General   (General discussion, talk about anything.)

Bought ours from the Council in 1983 and still got another 5 years to pay on the blasted thing. Talk about a millstone. I earn over £10K a year and my mortgage repayments are now probably much lower than Council rent but because everything else has gone up its starting to become a bit of a struggle. Don't forget, once you buy, a Council house in particular, you have all the plumbing, electrics, pointing, roofing etc to pay for as well. However, if you rent the onus is upon the owners to carry out necessary repairs. I think, on reflection, I'm glad I bought because at some stage if I wanted to downsize, my house would be worth summat. Not a grand fortune, but I'd get something back on it which you wouldn't get if you rent. The first step is the hardest but I would always recommend buying freehold instead of leasehold. If you buy freehold then you also buy the land on which your house stands.