To be envious that my neighbour lives in a council house........

[EnviousEvie]

and pays £600 a month less than me for the exact same bloody house (her's is nicer inside) next door to mine?

Difference is hers is a council house, mine is a private rental. The owner of mine bought it from the council and now rents it out while he lives in a 4 bed detached house in a nicer part of town. We pay £950 a month, neighbour pays council £350 a month (3 bed terrace). We had to move here after selling our house last year because DH lost his job and we needed to release the small amount of equity we had to pay the bills we were behind on because we were terrified of being in debt. Our rent is now £150 a month higher than our mortgage was.

We struggle every bloody month and live on 'value' food. We are not entitled to housing benefit (DH now working again after a year, I work part time - 3DCs). Neighbour's DH is an accountant so she can afford not to work at all. That £600 would make a massive difference in our lives but we have not got a chance in hell of getting a council house. There are over 5000 people on the waiting list in my area. We are on the list but have been told that it could be over 5 years before we have a chance. Love my neighbour to bits but can't help feeling pissed off about it!

AIBU to think that this is bloody unfair?

[PeachyWhoCannotType]

Double I agree wrt to deserving / not but if I can help even in a small way please holler X

[PeachyWhoCannotType]

Seven we did own our own home, once.
In a pretty Somerset village.

Ah well. The garden was shite anyway, and the neighbour a paedophile (he really was, big press thing)

[Sevenfold]

our neighbours were lovely, like an extended family, seemed weird to move to a place where no one talks(weird as we moved round the corner) and you house is egged.

[norriscoleforpm]

ah, Should have read the thread properly - bugger. Will desist from trying to join in and and call you all abunch of arseholes. Is that ok ?

[Dillydaydreaming]

I am fortunate enough to have a 2 bedroom HA house in an area where there is high demand for social housing.
My rent is £400 a month
My rent in the private sector was £700 a month.
My mortgage was £560 a month.

For a whole host of reasons life has been very difficult over the past 7 years and I have experienced good private rental AND bad.
I have my current home only because DS has ASD/ADHD/Dyspraxia and Hypermobile joints. I could have stayed in the private rental sector but the security this home gives my son is beyond price. I'll never own a house because my son's needs mean I am unable to work full time.

I am very very lucky and I know and appreciate this.

[splashymcsplash]

Re the anyone can go on a council hhousing wwaiting list n- simply not true - hhome oowners ccan't - nno matter how overcrowded your house is

[begonyabampot]

Really splash? I thought anyone could sign up, as you say what if you are way overcrowded etc or really struggling to pay a mortgage?  Obviously you wouldn't be at the top of the list.  I joined when I was a teenager and got offered a flat about 6 yes later as I was way at the bottom of the list.

[PeachyWhoCannotType]

You may call us whatever you want norris

I didn;t know that splashy but I have known some famillies in need of adapted housing who sold then went on so i guess that's why, seems fair enough although in those circs I reckn a sort of trade-across system wehre LA gets to rest owned house out makes better sense. Our rented house couldn;t be adapted, two ancient mill cottages knocked togather so all narrow corridors you woulds truggle to get a chair in. But at last if soomeone ownd one of these and had equity- big if, mind- they ahve some cash to try and sort things. When we had to sell (DH was ill, couldn't cope with our debts and mortgage) it meant we could clear every penny in debt we ever ahd and put down a rental deposit which was a blessing in it's own way. Much easier to cope in 'limited' circs wihtout debt.

[norriscoleforpm]

meant to add - was responding to benig called a c* in the spirit of name calling - didn't mean any offence :(

[PeachyWhoCannotType]

And indeed there was none, don't worry! got exactly what you meant LOL

[BlobChob]

Saw this flagged up in the 'Nobody Likes A Tory' facebook group this morning:

Workshy go to back of council housing queue

[crazynanna]

I like how they call them "workshy"....I always thought the term was unemployed
I'm confused re the proven actively looking for work for 2 years. When I was unemployed,you had to prove every visit to the DWP and show your work search,so that could be proven,but what if you have been on the waiting list for some time whilst employed,and you then become unemployed for say,6 months. Do they gert shafted to the bottom because they cannot show 2 years of job-searching? Or is that taken into account,I wonder?

[Sevenfold]

great so now the unemployed are labeled work shy, of course all the people being made redundant will be workshy scroungers in a week,

[PeachyWhoCannotType]

Does that mean as a carer we will be homeless if we lose this place then? DH is a student and PT self employed not sure what that makes us?

Loving the way (!) in a time of ++++++ redundancies anyone without a job is referred to as workshy! Oi lazt Naval personnel / Aerospace workers that got your cards then, you workshy gits.

twattery.

[Sevenfold]

peachy, come on you know cares are workshy, we have been told that on mn.

[PeachyWhoCannotType]

Oh seems not us. Crap propaganda then- council has duty to prioritise certain groups: elderly, disabled, kids- article says that will be maintained- exactly how many houses does Mr Shapps think are left after that? (clue: the answer is none)


Meaningless tripe. As ever.

[PeachyWhoCannotType]

Ah Seven, if only I could be! Not yet ahd a job more difficult than tryng to cope with my lot, and had some stonkers of jobs

[BlobChob]

Good point crazynanna...and workshy is an awful term. I was also baffled by "Mr Shapps has already announced that he intends to stop anyone earning more than £100,000 from staying in their council home unless they pay a proper market rent, rather than a subsidised one."

I've never known anyone in social housing to be earning anywhere near that much. I guess they must be out there but it seems a very high threshold to me.

[PeachyWhoCannotType]

Agains, Mt Shapps saying stuff that sounds great but will affect 0.000000000037% of the housed population

IE That woman on EastEnders who plays Heather and said she didn;t want to move from her councilo house some years ago but has probably long gone, just meomories of The Outraged British are longer

[PeachyWhoCannotType]

So- thinking logically then-

Mr Workshy and his Workshy partner can't get a flat.


They didn;t really want kids, too much work , but to get a flat tehy must have a child expected or born.

So tehy ahve an unwanted baby, benefits clims, get a flat or house, and said child will probably cost ££££ in social support and extra help as the pair never wanted him anyway


Wow! I mean, that sounds absolutely like what we need as a country. You can't fault these people on their policies can you?

[BlobChob]

It's all ballox! Had a 'nice' email from my local Conservative (God forgive me) MP yesterday saying he has written to the Head of Housing here about my case. Cause that will help won't it

[PeachyWhoCannotType]

I had a letter from MAria Miller saying that massive cuts to CTC for disabled children are OK as it gives people time to plan beofre implementation

As if that cures disability!

But no surprise there- biggest worry was that it was apssed via my labour MP who thought it was fine

[WidowWadman]

BlobChob - Bob Crow lives in a council house and probably could afford private rent or even a mortgage

markwadsworth.blogspot.com/2011/04/bob-crow-man-of-principle.html

[BlobChob]

Bloody hell...yeah, I think he could afford a bit more rent eh!