High joint income and in social housing with no plans to buy. Celebrate or selfish?

[SocialHousedNHappy]

I’ve been wondering about for some time and completely understand the dire and desperate situation that many people and families find themselves in. But… I hate the way that social housing is seen as only for the most desperate, when it was introduced as a housing option for all.

My household brings in a healthy income and we pay less than 10% to our monthly rent. This means we get enjoy a modest lifestyle and put some money aside for adult DC for when they’re older - they can then choose to buy whatever they fancy, car, house deposit, uni, whatever as will be their choice.

I hate that people seem to think that I should give up my secure tenancy and move into private rent. Looking on rightmove, a comparable house would be around 3x what I’m currently paying in rent, and to be honest, I wouldn’t move to private rented ever again. But why do people react as thought I’m doing something wrong, in the same way as they think of benefit cheats? I think the govt should be put under pressure to build more social housing - proper social housing, rather than the current situation where people are pit against each other and blaming each other for what is clearly a government failing.

I don’t want to sound like I’m gloating, because I’m not, but I don’t see why I should feel bad and not celebrate the life and comfort that my social housing has allowed me to enjoy.

I’m genuinely interested to hear if anyone agrees and feels the same.

Personally, I'd feel bad if I was using up a social housing property that could go to someone needier if I could afford to buy one but if the choice was social housing or a private rental I'd hang on to the social housing option. I've seen too many friends turfed out of private rentals with a few months notice to ever feel secure living that way.

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OP's rent is not subsidised. Most social housing remaining in the system was built some time ago and has probably been paid for in rent several times over.

Many social housing tenants if they do get to be a bit better off, have bought homes at a bargain price and then either rent them out on the private market or sell them to someone else who will do so, at far higher rents. The shortages are actually because so much social housing has been lost that way. While OP might be better off than many council tenants, council and housing association properties were actually built for working people.

I don't suppose those who berate OP here are critical of landlords and dodgy private companies making a profit out of sold off social housing, at public expense.

I'm not sure that's really how taxes work tbf.. 😂 you don't get to help yourself to services intended for low income families because you pay more into the system... that's WHY there's a system. To help the people that need help. OP doesn't need help.

I'm not saying OP is cheating the system but the elephant in the room I guess is that families on that kind of salary are not the intended resident for that kind of property 🤷🏼‍♀️ not really. You can dress it up how you like and she's within her rights to stay there, they granted her that property to stay in for as long as she wanted it but if she were to apply these days or they were to reasses her situation, she would not fit the criteria any longer and she wouldn't be given social housing to live in.

OP isn't breaking the rules as such but it's a morally grey area for sure. Does she do right by her family or her community? Most of us would go family 🤷🏼‍♀️

There was an actress in the newspaper at the weekend. She's still living in her London (?) council flat, though I don't know how well off she is yet. She's one of those newly successful actresses I think.

I can understand why people don't want to move.

What @CarrotCake01 surely if they checked her and her partners income they would see she isn't eligible anymore and give the house to someone who actually needs it?

Yeah, for sure they would!

She has a lifetime lease.

@CharlotteBog yeah that's wrong. So wrong!

Sign up if you want! You'll be way down the list.
If its a 'no way can i do that!? moment... then you need to get in touch with how it works for the poors.

Signed - A Poor, living in an ex council house that my LL RTB'ed it and now pocketing our extortionate rent on his mortgage free every fucking month, the cunt.

OP - you scored good coz of the luck of the draw/times. your doing good now, fair play, I dont want to see you kicked out for your home. but fffs have a wee bit of humility. You were lucky, admit that then shut the fuck up, us poors dont need to hear it.

Just my poor thought from someone who is poor, but
is also way, way, waaaaaaaaay down the list of even getting on the list.

oh, yer. I also work hard, even though im poor. Am i not working hard enough?, is that the problem?

Do you actually believe the rubbish you just spouted?

Hang on a minute...

People in social housing get new carpets fitted for free, their grass cut for them, and subsidised rent?

I'm in social housing and I get none of this. I had to pay for all the flooring myself when I moved in and cutting the lawn is the bane of my life during summer.

Who do I complain to? And will I also get a free goat?

Shared properties and flats etc than yes it's cut as part of service charge, usually for those who can't do it etc

@iverreacted No, they don't. They pay a service charge for communal areas and are expected to carpet and decorate their own areas unless they are in sheltered accommodation.

If their income is low enough they get the housing element of UC but that is the same for private tenants. If taxes are subsidising anyone it is buy to let LL who charge extortionate rents.

@Frequency very common for support accommodation,

You do you, boo.

But I think the system should be changed. I like the points system for getting the property, but I think that the points system should be maintained throughout the tenancy. Every five years or so you should have to requalify for your property based on points.

Because as a single woman who had to work three jobs to get a mortgage, I don’t understand why other people who have more spare income than me are getting subsidized rent, while I’m paying ⅔ of my housing outgoing in interest to the bank.

Nothing wrong with living on a council estate.

what is slightly frustrating is that the house I managed to buy is on a council estate (the previous owner was a long term council tenant who bought their house then rented it out), and most of the other houses in the road are identical and paying a fraction of what I do because they’re council tenants.

I don't blame you not leaving your council home as you would not have stability in a private rent and is not your fault there are so many people homeless.
But I don't understand this post, is just to show off how much income left you have at the end of the month? Consider yourself lucky and be humble about it. If I was one of these homeless families living in a homeless shelter or sofa surfing I would be very angry reading your post.

Completely agree - and totally recognise where this shit show all started, but whilst the dream is that it should be available for all, the reality is that it isn't and that we have families living in hostels, unable to access social housing. There currently isn't enough social housing for all that need it so IMO, it should be given to those that do need it, not op who clearly doesn't anymore.

Completely agree - and totally recognise where this shit show all started, but whilst the dream is that it should be available for all, the reality is that it isn't and that we have families living in hostels, unable to access social housing. There currently isn't enough social housing for all that need it so IMO, it should be given to those that do need it, not op who clearly doesn't anymore.

I’m a firm believer in social housing. I absolutely would not give up a secure tenancy apart from buying my own
place. Private rentals are precarious who wants to move bc every other year? I’d stay put and save, plough money into pensions.

Social housing was developed to provide working class people with decent quality homes, not temporary accommodation for when in dire straits only. It’s not OP’s fault the housing system is so fucked that there’s next to no new supply of actually affordable housing and private rents have soared.

The whole culture around housing has changed so much. I remember laughing at my parents suggesting I look for social housing after I finished uni. I wasn’t getting very well paid but I was a young professional in work. The idea that I’d qualify was ridiculous, but when they were the same age in the 60s it was just what happened. It was just infrastructure then that wasn’t expected to have to be profit making, now it’s considered a safety net.

Too many people chasing too few homes. Resulting in increased private rents, increased house prices and unaffordable house prices.

Should someone feel guilty because they are in a good situation where they have a social house at an affordable rent whilst other people in worse situations struggle to find somewhere to live?

Or should she put herself first?

An interesting ethical question. With lots of different answers.

Personally I am glad to have my own house, paid for and that no one can make me leave.

I don't know what I would do in a similar situation - private renting is ridiculously expensive as are house prices at the moment.

Social housing used to be for everyone and a secure home for life. But then the Tories sold off all the good stock do there's little left.

I would be concerned about your future. I'm paying a mortgage to hopefully ensure I've got my home paid for retirement rather than pay rent.

I think you're a bit confused about the system: there's no such thing as long term unemployment benefit here in the UK;

Ah, perhaps I've been engaging in too much U.K media hype, where it's been a popular held view that people are on benefits for years!

I've never claimed benefits but even when I lived in the U.K, the only news about benefits was focused on long term unemployed, but if as you say, benefits end at a certain point, and there's no long term unemployed people, it's worrying that the media distorts the truth in this way!

I would ask you though, how long are people able to claim unemployment benefits for? 1 year? 2 years?