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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to think not enough people are aware of the proposed changes to social housing?

446 replies

StripeySherbert · 21/02/2016 18:34

The housing and planning bill is going to the 3rd stage in the House of Lords but I don't see much about it, it is going to affect so many people!

Pay to stay will be introduced, households with a 40k income for London or 30k elsewhere will pay local market rate rent, this extra rent goes to the government, not the councils. People who start paying private rented levels of rent will maybe expect more for their money? There will be no extra money in the pot, it's going to Central Government.

The new national living wage being introduced, the sums show that most households with 2 working full time will hit the 30k.

New tenancies will have a fixed term of 2 to 5 years. Meaning social housing will only be for those who have no other way to find housing themselves, whilst they get on their feet, most would think this should be the case, I use to think that should be the case myself, but that's not how communities form, being friendly with the neighbours, instead this could promote "sink estates?"

Councils will be forced to sell high value council properties that become empty or face a levy charge if they don't. Again, this money does not go to the council, it goes to Central Government.

This is only it in part, yet it seems to be flying under the radar!

Some of the changes wouldn't be so bad if the money went back into the local area/ local housing.

OP posts:
namaste99 · 22/02/2016 19:02

It's a much wider issue than housing, it's about what sort of society we want.

VodkaKnockers · 22/02/2016 19:02

Am also curious if this will apply in Scotland as quite a lot of social housing is now under HA (no council housing where I live) and Right to Buy has been abolished

AndNowItsSeven · 22/02/2016 19:03

Namaste99 it is just the tenant and one other earner that will have their income counted. An extra adults income won't count.

AndNowItsSeven · 22/02/2016 19:03

Eg adult children.

namaste99 · 22/02/2016 19:04

Scotland has abolished right to buy and has rent controls. The country has not imploded.

namaste99 · 22/02/2016 19:04

AndNowItsSeven, it's household income. Tenant and all members of the household ie adult children.

TheRegularShow · 22/02/2016 19:05

If this affects mutual tenancies/ downsizers etc for people who say who have been in their home 10 years for e.g this will trap them in their current home as they wont want to lose the security of a secure tenancy and increased rent.

namaste99 · 22/02/2016 19:07

Housing is devolved in Scotland. They also won't be taking nurses bursaries, thats for the English too.... aren't we lucky. The doctors contracts changes also apply only to England.

namaste99 · 22/02/2016 19:08

TheRegularShow, exactly. So now, if you want to downsize because you come into the bedroom tax (maybe a childs moved out) you lose your lifetime tenancy. Also if you have to move for work... it's terrifying.

AndNowItsSeven · 22/02/2016 19:09

No name it is only the two highest incomes not the whole household.

HelenaDove · 22/02/2016 19:12

YY namaste And some of these sub contractors (not all) have treated tenants so shoddily that their reputations are shot to hell.

Karma.

AndNowItsSeven · 22/02/2016 19:18

• In this context, by household, we mean tenants named on the tenancy agreement, and any named tenant’s spouse, civil partner or partner where they reside in the rental accommodation. By income, we mean taxable income in the tax year ending in the financial year prior to the financial (i.e. rent) year in question.

namaste99 · 22/02/2016 19:18

AndNow, has that been confirmed? Initially there was no definition of 'household' and was reported as being all adult members of the household. If that's now changed, it's something. Do you have further info?

namaste99 · 22/02/2016 19:19

Ooops xpost, do you have a link?

smallspikyleaves · 22/02/2016 19:21

loads of people will deliberately keep their income under 30k to keep their rent how it is

i predict a lot of cash in hand work as well and i don't blame anyone who does this

it will suppress aspiration at best and at worst, destroy communities while creating sink estates

people that can, will buy in droves, i suspect this is what the government want, keep the banks in business

The I struggle so you should too attitude, is a selfish, nasty mentality - agree with whoever said this as well. divide and rule works doesn't it :(

harrasseddotcom · 22/02/2016 19:22

Woohoo then for dsis. Sorry for you lot that live in England. I blame all those tory voters Grin

socialhouse · 22/02/2016 19:27

Name change. My bil& sil have a joint income of £80k & they live in LA housing. Their rent is £500 pcm. I know that they're not keen on where they live, perhaps this will give them the push to rent somewhere they like. It seems unfair that people with a fairly healthy income can pay so little for their rent.

CremeEggThief · 22/02/2016 19:28

To be fair to the Tory voters, they were misled about the scale of everything planned. I say that as a Socialist.

GabiSolis · 22/02/2016 19:30

namaste99 - you seem to know your stuff! Are you able to tell me in the circumstance where the there are three adults and the sole named tenant is the lowest earner, which two incomes this would be calculated on? In my family circumstance, the named tenant is over 70 and only has 'earnings' of state pension and a very tiny private pension. The other two adults (the tenants adult children) earn £15-16k each so how this calculation is done would greatly affect them.

Housesflatsandhouses - my family have a social rent tenancy and have always been told it was 40% which did roughly equate with the general market rent so afaik they never questioned it. Can you explain how/why each of the social/affordable rents will be affected by this? You seem to know what you're talking about and I'm hoping I'll be able to give some good news to my family!

smallspikyleaves · 22/02/2016 19:30

its only "little" in comparison to the over inflated private rents though isn't it "socialhouse" ( Hmm )

maybe they like the security of their house and who could blame them? maybe don't want to buy? maybe they can't get a mortgage? why is buying a house the be all and fucking end all anyway??

and i speak as someone with a mortgage which THANK GOD is a lot less than the over inflated rents around here

smallspikyleaves · 22/02/2016 19:31

To be fair to the Tory voters, they were misled about the scale of everything planned. I say that as a Socialist

i completely agree cremeegg (also a socialist)

GabiSolis · 22/02/2016 19:32

Sorry, I may have got confused with names! AndNowItsSeven, I think you may have said some of what I asked namaste99 about!

HelenaDove · 22/02/2016 19:37

Spiky like i said earlier Its ppl telling other ppl what to do....what to buy. It wouldnt happen with any other item.

Its not just the mortgage.....its things like boiler insurance. I have seen threads on here where homeowners have posted about the fact their boiler has conked out and moaned that tenants get it repaired "for free

Its not free though. Its what the rent pays for And as a tenant you cant pick and choose who fixes it either. If the landlord sends a cowboy you have to suck it up or get accused of denying them entry.

fastingmum123 · 22/02/2016 19:39

This is worrying me as we are bordering on 30000 and when the living wage comes in we may cross that. I just looked up the rent for a 3 bedroom place in our area and the cheapest is 1800 a month which is a massive jump from what we spend now. We would end up with about 800 a month for us to live on with 3 children. Which would include bills ect.