How do housing benefits work in the UK?

[Espressoroast]

Trying again - genuinely not trying to be goady. I’m not from the UK and my home country has a very different system.

I am a nurse (band 5, NHS) and have a colleague who lives with her mum, both also Band 5, full time employment. They’ve been in a council flat for ages (10+ years) and been both employed that whole time. I would imagine there are others who need the housing more urgently or are less able to pay on the privat market?

In my country, housing benefit must be reassessed periodically so that if you make more than a certain amount you will pay market rate and be asked to leave funded housing. Is that not how it works here? What are the benefits of the system this way?

@Etonmessisyum

I’m a nurse band 5, don’t work full time however. Been in homeless temporary accommodation with my kids for nearly 4 years. So when I eventually get a flat/house if I earn too much you want me turfed out? It’s unlikely as I have a sen son and I can’t work more as he’s not suitable for out of school childcare. I’m a single parent and this is the second temporary home I’ve had. None of my own furniture or decor, can’t hang anything up. No shower etc It’s not a home it’s limbo. Yes it’s a roof. And I pay all of the rent here. Every penny as will I elsewhere. There are no houses. No rentals either,

If you don't work full time then you won't be on a high wage. I think people are talking about those on high wages.

Housing benefit and social housing are two different things. Housing benefit is means tested (now part of universal credit but was stand alone) whereas council housing you rent for a fair rent, it's just your landlord is the council. Whether it's even cheaper than private rents varies depending on where you live (in expensive areas council rents are cheaper than the prevailing local rent but in cheaper areas you can sometimes find cheaper private let's)

Yes I think HA should be reassessed according to income- but with a common sense limit- what people fail to grasp is people in the private home market have to move and make decisions according to their income all the time. No one has the right to a particular home, there are decade long waiting lists the system has to change

HOUSING BENEFIT IS NOT THE SAME THING AS SOCIAL HOUSING!!!!!!
Anyone, in social housing or private can apply for housing benefit.

HOUSING BENEFIT IS MONEY GIVEN TO PEOPLE ON LOW INCOME YO HELP THEM PAY THEIR RENT.

People in social housing also pay rent. They don't get a free home.

If someone is in social housing and on a low income they will get housing benefit. WHICH IS MONEY TO HELP PAY RENT.

Anyone can apply for social housing but due to the shortage only those in highest need will get it.

Jesus fucking Christ. It's not hard!

I do not believe that you can be a band 5 nurse, have such a high standard of written English, be able to use the internet to join up and post on here yet apparently cannot Google "what is housing benefit". "What is social housing". And figure it out.

IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves, don't know what song you've got to get on your nerves, but shouting is a very way of getting on everybody else's.

Yes people in social housing should be made to give it back once they earn over a certain amount. It's not their gone, it belongs to the council and can go to those more in need. People who stay in council homes when they could afford to move elsewhere are part of the problem.

@romdowa

It's weird that social housing rents aren't means tested. Here in the republic of Ireland, the council do rent assessments every few years and if your income goes up , so does your rent. There is a maximum that the council can charge though which is always well under market rents.

That's because here you pay 'market rate', the rent also goes up every year regardless of income.

Oh and I'm disabled, have you ever tried to buy / rent a property where you can use a wheelchair?

OP

Housing benefit is being phased out, it is now part of universal credit, it has nothing to do with whether you rent privately or you rent via the council or a HA.

Tough shit.
Posting a goady thread claiming to think housing benefits were social housing, ticking every box of scummy council tenant stereotype bingo, having that thread deleted for being goady, signing up for round two with slightly changed language but the same stupid bollocks pretending to not know anything about social housing is getting on my nerves.

[quote WeAreTheHeroes]@MargotMoon - think you've misread my post.[/quote]

I have indeed. Apologies. That'll teach me to Mumsnet without my glasses on 🤓

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4358736-Why-aren-t-housing-benefits-means-tested
The ops first goady thread .

Housing benefit is a monetary benefit paid towards you living costs. It’s only available for new claims for those of state retirement age.

Social housing is available for anyone to apply, but your circumstances may mean you’re not eligible to go on the housing list. You can’t usually inherit a tenancy from a parent

We also have benefit reduction aka "bedroom tax" which is if you are in rented whether private or social and you are on a low income you will only receive recognition of the amount of bedrooms you need and also the rent allowance for that sized property in your area.

I know in Germany you can stay in your social housing as long as you want but they have a "bedroom tax" type element so most move out of family homes and thus free them up.

@IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves

Tough shit. Posting a goady thread claiming to think housing benefits were social housing, ticking every box of scummy council tenant stereotype bingo, having that thread deleted for being goady, signing up for round two with slightly changed language but the same stupid bollocks pretending to not know anything about social housing is getting on my nerves.

I totally agree, it’s tiresome 🥱😴

Apologies, I had them confused. I meant to ask about council housing and why it is a lifetime allowance. I don’t think anyone in need should be asked to leave but surely there are others who need it more? My colleague for instance lives with her mum - Both working adults on a Band 5 wage and no children or other dependents. I know another colleague, band 3, also in council housing, a 2 bed flat, with an adult daughter and 3 LOs, one with SEN. They can’t find a larger place to accommodate them because waits are too long. Surely if there were an annual review that would clear up space? Yes the private market is challenging but should the system not be supporting the neediest?

More recent social housing tenancies can be time limited and reviewed. Housing benefit has become part of universal credit and is income related and determined by local housing allowance for the size of household.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

No, they don't close to do so easily, but many have to. Many are no doubt midwifes and nurses and other "worthy" professions, so why should your friend specifically be insulated against that?

If she no longer fits the criteria someone whose needs are greater can have it, is that difficult to grasp? As for shifts, as you say midwifes are in demand, she should be able to find employment everywhere.

So because some people struggle we should ensure everyone that needs affordable housing does?

How does that help society? Surely we should be looking to people being able to live in secure, affordable accommodation, and create this for everyone. Not penalising people for bettering their earning potential and sending them back to the place they struggled to move in from.

Wow.

My social housing is funded by ME. I pay the rent. All of it, myself, as a single person with 3 kids. I couldn’t afford to do that privately. If I had to move out, as a single mum, no one would want to rent to me and we’d be homeless again. Kids would have to change school again, maybe I’d have to give up work again. Also, in social housing, you have to fund things yourself that private tenants don’t. Fences. Flooring. Things you need to have and can’t take with you.

It helps society because then someone else can get the help they need. If someone earns over a certain threshold then but are still taking advantage of social provisions they don't meet the requirements for then how is that fair?

Having housing provided at a lower cost is what creates the opportunity to move on alter.

Yes the private market is challenging but should the system not be supporting the neediest?

The system needs more provision. Social housing wasn’t originally just for folk on the bones of their arse, but intended to be secure, reasonable sustainable housing for those who wanted it.

They were sold off. I have a friend who’s mum did a right to buy. Zone 2 £60k purchase. He bought it from mum years later for £200k market price, she bought a 3 bed house cash.

Flat prob now worth about £400k if not more. Housing benefit pays tenants for the mortgage.

Huge transfer of public wealth into private hands.

I don’t blame the player, I blame the game.

OK, so you move in, single person, three kids. You work hard, you quite qualifications, you start earning more, your children start leaving home.

Is it still fair for you to occupy social housing under the same conditions and rent you did when you moved in? Wouldn't it be fairer to have someone move in who needs it the way you did when you moved in?

More social housing is the answer to a lot of housing problems.

We’ve had a massive influx of housing association building in the last few years. It’s assisted there people who got those places. There’s some mid-market rent properties in the middle of them - allowing people who can afford to pay a bit more a higher level of security.

It’s kept private rents at a non-ridiculous level and at least three of the scummy landlords have sold up because there’s more choices for people so they’re not willing to accept their squalid “flats”.

The town I lived in from 7-11 was all council houses. It’s now a mix because of the sell off in the 80s and 90s, but more social housing is the answer. Not limiting people and making them leave their homes.

To clarify my point:

1. Look up in this argument, not those scrambling around for a home. Ive never rented private or social but recognise that private sounds horrendous.

1. Friend never lived in that flat after purchase, the mortgage (if it hasn’t been paid off) has been mainly paid by the public purse.

1. The positioning is IMO, that’s great your friend has secure reasonable housing. What is the govt doing to ensure the disadvantaged/struggling have the same.

No, if you don't restrict input then you can never provide enough output, for anything, not just housing, and building cannot keep growing forever.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

No, they don't close to do so easily, but many have to. Many are no doubt midwifes and nurses and other "worthy" professions, so why should your friend specifically be insulated against that?

If she no longer fits the criteria someone whose needs are greater can have it, is that difficult to grasp? As for shifts, as you say midwifes are in demand, she should be able to find employment everywhere.

Lots of people are forced to move schools and away from family and friends all the time because they can't afford to live in their number one choice. Why should she get to stay when others have to move? That's life.

I think people should be assessed regularly and asked to leave if they earn over a certain amount and can pay private rent. Many people not in social housing pay private rent and have uncertainty etc, why should she have an advantage? The properties need to be freed up for people who's need is greater. Maybe these people are in temporary accommodation, hotels or homeless. Councils forking out loads of money to pay for this whilst your friend earns a decent amount and gets reduced rent? Should she get to stay because she doesn't want to move away from family and schools at the expense of these people? The system should be temporary, not permanent where suitable. This is why there is such a housing crisis for those in need.