Erm..

[Dotsie]

Then what is a "council tenancy"? I always thought they were the equivalent of housing projects--government subsidized housing, usually not very nice.

Pretty much it. Although I had a friend who's house was fairly nice who let her house to the council because she couldn't sell it. If it gets trashed by the tenants the council have to sort it out.

[Bouncy Castle]

Wouldn't trust Council contractors to do a very good job.

[Dotsie]

It was either that or not sell though. If they do a crap job, they don't get their deposit back.

[jtrhoades]

OK, so what's a condominium?

I think it's a flat that you buy rather than rent. A rented one is an apartment . . . or something.

Basically yes, you buy a condo, rent an apartment.

Of course you still pay a monthly fee to the condominium board to continue owning it...

[raptornx01]

Yeah, but you get that with houses in most areas as well. Homeowners associations. pay $300 a month to have someone tell you what you can and can't have on your lawn/porch/patio/etc. at least you sometimes get free cable or lawn maintenance out of it. sometimes free paint as well, though only in "approved" colors.

[Tina a.k.a.SusanSto.Helit]

Actually, I've just discovered an internet store in the UK that sells US sweets/candy.

I'm now totally addicted to Big Red cinnamon gum.

They also now have Mountain Dew available, but although it's made in the EU, it tastes even better than US Mountain Dew!

Mountain Dew Gum? LOL I am with you on Big Red gum, it rocks. Silly toys are Paramount to keeping your sanity in the American office.

[Tina a.k.a.SusanSto.Helit]

OK, so what's a condominium?

I think it's a flat that you buy rather than rent. A rented one is an apartment . . . or something.

Basically yes, you buy a condo, rent an apartment.

Of course you still pay a monthly fee to the condominium board to continue owning it...

they tell you everything you must NOT do or you can be sued, and you get the privilege of paying them to Maintain Standards.

[raisindot]

Yeah, but you get that with houses in most areas as well. Homeowners associations. pay $300 a month to have someone tell you what you can and can't have on your lawn/porch/patio/etc. at least you sometimes get free cable or lawn maintenance out of it. sometimes free paint as well, though only in "approved" colors.

Dunno about that. I think that only goes if you're in a 'created' community, like a gate community. If you just own a house on the street you can do whatever you want...come to my 'hood and you'll see exactly what complete freedom to never paint your house or cut your grass, have 20 old cars rusting on your lawn, or keep your trash barrels on your front porch is all about...and then you oughta see what everyone else BESIDES us does...

[Dotsie]

I pay one pound a year to the village trust, and they cut my front lawn. But I do have to paint my front door in the approved colour.

[raptornx01]

Dunno about that. I think that only goes if you're in a 'created' community, like a gate community. If you just own a house on the street you can do whatever you want...come to my 'hood and you'll see exactly what complete freedom to never paint your house or cut your grass, have 20 old cars rusting on your lawn, or keep your trash barrels on your front porch is all about...and then you oughta see what everyone else BESIDES us does...

no dog on the porch and a rocking chair? we get that too in some areas, but some try to change it around.

yeah, there's no helping some people

[Catch-up]

Yeah, you only really get those homeowners associations with new, created communities. However, a lot of cities have ordinances to force upkeep. For example if you don't mow your grass here, if it gets over a certain length and someone complains, the city will send you a notice that if you don't mow within a certain number of days they'll come do it for you and send you a bill.

Never really understood the attraction of those created communities. They're cookie cutter homes, usually overpriced and poor construction, little to no landscaping, homeowners associations with weird rules and fees, no character to the architecture. They're like the strip malls of neighborhoods.

[Tonyblack]

Never really understood the attraction of those created communities. They're cookie cutter homes, usually overpriced and poor construction, little to no landscaping, homeowners associations with weird rules and fees, no character to the architecture. They're like the strip malls of neighborhoods.

I suspect they attract a certain type who would love to hang up signs saying "no riff-raff".

[Dotsie]

Riff raff are perfectly entitled to move into our created village, but happily they don't want to

[jtrhoades]

The idea behind the homeowners association is to help maintain property values.

If you live in a regular neighborhood with no set standards then your neighbor can totally trash their own property, or build weird structures that are right on the property line etc. and that can decrease the value of your property.

By setting and maintaining certain regulations, it helps protect the value of the property in the community.

Having said all that, in practice, they're a load of crap and no one should ever be subjected to their "standards".

[Catch-up]

Oops, sorry! Did not mean to slam anyone's home purchase. I was speaking specifically of the ones near us. I realize the idea is to keep the home values up. However there are lots of regular neighborhoods in cities that have ordinances to keep things up.