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Original poster

The housing crisis, a ticking bomb

37 replies

MrsVidic · 10/03/2011 14:30

Hi, I work in the housing sector and to be quite Frank I'm worried that the lack of affordable housing is just the tip of the ice berg in the crisis. I work in supported housing and our referrals have gone through the roof! What is going to happen? The denand is so much higher than the supply?

OP posts:
Paul88 · 14/03/2011 07:27

More houses need to be built - the problem we have is that everybody with any power over this has a vested interest in keeping house prices high.

Those of us lucky enough to have bought houses before the prices got out of hand need to accept that they have become overvalued and we can't expect to cash that in for our retirement. House prices need to go down.

There is something government can do, but this lot won't do it: bring back rent control. The reason the housing benefit bill has grown so much is that Thatcher abolished the fair rent system.

Mvl1972 · 13/03/2011 19:09

Property prices are still quite high! What the bank of England should do is to raise interest rates help curve the property market, bring it down to a more civilised level. It is ridiculous to think that a lot of people have been working and saving for a long time for them to afford their first home but still unable to buy a property simply becasue the houses are too expensive. Savings have such a low return with the current interest rates and people are getting nowhere. Now with the rate of inlfation soaring, oil prices on the rise, increase on VAT, adding more financial burden to everybody. The so called economists, think tanks and policy makers are simply doing a terrible job!!! Can please someone step in and do something about it!!!

Jcee · 11/03/2011 20:27

mrsvidic - I work in housing too and share your concerns. Supported housing has been particularly badly affected and I can't see much new supported housing being built in the next 4 years

I also can't see how the new "affordable" rent model at 80% of market rents will stack up...but that's a whole other debate...

Grant Shapps never did come back to finish off his live webchat, did he? Can't think why...Hmm

ambarth · 11/03/2011 19:20

The bomb's already exploded.

GabbyLoggon · 11/03/2011 11:51

I have heard that you can wait 20 years for a council house in London.

Governments in general? well I am hold enough to remember Harold Macmillan boasting about building
(I think it was) 300,000 houses in a year.

Yet many government later we are still not on top of things in respect of council housing.

Its too complex for me...But I must make it clear Macmillan did not literally build the houses. (Just did a bit of pointing and plastering) cheers

Chil1234 · 11/03/2011 11:05

HB on mortgages wouldn't work. Tax payers can't subsidise private individuals to buy assets. Tax relief was abolished on mortgage payments for that reason.

darleneconnor · 10/03/2011 21:16

Planning laws need to be relaxed so that the price of land is reduced and more houses are built eg on green belts.

Also hb should be payable on mortgages so even the poorest can build capital.

GlynisIsFixed · 10/03/2011 17:39

onagar

your post contains the one sentence that was the downfall of that very plan.

Eventually it would help bring down the prices for houses for sale too

noddyholder · 10/03/2011 17:34

There are lots of properties here on the Market for sale and to let . There is a definite feeling like there was in 2007 that landlords are jumping ship as if rates rise and prices fall buy to let will be pointless to them.

Original poster
MrsVidic · 10/03/2011 17:30

Lots of landlords are selling up and therefore their tenants have to move on before the property can be put on the Market creating lots more empty properties

OP posts:
Chil1234 · 10/03/2011 15:04

We were promised some months ago a reassessment of existing social housing allocation. Encouraging singles and couples in 3-bed properties to downsize, for example, and offering social housing on fixed term leases rather than for life. I think, if the situation is as critical as you describe, those kinds of measures will have to be brought forward.

Affordability in the private sector may yet happen because house prices are falling, buyers are scarce and there could be some bargains to be had. And private landlords may be forced to revise rents downwards if HB payments don't cover the asking price any more.

onagar · 10/03/2011 14:41

The local authority should build houses of reasonable, but not luxurious quality and charge a rental that is fair, but makes enough profit to maintain that house and eventually pay to build another. Preference should be given to applications from the poorer end of the market and no option to buy should exist.

In the long term if handled correctly it could be a source of income for the authority.

Eventually it would help bring down the prices of the houses for sale too.

These could be called 'council houses'.