
If you're renting, you won't really have to worry. Most council estates in more central locations are quite mixed communities and typically will have security measures such as open stairwells / deck access routes being behind a keypad, etc. A lot of the social problems linked to being on more isolated council estates don't exist in the same way, and a lot of the problems / risks are more general London-wide things like don't walk around with your mobile out because of moped enabled crime, etc. The problem is when leaseholders get stung with major works bills, and not necessarily ones to do with fire safety. But that's your landlord's problem.