To think that just building houses isn't going to solve any problems

[SEmyarse]

So there's a huge housing shortage in the country, and there are loads of plans for building that seem to be taking yonks to come through.

Eventually, a small development has been almost completed near me, of about 30 houses. I'm a delivery driver, so have witnessed people moving in, and have delivered a lot of their new house goods to them.

There's quite a mix of housing. I think there are only 2 social houses, but maybe some of the flats are too. I can never get an answer at the flats, so have to leave a card and liaise redelivery. I keep discovering that these people all seem to have children at the same school as my kids, despite it being 4 miles away, and so I meet them there with deliveries. They've not been able to get their children into their local school, because it is jammed full of kids from my village who's parents ship them there because it's smaller. I often have to give deliveries to childminders, by agreement because these people are working silly hours to get a mortgage.

I know quite well one of the ladies who's been given a social house. She can't drive due to epilepsy, so has been housed in this village so she can care for her elderly mother. She has 5 children, and again can't get them in the school so has to bus them to our village every day, which is costing a fortune.

The next area of housing that was finished was the large executive homes at the back, with 4/5 bedrooms. Apart from one family, I think they have all been moved into by elderly couples. Now of course, if they've worked for the money, they have every right to spend it on what they like. At least that's what I used to think. But is it really right that people can sit on resources when others desperately need them? Should children all be growing up in cramped accommodation even though their parents are working like dogs? They have no outside space at all, and while I'm sure the elderly people enjoy their gardens very much, is it really right at the expense of children playing? I've already seen a lone child on a bike shouted at for riding on their bit of road, and told to play near their house. He wasn't causing any bother.

The last bit that now seems to be ready, is a couple of terraces of decent sized houses with integral garages. I knocked at one yesterday, and met a bloke. I commented that someone was eventually moving in, and he told me he wasn't moving in he'd bought up all 6 to rent out. So yet more overpriced rentals for all the local people who can't afford to buy them.

I don't think this development has made even the slightest dent into our local housing problems.

[driving101]

"you have to pay someone for your house. They make a profit. I'm afraid that the necessities of life are not free. As mentioned on other threads, if you want that then North Korea may be the place for you. I don't think you'll like it though"

I dare say many people are "landlord haters" due to having to listen to bollocks such as that, that could only come from the mind of a typically thick landlord who sees themselves as an entrepreneur due to their incredibly useful and productive activity of taking out loans and owning properties.

It is somewhat galling that science, engineering and maths based jobs are looked down upon whereas society raves about how fantastic "property tycoons" are, despite the fact that they are nothing other than unskilled parasites leaching on the wealth generated by useful people.

[TruffleOil]

driving, I see your point but likewise you'd be pretty happy to rented rather than bought had the market crashed (as it has).

[writtenguarantee]

buy to let aren't the problem. there just aren't enough houses. strict planning rules are the main culprit.

[Andrewofgg]

OP: If you were selling you would want to sell to whoever could pay the most regardless of age and regardless of whether they were intending occupiers or buy-to-letters. That's the market.

[Andrewofgg]

And spot on writtenguarantee, we have to break NIMBY and Nimny's cousin SOBBY - Some Other Bugger's Back Yard.

[Stalinssister]

If you really want to change housing policy, get out there and get involved in local politics, or contact your MP. Or stand yourself.

Writing a load of content (for NOTHING! no-one ever makes that connection on here - you are making Mumsnet's profits for them out of your time and ability - for NO return) for a website won't change anything.

There seems to be an idea on sites like this that politicians will read a post from Mr or Ms Bollocks and base their policies on it.

[HolidayCriminal]

I'm in the camp that can't understand how there's a supposed housing shortage at all.

Rather than more houses in London & SouthEast (ffs, isn't it crowded enough already?); the poor will always get shoved into the lowest quality housing there, I'd like to see more Employment in the underpopulated places. I don't see a housing shortage, I see a mal-distribution of jobs.

[caruthers]

If you have no way of affording your own home and you have to rent then there is a big affordable housing shortage.

If more houses were built then it would help more people have a home (I would love to see a resurgence of social housing)...these homes should be kept out of the private LL market.

[Suzannewithaplan]

Stalin, I see your point about writing free content, but in so doing are we not sharing developing and spreading ideas?

Or do you think that forum discussion only results in people becoming even more deeply entrenched in their pre existing prejudices?

[Suzannewithaplan]

Wouldn't building more homes just give more opportunities to foreign investors?
Don't we need some controls over who can buy?

[HolidayCriminal]

Most the people in most the world rent (including developed country residents).
Is it only the UK that sees house-buying as a human right?

[PortofinoRevisited]

Thank The Lord for an intelligent discussion on MN for once. This thread is fascinating. I live in Belgium where rentals are highly regulated. A 9 year lease is the standard - with penalties applied if you leave within the first three years. The LL can only give you notice if he/she or a member of their immediate family wants to live in the house themselves. Rents can only increase by indexation. Renting is thus much more secure. The UK could learn something from this. It discourages anyone in it to make a quick buck certainly. Bearing in mind Train's excellent summation, I am going to stop fretting about not being on the housing ladder, save my money up and await property price Armageddon in the UK.

[Suzannewithaplan]

by all accounts a crash seems likely, but lots of people have been saying that for years

[balenciaga]

Something's got to happen

Exactly What I don't know

But what I wonder, is what's going to happen when all these normaI, hard working people on low to medium wages, who just can't afford to buy, can't pay their rent when they are retired / too elderly / infirm to work, the Hb bill will go through the roof, are we going to throw them all out on the streets, don't think so (I hope anyway)

[fayrae]

We have to something long term, just building houses and leaving everything else the same just kicks the can down the road for a few years until those houses fill up and we get to the same stage again, only the country is even more overcrowded with even less room.

[frumpet]

I live in a village and there was talk of development of the land next to me , which created a hoohah . Tbh i couldn't give a gnats chuff if they build on the land as long as a decent percentage is affordable housing and the local school is given the resources to accomodate any extra children . Actually they wouldn't need the resources , the people who live on a nearby 'executive' estate would have to fight for places at the schools in the local town and would end up with their children going to school with children who live on a council estate , horror

[MaryWestmacott]

MorrisZapp - I believe that currently, one in four of us will need residential care in our old age. That means 75% of us will die at home, leaving lump sums. - this doesn't factor in that a lot of older people who needed care had it provided by their spouce. My Nana ended up in a care home, but my Grandad (her DH) didn't - she cared for him in old age and then she inherited his share of the house. He didn't leave a 'lump sum' that was inherited by his DCs, just his share of the house, which was eventually sold to pay for his DW's care, and in the end all but £21k of it was spent.

[MorrisZapp]

Aye good point.

[MaryWestmacott]

I agree we don't have a housing shortage overall in the UK, we do have the wrong sort of housing and a lot of it in the wrong place for the jobs. More push away from London might help ease the demand in the SE.

[PortofinoRevisited]

Mary - I agree. My nan is 86 and has multiple health issues/limited mobility. My granddad looks after her with limited help from family. They would love a sheltered flat or similar but are not eligible as they own their house. It used to be the case that the family stepped in vs residential care - but everyone has to work these days. I have no direct experience but I would expect short shrift from DWP that you are looking after mum/granny even though the alternative would be way more expensive.

[Apatite1]

What an interesting thread!

On a slight aside, what do you all think about the impact of the mortgage market review, with changes taking force from the 26th of April? We are now shifting from income multiples (though not completely discounted I think) towards detailed affordabilty checks. Looks like it will be harder to get a mortgage. Any thoughts on whether this will affect house prices?

[Abra1d]

But of course too many people are too stupid and nimbyish to 'allow' it and whine on and on about the countryside - too narrow minded to look at the facts - that less than 2% of the uk is built on. Because it doesn't 'feel' like that hmm

I live 25 minutes from London in the Chilterns and there's plenty of countryside, oodles of it - you could build a 10,000 houses on a few fields.

Class me as stupid, then, as I am deeply concerned about the consequent loss of agricultural land, which we need to produce food to feed the population that has increased in the last 15 years.

[Abra1d]

And you may be right about the Chilterns, with your countryside protected by the great and the good. Round here there are a lot of not-very-well-off people who aren't always very educated, either. They are just told they're getting the housing but haven't a clue how to go about objecting effectively. They're just supposed to put up with it. But because they are poorer they don't seem to matter. Their children will have to cope with even more problems with school places (like hens' teeth round here), but it doesn't matter because the need for housing drives everything. And you're 'stupid' if you object. The rich can afford to buy up land around them to protect views, the less well-off can't. Stupid old them.

[NotNewButNameChanged]

They are building loads of new houses in Gloucestershire, have been for the last 10-15 years. Thousands upon thousands. And we're going to be getting more. Certainly no issue about not building the houses round this neck of the woods.

What I don't understand is where all the people to live in them are coming from!

[Abra1d]

That is the issue--some of the rural counties are having their populations purposely increased. The houses aren't for local people, not all of them. In our county a local business group seem to have a lot of influence on the decision-making.