Page 12 | AIBU to question Reform's plan to prioritise married couples for social housing?

QueenSophia · 2026-08-24T13:01:27+00:00

Reform have proposed to prioritise social housing for various groups : 'Rules would be changed to reserve at least half of all social homes in England for British-born workers aged under 35, with prioritisation also given to married couples, veterans, victims of domestic violence and care leavers.' I agree with DV victims, those with children, care leavers : veterans are also at high risk of homelessness. But why prioritise married couples over single people? I'm not convinced that's fair. I assume it's to encourage marriage which is a good aim but I'm not convinced if this is the right decision.

JenniferBooth · 24/08/2026 17:22

Midnightmoonface · 24/08/2026 17:20

Why would a single without children “need” an additional bedroom though?
I don’t think the majority of people think spare bedrooms should be available in council subsidised properties.
Even when children are housed they are expected to share bedrooms for quite a number of years, certainly no spare bedrooms.

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err disability somewhere for an overnight carer to stay.

Midnightmoonface · 24/08/2026 17:20

JenniferBooth · 24/08/2026 17:17

a single person still deserves more than a tiny bedsit and there are reasons other than kids where ppl will need a second bedroom

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Why would a single without children “need” an additional bedroom though?
I don’t think the majority of people think spare bedrooms should be available in council subsidised properties.
Even when children are housed they are expected to share bedrooms for quite a number of years, certainly no spare bedrooms.

JenniferBooth · 24/08/2026 17:17

oldwhyno · 24/08/2026 17:09

Devils advocate, but two people make better use of a one bedroom flat than a single person.

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a single person still deserves more than a tiny bedsit and there are reasons other than kids where ppl will need a second bedroom

XenoBitch · 24/08/2026 17:15

oldwhyno · 24/08/2026 17:09

Devils advocate, but two people make better use of a one bedroom flat than a single person.

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So single people go in bedsits then? Or HMOs?

oldwhyno · 24/08/2026 17:09

JenniferBooth · 24/08/2026 15:17

Two people WITHOUT kids will get a one bedroom FLAT not a house. DH and i got our flat in 1994 four years before we got married. We spent two years and three months before that in a bedsit
House indeed!

Oh i see he means couples with kids But like i said they have always qualified for a house. The childfree or childless dont

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Devils advocate, but two people make better use of a one bedroom flat than a single person.

FFSItsTooHot · 24/08/2026 17:06

XenoBitch · 24/08/2026 16:51

The demand for social housing where I live is so great, it is means tested. A couple with a joint of income of £40k wont be eligible... so even a couple, married or not, both in FT NMW work would not get a look in anyway.

Same in the borough that I live in. A friend of mine had been on the waiting list for nearly 10 years, and had been living with her mother,with herself,her husband and daughter in one bedroom,was told that they only just scraped in to qualify with a joint income of 32 K.

caringcarer · 24/08/2026 17:06

T1mTum · 24/08/2026 16:13

So they’re only going to prioritise married couples not unmarried couples. That's outrageous. Who are they to dictate what people do?

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They are not dictating what people do. They simply state if they were in government they would prioritise married couples over unmarried people where there are no DC involved. It's hardly a controversial policy.

caringcarer · 24/08/2026 17:06

T1mTum · 24/08/2026 16:13

So they’re only going to prioritise married couples not unmarried couples. That's outrageous. Who are they to dictate what people do?

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They are not dictating what people do. They simply state if they were in government they would prioritise married couples over unmarried people where there are no DC involved. It's hardly a controversial policy.

JenniferBooth · 24/08/2026 17:02

Midnightmoonface · 24/08/2026 17:01

Surely the gender of single people wanting to be housed by the council should be irrelevant?

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You"d think wouldnt you

Midnightmoonface · 24/08/2026 17:01

JenniferBooth · 24/08/2026 16:54

Im talking about single women without kids

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Surely the gender of single people wanting to be housed by the council should be irrelevant?

FFSItsTooHot · 24/08/2026 16:59

So are they going to turf unmarried couples,who may have been there for years,out of social housing?

JenniferBooth · 24/08/2026 16:57

Friendlygingercat · 24/08/2026 16:55

So what are they going to do with all the studio and one bedroom flats that are not suitable for couples with children? Single people already subsidise those with children to a degree which is deeply unfair when it is the parents who are imposing the burden upon society.

When they were waxing lyrical about possible conscription a while back the child free were second in line there not last 🙄

Friendlygingercat · 24/08/2026 16:55

So what are they going to do with all the studio and one bedroom flats that are not suitable for couples with children? Single people already subsidise those with children to a degree which is deeply unfair when it is the parents who are imposing the burden upon society.

DrCoconut · 24/08/2026 16:55

😂at the reform leadership pontificating abut marriage ad expecting people to take them seriously.

Original poster

QueenSophia · 24/08/2026 16:54

Midnightmoonface · 24/08/2026 16:52

Is there any actual evidence that single women with children would be lower down on the list than married couples though?

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Yes, I think the priority ladder would be : married couple with kids, unmarried/singles with kids, married couple without kids, single/unmarried without kids, if I've read correctly.

OP posts:

JenniferBooth · 24/08/2026 16:54

Midnightmoonface · 24/08/2026 16:52

Is there any actual evidence that single women with children would be lower down on the list than married couples though?

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Im talking about single women without kids

BillieWiper · 24/08/2026 16:52

Yeah he's a mug.

Original poster

QueenSophia · 24/08/2026 16:52

Minasama · 24/08/2026 16:46

Wow, that’s interesting.

As far as I can tell, there has been an almost total breakdown of marriage outside wealthy, educated people who married late.
The state then picks up the bill in a lot of cases and the system so far has incentivised separate living in some cases.,

So any societal nudges back in the direction of stable two-parent families seems like a good idea. I guess the point here is that if there are two of you together and you still can’t earn enough, you must really be in dire straits.

I would love to see some proper analysis on the projections and thinking here though. I do think it’s just so
sad how many of my daughters’ friends have no dads. Something surely has to give.

'. I do think it’s just so sad how many of my daughters’ friends have no dads. '

this is really sad. I definitely think something needs to be done : I'm just not convinced prioritising married couples for social housing is it.

Can I ask : what are the main reasons (I understand you may not know) why your daughter's friends' dads are absent? Because they are uninterested? Feel they would be worse off financially if they committed? The mothers didn't want to commit? Other reasons?

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Midnightmoonface · 24/08/2026 16:52

JenniferBooth · 24/08/2026 16:50

All that does is flip reverse it Desperate single women without kids may be tempted to move in with a man they have only been dating for five mins cos women without kids are such low priority.

See also the sex for rent scandal from a couple of years back

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Is there any actual evidence that single women with children would be lower down on the list than married couples though?

XenoBitch · 24/08/2026 16:51

The demand for social housing where I live is so great, it is means tested. A couple with a joint of income of £40k wont be eligible... so even a couple, married or not, both in FT NMW work would not get a look in anyway.

JenniferBooth · 24/08/2026 16:50

QueenSophia · 24/08/2026 16:41

Thanks,, this is important info. I hadn't realised this about veterans. If they are not more likely to be homeless then I don't think they should be prioritised. I agree US data can also confuse things.
Good point also re violent men trying to get houses through single women with kids.

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All that does is flip reverse it Desperate single women without kids may be tempted to move in with a man they have only been dating for five mins cos women without kids are such low priority.

See also the sex for rent scandal from a couple of years back

Winter2020 · 24/08/2026 16:48

I think the point with veterans is that their homelessness can stem from difficulty reintegrating into civilian life and trauma/PTSD/ physical injury from their service to their country so we have a duty to look after them.

Minasama · 24/08/2026 16:46

Wow, that’s interesting.

As far as I can tell, there has been an almost total breakdown of marriage outside wealthy, educated people who married late.
The state then picks up the bill in a lot of cases and the system so far has incentivised separate living in some cases.,

So any societal nudges back in the direction of stable two-parent families seems like a good idea. I guess the point here is that if there are two of you together and you still can’t earn enough, you must really be in dire straits.

I would love to see some proper analysis on the projections and thinking here though. I do think it’s just so
sad how many of my daughters’ friends have no dads. Something surely has to give.

x2boys · 24/08/2026 16:46

I thought it was working couples with young families over single unemployed people.

JenniferBooth · 24/08/2026 16:44

aliasfrog · 24/08/2026 16:27

Quite. They likely hate single women without kids much more than they do single women with kids.

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They arent the only ones