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.

You are surmising that everyone would stay in a dead end, minimum wage job, declining promotions, never progressing or improving their skills, just to keep a council house? That’s nonsense. But if anyone did do that, they’d only have 3 tenancies then they have to go into private rented.

As for looking after their home, where is the incentive when if something breaks you call care and repair and they take care of it? I’m old enough to remember the plethora of news reports in the late 80s about people who had bought their council homes for an absolute song, complaining bitterly that nobody had warned them about the need to maintain the property. Finding they had to replace gutters they hadn’t cleaned in a decade, fix windows which were no longer working, paint their own front doors for goodness sakes. Five years isn’t temporary.

“Social housing is like hens teeth around here”

Oh dear, the irony! Some people just don’t get it do they?

Why is the wife of a rich African dictator given a council flat?

?

Something like that could work.

Presumably she wasn't when she got it.

Housing officers have a responsibility. The estate caretakers were very good at spotting a "giro drop".

If benefits were paid at the post office each week we would have

• more community
• more social awareness of the elderly and their needs
• less thieves stealing benefits
• more post offices and all the benefits they have.

For the last 30 years there's been a push to pay benefits to bank accounts. This means its been easier than ever to actually rip the UK off.

Not so sure she'll be able to. Most councils have changed succession rights rules.

Ironically, it’s probably some of the same people voting for them that are also abusing / benefitting from the system. They don’t think anybody else should do what they’re doing, or have what they have, but it’s fine for them.

It's not easy to pass tenancies on (in most areas) as the housing associations don't allow more than one succession. There are still council owned properties (getting.less) that don't have any such rules but her brother would still have to meet the requirements for living there, so be aware what he would.qualify for as its unusual for any social housing to allow under occupancy at the transfer of a tenancy. I suspect it will be harder than that poster imagines to 'keep it in the family ' particularly as your.daughter won't want her name on the rent etc still if she's buying a house

I think they do get it though.

Exactly this

Probably wrong?!

Its disgusting actually!

Anyone remember Frank Dobson, he and his lecturer wife were in a 3 bed westminster red brick flat despite being 6 figure earners. But Mr Dobson said: "I couldn't [rent] - not very easily. Market rents in our area are phenomenal. I wouldn't be able to afford it."

Same, except I gave up and left London.

www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/ps100-000ayear-dobson-defends-his-council-house-6411862.html

I’m sure I’ve seen you on other threads say you’re a social worker. Doesn’t seem from your posts here that you’re a great fit for that.

1. Ban right to buy
2. reassess need every 5 years. I wouldn't evict, if the tenant is doing well, but I do think that they should be charged a higher rent if they can afford it.
3. Tenancy should not be transferable on the death of the tenants.

You want security for yours??!’ It’s not even your flat or anything to do with you. It’s your daughters council flat: you’re not the fucking queen of your family

That is quite the bingo card there.

Interested to know what Councils allow endless succession rights? None that I know of.

Well given that Reform is a relatively new party and council house fraud has been around for decades, who were these people voting for before that?

Did you know who the president of Sierra Leone was before this? Because if you did, you’re unusual. I read a lot of African politics stuff, and sustainable development and couldn’t have told you.

I know working in social housing that we are expected to know everything, and be psychic. But I didn’t realise there was a politics and international relations section on the exam.

@Imanexcellentdrivercharliebabbit which council owns the flat?

I did some calculations once about the lifetime value of a council tenancy in my estate (mixed tenancy) based on the saved rent differential between private.

It was the equivalent of holding an investment worth £750k - £1M.

I wonder what PP's views on inheritance taxes for people with £1M in assets are...

And all true. Gf is a relative.

Thats wrong ofc but considering all the benefits are constantly assessed, how come there are single pensioners living in 3/4bed council houses when there are families waiting for years for a family home,some living in one bed b and b?

Surely any "First Lady" of a foreign nation in this situation would be treated with similar interest.