Keeping a UK Council property for life even though you no longer live in the UK

[Vintlet]

This story has just been released
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyxkeny8x6o
It seems so unfair given the lack of social housing in the uk that the First Lady of Sierra Leone expected to be allowed to keep her London social housing property as a pied a terre. Surely we cannot be expected to house the world. No one in authority would have realised given that she was still paying the rent if she hadn’t boasted about keeping it on a radio interview. I wonder how many people keep and sublet uk council properties when they no longer have a right to keep it.

The whole point is though that she isn't allowed to do that and the house has been taken from her.

Sadly, this is only news because she’s Black and foreign. I can only guess how many white British pensioners there are in Tenerife doing the same!

I guess if rent and CT is being paid, how would the council know the property is vacant?

All worked out well I guess? Dunno what the point of this thread is really

Probably wrong but my daughter has one and we intend on keeping it in the family cone hell or high water even though her household income is now a far cry from when she got it as a single mum at 20

If she ever bought with her husband -which is likely- and moved on she would succede the tenancy to one of her brothers first and them the same and so on I used to work in social housing and stock is like hens teeth around here so we are hanging onto it for the family no matter what.

Even if you do live in it I’m not sure it’s really justifiable to have a council house for life anymore, regardless of the job and income you go on to have when there is a shortage at the other end.
But this story is mad.

Can't you only pass the tenancy on once under current rules?

You can only pass on the tenancy once to someone who can prove that the address is their home.

Exactly what’s wrong with the system and those who milk it and why many people end up being stuck in B&Bs instead of being housed properly when they are in need.

Yes, but no one responsible for housing realised until she gave an interview in which she said that she had kept her London Council property for when she visited the UK. She is the President of Sierra Leone. The bizarre issue is that if she hadn’t blabbed about it she could have kept the property for ever and passed it to her children.She is very high profile so it must have been obvious that she no longer lived there. The news report points out that she wasn’t evicted so presumably she had pressure put on her to give it up because it is embarrassing to the uk.

Not around here thankfully
Her husband is not in the tenancy so she will add one of her brothers and then leave, he will then take her off in 6 months/year and then if need be add one of his other brothers
that’s how we will do it
I used to see it all the time

Absolutely -it’s naughty but my feeling is you have look after yourself and your kids and Grandkids nobody else is going to do it for you.
The rich seem to have no issue with getting a leg up and a break where they can got themselves and their kids
I want security for mine and for this ethics out the windows

Why? If you've benefitted from something why wouldn't you want someone else to have the same opportunity?

Imagine thinking this when you know there are families stuck in b&bs!

Dreadful that this is allowed.

Deffo - someone else in the family agreed !

I don’t think any part of the UK allow this without you fudging the system, you cannot just decide to move someone in and have them take over your council tenancy without many conditions having been met, unless of course as it’s seems you don’t give and shit and “come hell or high water” will scam the council and the tax payer because heaven forbid your children pay their own way in life.

Quite and having already benefitted and not requiring it anymore, but blocking people in genuine and greater need. It's despicable actually.

It’s not allowed. Unless the brother is actually living there for 12 months before succeeding to the tenancy then it’s fraud.

What a scumbag she is

That's wrong too, though!

I know someone who came here as an asylum seeker and was given a very nice central London town house. He and his wife returned home ( Albanian) because they have a large house there but he first passed it to his son. Like the poster above they will keep it in the family. I have never known anyone evicted for being a third generation tenant.

Tenancies should not be passed on. If you are going to get it regardless then why work to improve your life.

Do you think someone should go round and check tenants are there? How else would they fond out if the rent is being paid?

Christ and people wonder why social housing is in such a mess. This is just one of those reasons.

This is why I have the very unpopular opinion that council tenancies should be 5 years in length and every renewal that comes up you have to re-apply and be checked that you are still entitled to live there. Maximum of 3 tenancy periods per person.