to ask what you think about Corbyn and Lammy's suggestion that houses of the rich should be requisitioned to give to homeless Grenfell victims?

[nutter19]

I am not sure what to think about it. On the one hand I agree that there are a lot of very big houses in the borough that are empty and could be used to house the homeless rather than left empty.

On the other hand, it seems a bit sinister to think they would just take private property off those they deem rich.

What do other people think?

I do love the hand-wringing brigade though. Imagine if you were carping on about "fairness" during the war when thousands of acres of land, stately homes, unoccupied properties and businesses were requisitioned for the country.

However awful the tragedy is and that it is vital people are rehoused in their local area, you cannot "requisition" other people's homes. You can ask but that is all

This.

In favour of taxation though.

I think he was quoted out of context, but a) it's Jeremy Corbyn, I expect he can't take a piss without being accused of pushing a Marxist agenda and b) this tragedy has (rightly IMO) stirred up all sorts of anger about housing in London, and this kind of rhetoric is part of that.

I personally am right of center but think that overseas investors should not be allowed to buy in the UK in the way they currently do, and that houses kept empty for the long-term ("cash boxes in the sky") need to be taxed, and taxed, and taxed some more.

They do need to raise council tax substantially in the richer boroughs. It is ridiculous that homes that cost millions, owned by billionaires pay the same or less council tax as people living in the north in small flats/terrace houses.

The highest council tax in Kensington & Chelsea is £2,124.04 for a band H property (including huge mansions, multi-million pound homes).

Compare this to a random council outside London, for example, North Lincolnshire Council where band H council tax is over £3,000 per year!

hermagsjesty

It's not just from the residents - it was in the documentation for the refurbishments. "External cladding to improve the view from the local area as well as two nearby conservation areas" or words to that effect.

Sinister 😂the term 'divide and conquer' comes to mind.
Nowhere in that quote does it suggest that empty 'luxury' properties would be requisitioned.

making a suggestion he knows is illegal

But it is not illegal. Councils across the country have and use this power. They don't have housing shortages as dire as London as a result.

Oh and if you are going to treat everyone fairly then "Sylvia at No.94"'s spare room should be requisitioned the same as the "Russian oligarch"s

Requisition implies a demand rather than a request or coming to an arrangement

Precisely It comes as no surprise to see a communist proposal from Corbyn, and he gives the game away completely with the emphasis on "luxury" properties

And to think this individual might have been prime minister ...

Council tax fyi - certainly Tandridge council (caterham) charges double council tax on vacant property with no exemption period. It was changed quite a long time ago.

Kensington and Chelsea council themselves have no exemption for council tax on empty properties

I think it's a bloody brilliant idea. But then I think these properties are the most immoral thing about the most immoral housing market in the UK.

It shouldn't be possible to requisition them, because they should already have someone living in them. It shouldn't be legally possible to leave London properties vacant without a very good reason - and owners that do that ought to have tenants who are waiting for housing places forced on them until they can be rehomed somewhere permanent.

I'm not talking about people with properties they use as pied a terres or that are being refurbed or waiting to be sold after a death btw - I'm talking about these ones that are bought solely as investments and left vacant on purpose. It's fucking disgusting.

Let's hope Jeremy is leading by example and putting a few up in his spare room 🙂

you cannot "requisition" other people's homes.

Yes you can, the law says so. See above.

""I have a feeling you do pay council tax on vacant properties as long as they are habitable.""

'You don't for a time period, then just a very reduced amount, if at all.'

It depends on were you live. Where I am you pay 90% of the full amount. There is a 6 month grace period for uninhabitable properties that are undergoing renovation, but after that it is at 90%. That's a fairly good deal for the council who do not have to provide any services such as refuse collection to the property.

yourcarisnotadiscovery

Bit dim aren't you? It doesn't have to be fair. These houses - usually owned by corporations actually - are entirely empty and in many cases are the 6th/7th/8th home of the owner. It's entirely different to someone who owns ONE home in the area and lives in it.

That's the problem with people like you - you always jump to extremes. Nobody said it had to be fair or a shared burden, but that it's a disgrace that properties are sitting there empty and gaining value whilst people are out on the streets with nothing and are at risk of being moved out of the area entirely, leaving the whole place for the super rich.

There are ways of doing it which are not illegal and fit completely within what he is saying. A compulsory purchase order isn't a request or an agreement, its a demand.

Incidentally, a lot of legislation bringing the ability to requisition into force was made by that well-known Communist government of Margaret Thatcher.

Corbyn is drunk on making political capital, the mask didnt take too long to slip.

spina Morally, should you requisition other people's homes - no, I don't think you should. And what about the staff that live in them? are you going to ask what they feel about it?

BadTasteFlump

Oh I can't wait to shoot you down on this. Corbyn lives in small 3 bedroom house, and one son lives with him. His other spare room is taken by... a lodger!

So, in effect, his spare room is already being used.

Bless, it's nice when we use facts instead of shite from the Daily Mail or the Sun, isn't it?

Badtasteflump - that really is a lazy argument. Do you really think the most efficient way to house people who have lost thier homes is people randomly offering spare rooms? We all pay in to society on the basis that society protects and provides for its citizens in return.

I'm talking about these ones that are bought solely as investments and left vacant on purpose

Fair enough - so join a campaign to have this disallowed

But for the state to simply step in and requisition private property on some political whim is surely unthinkable to any rational mind

babysham your name says it all. No, I am not dim, but I have views and most of them are based on my moral compass. Fill your boots on yours

The UK has a history of requisitioning things ... remember the QE2 was requisitioned to fight the Falklands.

It's absolutely disgusting that swathes of London are owned by people who will never step foot inside them, that are empty 365 days a year. There are entire streets in London that are now ghost towns, with barely a single dwelling inhabited. They are all purchased by billionaires from the Gulf States purely as a status thing or an investment and this not only kills formerly vibrant areas but sends prices rocketing and forces out locals who have been there for generations.

IMO that should be illegal. Non-British nationals/residents should not be allowed be allowed to purchase more than one property in London unless someone is actually going to live there at least some of the time.

There are other places with laws in place to ensure homes do not stay empty long-term without good reason. When my dad died I was fined because I wasn't able to clear his home fast enough!

Having a summer home/vacation home or leaving a property empty in the short term because someone has died or the property needs work or is between tenants is one thing. Houses being intentionally permanently empty because the British government want to toady to rich Saudis and let them buy London as a theme park is something else.

How much more of our country and culture is going to be carved up and sold to foreigners??

Oh come on! It's hardly that extreme. Local authorities in the UK (of all political stripes) frequently make compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) of homes where people are actually living or businesses that are actually operating to obtain land or property when it is considered necessary for 'public betterment'; for example, when building motorways, developing a town centre etc. Owners are compensated. Temporarily requisitioning an empty flat seems to be an entirely sensible solution - much better than a B&B for the families and probably cheaper for the taxpayer too.