Private renting so much more than housing association!

[Generationrenter]

Just moved to a new build and the rent is £1300pm, neighbours are HA tenants and paying £500 for the exact same house. We both earn around the same amount.

I’m not saying their rent should be more and think HA properties are great (I’ve been on a waiting list for 6 years as renting is bankrupting me so certainly not knocking it!) but surely efforts should be made within budgets that make HA rents so low to reduce private rents?

I know private renting has become so unaffordable but is there anything that can be done? £800 difference a month for the same house just seems insane!

Guess it is just a vent but it doesn’t make sense to me!

Educate yourself

www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2015/aug/07/housing-asssociation-no-longer-build-homes-poor-genesis

My neighbour bought his house 14 years before I did. Therefore he paid less than me. His earnings have gone up during that time. If he therefore had to pay more money to the developer who built the house, they could afford to build more houses and people wouldn't be homeless.

I worked in local authority as a private sector housing adviser years ago, before the boom in private renting.

We voiced concerns as a team that private rents would go through the roof, with landlords able to charge what they liked. We were assured on numerous occasions that private landlords wouldn't be allowed to do this. & that although obviously it is to be expected that private rents are higher than council and HA, private rents would be capped so that people weren't left to struggle paying astronomical rent.

As is usually the case with UK government, it was a total lie. However, HA and council tenants shouldn't be penalised for this. Them paying more won't improve a private tenants situation, after all. & it's isn't their fault. Just creates feelings of envy and dissatisfaction looking at what others have.

Or doesn't it work like that?

Educate on what? Housing associations shouldn’t sell of stock as I said unless it’s for the purpose of building more.
As that article also says, HAs are struggling to be able to provide the service that they once were because they don’t have the funds too - so why are you fighting for people earning good wages to continue to pay the lowest possible rents to them? Rather than them pay a slightly higher rate to secure the future of social housing?

zsazsajuju

“Ewit - sorry but you are entirely wrong. Social housing is subsidised by the tax payers. You can be as rude as you like but you’ll still be wrong”

Yep a 1000 times. Some people have massive chips on their shoulders.

www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/property/persimmon-homes-problems-development-bristol-2611747

Housing developer Persimmon slammed for home built 'with 700 faults

I think people are misunderstanding. I don’t think upping HA rents will decrease private rents, but it will free up more money for them to have more HA stock that more people can access. The more HA stock, the less private stock needed so this may also in turn reduce rentals.
This shouldn’t be done at the expense of vulrenable people but to people in a good financial position that could afford higher rents.

Mistressdeecee I think privatising anything generally means it becomes more expensive and also ends up, eventually, costing the government more than if it were publicly run. This is as true of the privatisation of rental provision as it is of the railways, water, utilities etc.

www.gov.uk/government/news/2-billion-boost-for-affordable-housing-and-long-term-deal-for-social-rent

For example that link shows that we as taxpayers are paying 9bn in subsidies to housing associations in the period from 2017 to 2020. So as a public resource they should be properly allocated. It is unfair that there are some in subsidised housing who don’t need it when there are others who desperately need it.

"No one is berating SH tenants, if anything is wrong it’s people like you wanting to make sure your rent stays low as possible over ensuring there’s enough stock to house the homeless."

Your entire OP was about you wanting private rents reduced so that you didn't have more than your neighbour. You were even willing to have your neighbour's rent doubled to achieve that aim. It's a little late to declare that your motives are altruistic.

Did you miss my links on the surpluses that Sanctuary Clarion and Midland Heart have got.
HAs also have several lavish awards ceremonies several times a year.

HA rents are kept too low, creating a privilege for those able to get them. Lifetime tenancies need to be scrapped, annual reviews brought in to assess both income and need (eg too many/ too few bedrooms), and compulsory programmes to help HA tenants improve their lot in life. Some need budgeting support (although many are experts are making a penny into a pound and could give the Treasury a few lessons), but also upskilling support / training.
One of my neighbours pays a maximum of 325/mth for a 3 bed when the private rate is 1650; the rent rates are published on the HA website. They own a 18 reg and a 19 reg car, go to Spain two weeks all inclusive with the two kids (I’ve often fed their cat), and the living room looks like a Curry’s showroom. They’re often stumbling out of a taxi most weekends. We’re on slightly above average wages with a mortgage and cannot afford their lifestyle. We’ve got friends who are genuinely struggling on baked beans to pay the rent, so it’s hard not to think that those who’ve had a hand up have a responsibility to move on and let someone else benefit from the support.
And landlords are not a charity, they’re a business with significant risks.

@harold that’s not generally true. A lot of privatised industries are much more efficient and less wasteful than the public sector. Housing in fact is built much more cheaply by the private sector than housing associations (about half the cost).

No one is berating SH tenants, if anything is wrong it’s people like you wanting to make sure your rent stays low as possible over ensuring there’s enough stock to house the homeless

It's the government's fault, not HA and council tenants fault. Find out where you can protest against rent disparity, contact Shelter to see if they are campaigning. Venting at tenants on here simply isn't going to change your situation. & it looks and sounds as if you are baiting.

May make you feel better for a while having a go at someone else I suppose, but thats short-lived isn't it.

They are private landlord forums online too, where you can make your voice heard.

£10 billion every year to private landlords tho. That's a lot of money, isn't it. That's a lot of retirement savings. A lot of cruises. A lot of deposits on a next buy to let vehicle. A lot of second cars. A lot of new shoes. A lot of meals out. It's a lot of money for private individuals to be given by the government.

Unfortunately many public bodies and third sector organisations are all too keen on awarding themselves massive pay rises and splashing the cash. There is no accountability at all to those on waiting lists and little to actual tenants.

And private landlords are accountable to who, exactly?

Pixies ive seen attitudes like yours coming from some who work in the sector This is why i audio record every interaction with them.

23% of social housing tenants are pensioners btw .................oh dont tell me You would have them doing workfare.

I always recall Bob Crow earning £145,000 a year and living in a council house... he thought that everyone should have a house given to them by the council. Bullshit, people have a moral responsibility to provide their own housing however the government should provide temporary conditional limited assistance
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/bob-crow-i-have-no-moral-duty-to-move-out-of-council-house-despite-receiving-six-figure-salary-as-8964238.html

@harold - housing benefits to pay rent is paying for a service. Its limited to a certain amount too. Its ridiculous to suggest this is money for people to go on cruises- it’s money to house people. Should we stop people spending their benefits on any private service? What about supermarkets? Can people buy food? Is that ok with you? Or is that paying for all the tesco shareholders to go on cruises?

Basic understanding of economics helps...

Private landlords are not given huge government grants Harold. They are paid for a service. They are accountable to local authorities, tenants, lenders insurance companies, etc to different degrees. But again they are not non profits getting massive grants. They are in business providing a service and are subject to market forces.

So easy to tell who are the landlords in this thread I’m sure they will deny it of course, shouldn’t they be proud of the service they offer the public after all they shouldn’t be ashamed of being parasites of the public purse for something that should be considered a human right and not for the profit of these benefit scroungers

Harold private landlords are providing a service. That service has to be paid for as private landlords are not charities. Tax payers are paying for the housing costs of housing benefit recipients, they are not subsidising landlords.

@helenadove that’s an awfully big assumption but since we’re making assumptions, I can only assume that you’d rather have healthy people sit on their arses watching Jeremy Kyle in their HA homes between all inclusive package holidays to Spain while the suckers like my DH and I go to work full time to pay our mortgage and watch our taxes be frittered away.
I’d rather those who did need support to get on their feet and achieve a good self sufficient life be given help, but not an indefinite free ride. If it’s training or education, great give it to them (nb: university fees are too expensive, but there needs to be better access to apprenticeships too). But if after a few years, you’re still getting nowhere then stronger controls need to be introduced. Broadly no one should need a lifelong tenancy unless they have a long term disability.
I’d rather spend money on healthcare for the elderly or the disabled, or after school clubs for kids in disadvantaged areas, or providing additional police, nurses, teachers or hospital beds. I’ll never, ever support large scale HA tenancies for all.