Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

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

780 replies

SocialHousedNHappy · 27/11/2023 21:57

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.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
Kitkat1523 · 10/12/2023 11:11

Startingagainandagain · 07/12/2023 18:12

The smugness is rather sad I must say.

You played the system and the current rules allow you to stay put. It does not mean people have to agree with you.

And I really would not gloat about it on thread like this. Really tasteless.

Edited

how did OP play the system? 🙄
she’s in the same situation and around 30 people I know locally or work with….that’s just how it works🤷‍♀️

Frequency · 10/12/2023 13:30

she’s in the same situation and around 30 people I know locally or work with….that’s just how it works

Most SH tenants stay in SH once they have one. I don't know anyone who has voluntarily given up their SH tenancy to go back to private renting. And anyone who did, I would question their sanity.

You only have to look at the recent thread where the OP's LL is trying to sue her for wear and tear after 10 years and the number of posters who have said their LL also tried to do the same to them to see what people's experiences of private letting are.

I can afford to rent privately but I won't. The government could offer me all the incentives they wanted to, but unless one of those incentives was an actually affordable home to buy, I'm staying put.

Nothing but homeownership could get me back into the private rental market with all the insecurity it brings and the high risk of experiencing greedy, unprofessional LLs, or ineffective, lazy LLs.

If an earnings threshold ever is brought in I will make sure I never hit it, so not only will the LA not get back my house, but the central government would also lose potential PAYE tax and NI contributions.

EmpressSoleil · 10/12/2023 16:43

If an earnings threshold ever is brought in I will make sure I never hit it, so not only will the LA not get back my house, but the central government would also lose potential PAYE tax and NI contributions

Absolutely agree with you. As I always say, the main reason most people work is to put a roof over their head. If working means they’d lose it, then why would they work?

I do feel for the people who are stuck in unsatisfactory accommodation. But many SH tenants have been there too. That’s how we got SH. We didn’t just get handed the keys to our ideal home the moment we asked for help. It happens occasionally but it’s rare.

I’m in a nice place now. But it was a long road to get here (15 years). It didn’t happen overnight. That’s why the majority of people will hang on when they get a nice place, because it was so hard to get in the first place.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Benefits
Beezknees · 10/12/2023 21:35

Frequency · 10/12/2023 13:30

she’s in the same situation and around 30 people I know locally or work with….that’s just how it works

Most SH tenants stay in SH once they have one. I don't know anyone who has voluntarily given up their SH tenancy to go back to private renting. And anyone who did, I would question their sanity.

You only have to look at the recent thread where the OP's LL is trying to sue her for wear and tear after 10 years and the number of posters who have said their LL also tried to do the same to them to see what people's experiences of private letting are.

I can afford to rent privately but I won't. The government could offer me all the incentives they wanted to, but unless one of those incentives was an actually affordable home to buy, I'm staying put.

Nothing but homeownership could get me back into the private rental market with all the insecurity it brings and the high risk of experiencing greedy, unprofessional LLs, or ineffective, lazy LLs.

If an earnings threshold ever is brought in I will make sure I never hit it, so not only will the LA not get back my house, but the central government would also lose potential PAYE tax and NI contributions.

Absolutely, as a social housing tenant I would purposely avoid hitting the earnings threshold if one was introduced. So would most of us I reckon. Same way a lot of people avoid going to a salary of £100k so they don't have to pay more tax.

JenniferBooth · 10/12/2023 21:49

Beezknees · 10/12/2023 21:35

Absolutely, as a social housing tenant I would purposely avoid hitting the earnings threshold if one was introduced. So would most of us I reckon. Same way a lot of people avoid going to a salary of £100k so they don't have to pay more tax.

Show quote history

And i wonder how many on this thread denigrating social housing tenants are doing just that!!

1975wasthebest · 10/12/2023 22:14

But you don’t know how much the threshold would be, do you? I’m all for it, it would be a nice revenue boost for the government, but I can’t see it happening.

Frequency · 10/12/2023 22:28

1975wasthebest · 10/12/2023 22:14

But you don’t know how much the threshold would be, do you? I’m all for it, it would be a nice revenue boost for the government, but I can’t see it happening.

I think we are talking about different things. I was referring to the earnings threshold mentioned earlier where a tenant would be no longer eligible to remain in their home if they earned above a certain threshold.

I'm not seeing how that would increase revenue for central or local governments.

updownleftrightstart · 11/12/2023 07:01

Beezknees · 10/12/2023 21:35

Absolutely, as a social housing tenant I would purposely avoid hitting the earnings threshold if one was introduced. So would most of us I reckon. Same way a lot of people avoid going to a salary of £100k so they don't have to pay more tax.

Show quote history

Who would do this? Your take home pay on 100k is still more than on 99k. Why would anyone limit their income just so they don’t pay a higher rate of tax on the extra? The only reason I can think of is if someone would lose the 15 hours free childcare, but even that’s only an issue for a short period of time

Frequency · 11/12/2023 08:20

It's never made sense to me either but if you look back at any thread about raising taxes for the higher earners you will see a not-insignificant number of posters who claim they or their husbands have turned down promotions to avoid moving to the next tax bracket because they believe they pay too much already. It's always seemed like cutting off your nose to spite your face to me, but it happens.

If it came to someone losing their home though I would absolutely understand why they would purposely limit their income. The majority of people in temporary accommodation are there because of issues with the private letting market (extortionate, unaffordable rent, section 21 evictions, etc). A lot of people in social housing are there for the same reasons. Expecting them to voluntarily re-enter the system which screwed them so badly in the past is madness. The vast majority would do everything they could to avoid it.

I've just checked Rightmove for the cheapest suitable house for sale for us in my area. It was £250,000. To comfortably secure a mortgage for a property like that I'd need to earn over £55,000 p/a so any threshold would need to be over £55k p/a for me to consider allowing my income to exceed that which means it would affect so few social housing tenants it would be pointless.

1975wasthebest · 13/12/2023 22:13

I couldn't let this thread by @SocialHousedNHappy wither without highlighting a post made a few weeks ago which I've just remembered and sums up with about my feelings for OP and her kind far better than anything I could come up:

Selfish. Really selfish. You’re accepting a hand out you don’t need when there are 123,000 homeless children in the UK right now and young adults with no hope of getting on the housing ladder. You’re looking after you and yours - fine, I get it. But on the back of taxpayers’ money and at the expense of people that genuinely need the help?

Do you really need to ask the question?

There are plenty of things that are legal but not moral. Take your seat at the table with Amazon and Starbucks, for gaming the system to suit you and having a nice little brag about it. Crank that heating up to 23 and get another goose in for Christmas - you can afford it!

Bravo @CauliflowerBalti !

Kitkat1523 · 13/12/2023 22:24

1975wasthebest · 13/12/2023 22:13

I couldn't let this thread by @SocialHousedNHappy wither without highlighting a post made a few weeks ago which I've just remembered and sums up with about my feelings for OP and her kind far better than anything I could come up:

Selfish. Really selfish. You’re accepting a hand out you don’t need when there are 123,000 homeless children in the UK right now and young adults with no hope of getting on the housing ladder. You’re looking after you and yours - fine, I get it. But on the back of taxpayers’ money and at the expense of people that genuinely need the help?

Do you really need to ask the question?

There are plenty of things that are legal but not moral. Take your seat at the table with Amazon and Starbucks, for gaming the system to suit you and having a nice little brag about it. Crank that heating up to 23 and get another goose in for Christmas - you can afford it!

Bravo @CauliflowerBalti !

Fucks sake 🙄

copperpipess · 13/12/2023 22:38

I can't fathom why you'd want to live in a social housing estate with all the money you claim to have.

Wouldn't you like nice neighbours?

Inastatus · 13/12/2023 22:41

@1975wasthebest 100% , champagne socialists! probably the same sort of people who are the first to call others selfish when they have posted for advice about covid and having to work or send their kids to school when positive.

FrancisSeaton · 13/12/2023 23:00

copperpipess · 13/12/2023 22:38

I can't fathom why you'd want to live in a social housing estate with all the money you claim to have.

Wouldn't you like nice neighbours?

W ⚓️

JenniferBooth · 13/12/2023 23:30

MN Social housing should only be for the most desperate and those with problems.,
Also MN Wouldnt you like nice neighbours

Jesus the fucking cognitive dissonance. <head desk>

Original poster
SocialHousedNHappy · 14/12/2023 00:15

copperpipess · 13/12/2023 22:38

I can't fathom why you'd want to live in a social housing estate with all the money you claim to have.

Wouldn't you like nice neighbours?

This right here proves my point about narratives around who social housing is for and the type of people SH tenants are.

OP posts:
Original poster
SocialHousedNHappy · 14/12/2023 00:18

1975wasthebest · 13/12/2023 22:13

I couldn't let this thread by @SocialHousedNHappy wither without highlighting a post made a few weeks ago which I've just remembered and sums up with about my feelings for OP and her kind far better than anything I could come up:

Selfish. Really selfish. You’re accepting a hand out you don’t need when there are 123,000 homeless children in the UK right now and young adults with no hope of getting on the housing ladder. You’re looking after you and yours - fine, I get it. But on the back of taxpayers’ money and at the expense of people that genuinely need the help?

Do you really need to ask the question?

There are plenty of things that are legal but not moral. Take your seat at the table with Amazon and Starbucks, for gaming the system to suit you and having a nice little brag about it. Crank that heating up to 23 and get another goose in for Christmas - you can afford it!

Bravo @CauliflowerBalti !

You seriously revived the thread at @‘d me to say this? In case you think I missed it, I didn’t as I saw it the first time. Posting it twice doesn’t make it right, but I respect that it’s an opinion that you share, and I don’t. Nothing more or less than that.

OP posts:
Original poster
SocialHousedNHappy · 14/12/2023 00:19

FrancisSeaton · 13/12/2023 23:00

W ⚓️

Show quote history

Can’t believe it took me ages to work out what this meant though… 😁

OP posts:
1975wasthebest · 14/12/2023 06:51

Revived is reaching, OP. The post before mine was only made two days ago.

But hey, with your provocative NN and your inflammatory title in your OP, I hope you got the attention you seem to want.

honeysuckleweeks · 14/12/2023 10:16

The whole OP and their subsequent comments smack of "look how lucky and smart I am - but don't dare criticise me",. Very strange post . Op might want to think about what they were trying to achieve, besides riling some people, and making social housing tenants feel even less well thought of. Odd behaviour.

XenoBitch · 14/12/2023 12:47

copperpipess · 13/12/2023 22:38

I can't fathom why you'd want to live in a social housing estate with all the money you claim to have.

Wouldn't you like nice neighbours?

My neighbours are total wankers, and they own their house.

Dontcallmescarface · 14/12/2023 14:33

copperpipess · 13/12/2023 22:38

I can't fathom why you'd want to live in a social housing estate with all the money you claim to have.

Wouldn't you like nice neighbours?

A thread from someone whose neighbour bought their own home (presumably the OP owns her own home as well).

Owning your own home does not guarantee nice neighbours.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/ami_being_unreasonable/4961490-to-want-to-go-mad-about-neighbours-business

To want to go mad about neighbours business? | Mumsnet

I want to complain (although HATE confrontation) my DH doesn't see the issue. This house next door to us sold last spring, the first thing the new...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4961490-to-want-to-go-mad-about-neighbours-business

HerMammy · 14/12/2023 16:41

@copperpipess
Wouldn't you like nice neighbours?
Back to that are we? everyone is SH is an anti social scumbag?
My neighbours in a previously very nice area were utter arseholes, money doesn't buy manners or decency.

copperpipess · 15/12/2023 21:52

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

stomachameleon · 15/12/2023 21:59

@copperpipess that's not very nice and certainly not my experience.

I am not 'coming at you' but referring to people as 'animals'. There is just no need.