to think that elderly people living alone in 3/4 bed council houses should not have a choice about whether they want to stay there?

[BlessYouToo]

In fact, they should be moved into one bedroom accommodation as soon as the kids leave home (this should have happened years ago of course). Having a 'spare' bedroom in case the grandchildren come to stay should not be an option when they are in state owned properties.

I have today been to view a council property with a friend of mine who has been homeless for 3 years (in temp accommodation) after finally getting to the top of the bidding queue! She was called to see a 4 bedroom house and it was absolutely rank, the smell made me want to heave. Plaster was hanging off the wall and the whole place was damp as the previous tenant either, did not or could not, heat and ventilate it properly Apparently the house was in a much worse than the state we saw it in today but the council had done some remedial work on it to make it safe so it was a bit better. The garden was also just a sea of brambles.

We were told that an elderly person had been living there and had just been moved into a nursing home. T

I was shocked that the council could rent out a property in this state. I would have expected that they would have made sure the property was up to a decent, clean standard before renting it out as any other landlord would have to do (all my friend will get is a paint allowance if she is eligible) but I am even more shocked that this elderly tenant was allowed to let the property get into this condition. Why do councils not carry out inspections to ensure their properties don't get into this state? Obviously the house was too much for the previous tenant to cope with and surely they would have been better off with a smaller property that they could keep clean?

We were told that many of the properties coming available after elderly tenants have either died, or gone into alternative accommodation, are left in a similar state. How many families with young children are left crammed into tiny flats while elderly people are living in houses much too large for their needs, letting them decay around them? I find it unbelievable that this has been happening.

I feel gutted for my friend as she has been desperate to get a stable home for her DCs and will now be going into a total shithole without even carpets on the floor, just cement. It's a bloody disgrace! AIBU?

But you are basically suggesting that a council tenant should have to leave if they can afford private rent?

Then the private rent tenant moves in........but then they are better off and of course the original council tenant is now worse off....so should they all just keep playing musical houses?

Silly argument TBH. it makes no sense at all.

we need an Occupy Grandma's bedroom.
come on join the protest

Why do they get rid of the carpets between tenants, regardless of condition?

But the person who moves in would be the one whose children are going hungry because they CAN'T afford the private rent.

Of course private landlords should be pressurised to keep rents down - I do accept that they are a large part of the problem.

gaelicsheep, congratulations. You have now come onboard the Big Business/Bank Boat. Just keep blaming the poor, the hard working and honest and enjoy the ride.

Because the properties are let as unfurnished...that means bare floors, no fixtures or fittings etc.

The problem with your solution is where would all these old people go? My parents are elderly and in a 3 bedroom council house. Where they live there are very few 1 or 2 bedroom properties. They want to move to housing built for elderly people - 1/2 bedrooms all on same floor. However many have been sold off under right to buy, so very few come up for rent. Few 1 bedroom places that come up are in small blocks of flats - 4/5 stories with lots of stairs that isn't suitable - my mum would be a prisoner.

Do you think they should just be tossed out?

Of course private landlords should be pressurised to keep rents down - I do accept that they are a large part of the problem

Finally now you get it.

Its not about low council rents....its high private rents that are the issue!

gaelicsheep my oh is a nurse yes we could afford to pay private rent but we wouldn't be able to afford to eat as well.

What really pisses me off that nurses get paid so little that we can't afford our own home

How bloody mad a professional can not afford a mortgage they want 50k deposit my oh would have to work for 3 years with out spending one penny of his wage to earn that.

And even if we save 5k a year it would take us 10 years to get the money

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Is it only council tenants who are allowed to be considered poor? Have you any idea how many children are living in poverty in this country? Children of families who receive no state assistance whatsoever because there is not enough to go around and it is not being appropriately allocated.

People on this thread should get their heads out of the clouds and get their priorities straight.

Well there is plenty of housing here for all. Maybe they need to look outside their area?

No AmberLeaf - they are two sides of the same coin. But low council rents aren't the issue, it is ensuring that the right people are getting the benefit of them.

And if you can't afford to eat alongside paying private rent, then you can't afford private rent can you? Therefore my argument clearly does not apply to those people.

lesley33 their are loads of 1/2 bed ground floor flats many millions of families stuffed in to 1 bed flats

They could do a swap which allows them to choose the area ECt

I swapped I had a 2 bed ground floor flat brand new and swapped to a 3 bed house with a large garden

Can I ask how many of you in fact live in council houses?

A lot of the one bedroomed properties round here are flats ,with flights of concrete steps, not really suitable for a 75 year old woman tbh

HA house.... Being moved shortly to another HA hiuse

maypole-we live in private rent and some weeks can hardly afford to eat.max budget for 5 of us is £80,some weeks more like £60.but we manage.lifes shit.

probably my own fault for having too many dc

And people on this thread should maybe look up and not down for the solutions

No gaelicsheep it isn't. My Dsis is a homeowner, my Dbro is renting, both get state assistance in regards to their children. This is right and good and has nothing to do with old people who have lived and invested in their council homes for more than 4decades.

Perhaps, you need to get the right targets in your sight. Council tenants/the elderly: No. Exploitative landlords and providers of credit: Yes.

I live in a council house. I think I mentioned it earlier.

Well surely it must be possible to install lifts in these buildings. Hardly rocket science is it. The money saved by the councils paying out less housing benefit could be used to maintain them!

usualsuspect sorry this is nit the case their will be many families who are currently living in ground floor flats over crowded and would gladly swap with a old lady for their larger home

If they were in a family house before then how will a flight of stairs defeat them? Presumably they used them before..

cheesesarnie not being funny £60 would not even cover the petrol per week my oh need to get to and from work.

He works in a hospital nearly one hour away from our home by car

"Have you any idea how many children are living in poverty in this country?"

Have you any idea how absurd it is to blame council housing tenants -any council housing tenants- for this?