Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

It’s not fair those renting get more universal credit?

220 replies

Bigbenbube · 29/03/2024 23:17

I’m a lone parent on £31k-ish. I’ve worked out if I earn a few more K I Get no more universal credit, but a couple with two kids on £60k combined get £240 a week.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
calligraphee · 30/03/2024 07:11

There isn't 'more' help for renters, there is 'less' help for mortgagees.

There used to be support for interest payments on mortgages - the Tories scrapped it post -2010. It should never have been scrapped.

The whole housing situation is a mess - made far worse as a result of Tory government choices - but turning on other UC claimants rather than looking at the structural problems is not going to help.

Tempname18 · 30/03/2024 07:04

JockTamsonsBairns · 29/03/2024 23:31

But surely we can't be thinking that the taxpayer should be paying off folk's mortgages?

A mortgage is (essentially) a personal loan.
No government could realistically get the Treasury to use taxpayers' money to repay personal loans?

How would that work?

Really easily.

Relatively wealthy person buys second home with a buy to let mortgage (one contributing factor pushing up housing costs)
They rent it at a market rate that is unaffordable for those on benefits
The government recognises person on benefits has to live so gives some additional UC to allow person on benefits to rent privately.

Hey presto - taxpayers money is now paying a private individual’s mortgage. Obviously we couldn’t do that for a person without much money who can’t afford to pay their mortgage currently because that would be utterly unsupportable.

Loubelle70 · 30/03/2024 07:03

Not another divide and conquer post 🙄...the haves and haves not.
Im on 50k year...the tax etc i have to pay now is astronomical..but...i don't begrudge anyone who is struggling to receive support, there but for the grace of God etc...whether, collectively, theyre on more money is irrelevant. I am from working class background and have seen struggle..ive also worked at trussel trust, homeless centre for council, MIND....Ive nothing to complain about..in comparison to some...ive seen it all and some heartbreaking stories/situations. Compassion or at least sympathy...be grateful for what you have.

liveforsummer · 30/03/2024 06:58

Good point about the higher work allowance though for mortgage payers plus currently still on old housing benefit and I only get £135 towards my £750 rent and I earn about 12 k a year so it's not like missing out on loads (uc calculation shows. £15 pm difference in over all income)

liveforsummer · 30/03/2024 06:52

I guess they don't want to be essentially buying your house for you. You'll profit from that later, although technically with private rent they are just buying someone else's who is likely better off in then first place and making a tidy profit on top at the same time so you're right - it isn't fair or logical but lots of things about the welfare system isn't fair or logical. It is what it is unfortunately!

CarrotCake01 · 30/03/2024 06:47

Your post doesn't seem to have anything to do with renters ...? Although it does seem unfair that a couple bringing in £60k to a household would receive extra financial support from the government, I wouldn't have thought they'd need it 🤔

I'm a solo parent to a small child and I have UC because my wages otherwise are only £980 a month. I'd love to have a house and a mortgage but all I can afford to do is rent a very small flat. Without UC, I don't know what I'd do... 🤷🏼‍♀️

If I was making £31k a year and in receipt of UC on top of that... I wouldn't be jealous of me and my living situation that's for sure 😅

MiltonNorthern · 30/03/2024 06:35

Don't be ridiculous. Of course the general public shouldn't pay towards your mortgage. It's totally different to contributing towards rent.

WithACatLikeTread · 30/03/2024 06:24

Spirallingdownwards · 29/03/2024 23:28

UC does not go directly to the landlord

It can do if the landlord wants it to.

WithACatLikeTread · 30/03/2024 06:19

Regardless if you rent or own, if you have such a low income that you get UC you should be helped the same.

bubblesforbreakfast · 30/03/2024 06:18

Sometimeswinning · 29/03/2024 23:59

So posters point out we shouldn’t pay anyone’s mortgage but it’s ok to pay a landlords mortgage?

Because the landlords mortgage is different. Rates are higher. Risk is higher. Rental
Payments are taxed. They could have the money in a pension or investment fund but instead chosen to have it in property. Most landlords I know make very little from their houses.

PurpleNebula84 · 30/03/2024 05:17

coastalhawk · 30/03/2024 02:16

No because your mortgage is effectively a loan to buy yourself a property! Housing benefit if you rent is necessary miniumum to have temporary shelter. It's not an investment in your your property ownership

As I have said, I am not saying they SHOULD pay my mortgage.
I am not exactly going to sell my house tomorrow to rent - that would be silly. I do think though, that landlords, knowing that the majority of people renting will get some kind of help, has allowed them to continue to increase rents much higher and quicker that property values have increased.

PurpleNebula84 · 30/03/2024 05:07

Fargo79 · 30/03/2024 00:01

But the £200 would be contributing to an asset that you own. You would (in extremely simple terms) retain the £200, just not as cash. And it would very likely grow significantly in value over the years, having been given to you by the taxpayer. Whereas renting is like other bills; once it's gone it's gone. It's absolutely correct that the taxpayer is not contributing to people's mortgages. It's not the same as rent.

That said, I don't think we should be contributing to the mortgages or bank balances of private landlords either. We need more social housing.

As I said before, I don't think benefits SHOULD pay my mortgage... I'm merely just showing how if I was renting and paying the same, I would be entitled to the housing element. I am not going to give up my house and rent to claim, because I doubt I would actually get somewhere to rent for the same amount anyway.
You're absolutely right that there needs to be more social housing.

PurpleNebula84 · 30/03/2024 05:01

Babyroobs · 29/03/2024 23:55

It's clearly not bonkers because you are paying off an asset that you will own and then for many years after that you'll have no housing costs. As others have said the government can't/ won't be seen to be paying off people's mortgages !

No - they'll just pay a landlords one instead 🤦🏻‍♀️ Read previous... I am not saying they SHOULD pay mine.

BobbyBiscuits · 30/03/2024 04:59

The government are in cahoots with the scum landlords of this world. They want to subsidise their horrible mates, but not actually enable poorer people to end up fully owning their home. This is because they're also in cahoots with all this horrible bankers who want to keep you in debt to them.
I'm quite surprised someone on £60k gets that much UC. I guess in a high rental area for a bigger home? Do they have a few kids?
I'm not on UC, on old style, and hoping they won't change me over as I find stuff like benefits claims super stressful and anxiety inducing.

sashh · 30/03/2024 04:50

RagzRebooted · 29/03/2024 23:26

That's because a mortgage is paying off an asset that you own. If mortgage payments were covered, the state would effectively be buying you a house.

That used to be the case until Thatcher.

Brought in right to buy and at the same time stopped HB being used to pay the mortgage.

Some people defaulted on their mortgage and literally moved next door and paid double in rent what they were paying on their mortgage.

The one that gets me is the way 'right to buy' is worked out it is on the number of years you have been a tenant even if most of the time you were claiming benefits.

I don't blame anyone for using this, if I was in the position to do it I probably would and I have a friend who did it.

She moved into a 3 bed council house as a pregnant teenager and was on benefits, she did work but had FIS (anyone remember that?) and housing benefit

Her daughter actually left home at 14 (long story), my friend put herself through uni as a mature student and then when she started working full time used right to buy.

What does amuse me is that she was horrified when the council stopped cutting her grass, which they apparently did for all their tennants up until the 1980s.

Springchickenonion · 30/03/2024 04:41

@nappyvalley2024 it's not to help landlords. It's to help renters. Or should all renters on low income just be homeless because those who where in a good position to save and buy a house and have an asset are jealous? I'm saying this as a renters who doesn't get any help from any benefits ither than child benefit.

nappyvalley2024 · 30/03/2024 04:18

RagzRebooted · 29/03/2024 23:26

That's because a mortgage is paying off an asset that you own. If mortgage payments were covered, the state would effectively be buying you a house.

But it's ok to buy the landlord a house?

TheOriginalEmu · 30/03/2024 04:16

Bigbenbube · 29/03/2024 23:18

Aibu in thinking cash befits shouldn’t give more to renters

Well Id imagine it’s because you have a house with equity, benefits don’t exist to pay your mortgage for you. Renters don’t own a house and so don’t have the same ability to sell it.

Blondeshavemorefun · 30/03/2024 04:15

I get what you are saying but those with a mortgage so no housing costs get a higher work allowance which I think is £600 ish for a single person so they can earn that without losing any uc

Then after that lose 55p in every pound

Where as those who rent , May get rent paid but work allowance is much lower think around £300 and then income over that is 55p per pound deducted

In the end a mortgage is an asset

wormshuffled · 30/03/2024 04:13

What is even more annoying to me, is that it's possible to have rent paid entirely by HB and then take up the right to buy at a huge discount.

Springchickenonion · 30/03/2024 04:09

People forget they can sell their house.... renters can't do that. Having a mortgage means you own an asset. Renters don't...

SD1978 · 30/03/2024 04:05

It does irk me that a double income household here can earn more than me and still claim more than I can in family tax benefit (I'm in Australia) because their limit is capped higher than mine as a dual income, despite my significantly lower income.

Wakemeup20 · 30/03/2024 04:02

If you don’t use the housing element then your work allowance is higher

so if you use the rent element you can wasn’t a certain amount before deductions start

if you don’t use the rent element - because you don’t pay rent then you the amount you can earn before deductions starting is higher .

Trez1510 · 30/03/2024 03:42

Whytoodee · 30/03/2024 02:54

Tax payers are paying landlords mortgages for them though. My hideous father in law makes s racket out of renting out houses to uc tenants whilst he belittling me for owning a small house. He dodges tax too. So the tax payer happily pays his mortgage. Crazy

We don't 'happily' pay his mortgage, we recognise people deserve a roof over their head. Until there a massive social housing building programme enacted we simply tolerate the scourge of landlords like your father-in-law. No doubt at least some of the properties he rents were initially social housing stock.

I've seen locally two houses, one still within social housing stock and one now in the hands of a private landlord.

Both are of a very similar standard in terms of fixtures/fittings, gardens, driveways, state of repair (in fact the social housing one is better in this regard).

The rents? Social housing £480pm. Private £1400pm.

Whytoodee · 30/03/2024 02:54

Mrbumpssmile · 30/03/2024 00:23

You're confused: the extra universal credit in the calculator you're seeing is the housing element, which goes to the landlord.

If you mean you think that either renters on universal credit should be made homeless or that people with mortgages should get them paid by benefits, well, both are absurdly unreasonable.

A mortgage is a debt and benefits shouldn't really be given to pay off people's debts for them.

Of course, we need much more affordable housing so that benefits aren't being used to pay private landlords' debts for them.

(Council housing rent goes back to the treasury, so isn't lost to taxpayers like private rent is.)

Tax payers are paying landlords mortgages for them though. My hideous father in law makes s racket out of renting out houses to uc tenants whilst he belittling me for owning a small house. He dodges tax too. So the tax payer happily pays his mortgage. Crazy