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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Lottery winner keeping her council house.

195 replies

NickyNora · 12/08/2018 13:35

A lady i know recently won over a million pounds on the lottery. She has purchased 2 properties & put them in family members names.

She intends to keep her council house.
She didn't buy it as even with the discount, it woukd use up a large proportion of her win.

Is this even legal?

AIBU to think she's being greedy & should terminate her council tenancy & give back the council house?

OP posts:
BakedBeans47 · 12/08/2018 17:07

Hmm I have mixed feelings. On one hand it feels a bit immoral when there are so many people in need of a home. On the other she pays her rent and she might love her area, her neighbours, etc. It’s not her fault there’s a shortage of council houses for people in need.

ALongHardWinter · 12/08/2018 17:09

My DD and her DH were told a year and a half ago that they would not be eligible for a council property if their combined net income exceeded £30,000! I have since wondered whether the council representative they spoke to was being completely honest about this,because no one I've mentioned it to since seems to have heard of this 'rule'. Hmm But.....if it IS the case,surely it would apply to savings/lottery winnings too?

yetmorecrap · 12/08/2018 17:26

I think it’s utterly disgusting, no wonder we end up with families paying high prices private rents with no chance at all of subsidised housing. I personally think social housing should be thoroughly means tested every 3 years and non should be sold off unless 85% of rent paid by the tenant themselves for at least 10 years , I know someone who inherited, had never paid at all himself, all paid on housing benefit and then bought for peanuts when he inherited, made me so cross!!

Lethaldrizzle · 12/08/2018 17:27

Of course it's wrong

Starlight345 · 12/08/2018 17:32

I won the lottery on Friday night . I won £5.10 . Staying where I am and continuing to claim hb 🤣

Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/08/2018 17:32

I know someone who ... bought for peanuts when he inherited

Hang on, do you mean he bought the council place at peanuts?

Surely means testing comes in at least when you're doing that - or does the discount apply to everyone?

glintandglide · 12/08/2018 17:33

alonghardwinter when they move in maybe. No one will know once they’re in though

glintandglide · 12/08/2018 17:34

Puzzled no, council house discount has nothing to do with means testing. You qualify to buy the house and you buy it

Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/08/2018 17:37

council house discount has nothing to do with means testing

Well, I learn something new every day ...

glintandglide · 12/08/2018 17:38

You get a discount for living there a long time, it’s a discount based on all the rent you’ve paid

maxthemartian · 12/08/2018 17:39

Maybe people don't want to move away from the community where they have friends and feel comfortable. Didn't Susan Boyle stay in her council house?

Ravenesque · 12/08/2018 17:44

And then the HA would rip out all you have done before the next tenant moves in.

I'd talk to them about it beforehand. On the whole the HA I'm with don't rip out things unless they need to be replaced.

Anyonewhoknows · 12/08/2018 17:53

The HA I am with insist on you taking everything. Flooring, curtain poles, fireplaces (even with a gas safety cert) basically anything that has changed since you moved in. My neighbour is in the process of moving out and is having to spend money she can I'll afford on getting her carpets disposed of. Anything you leave in the house (even a hand towel or shelf in the bathroom) they will charge you if they have to remove it themselves.

nellyolsenscurl · 12/08/2018 18:00

The discount is correlated to duration of time living there, it has nothing to do with how much rent you have paid. Someone who has been claiming HB for 20 years will get offered the same discount as someone who has been paying rent.

yetmore the problem with retesting means every X years is that many in an attempt to hang into the property will never try to improve their situation. The rates of unemployment, poor educational outcomes and childhood poverty would most likely increase.

glintandglide · 12/08/2018 18:14

Anyonewhoknows that’s a nice thought but total rubbish. Imagine the type of people the HA usually kick out Grin they aren’t recharging anyone. Trust me.

In fact although they tell you to strip everything out if the contents are decent quality etc 9 times out of 10 they’ll just leave it. For the next tenant.

glintandglide · 12/08/2018 18:15

It’s a reflection of the rent you’ve paid. That’s the point of the discount. But no it doesn’t matter a bit whether you paid the rent or HB did

Happyoldbat · 12/08/2018 18:18

Well, she wouldn’t have to move away, she could just exercise her right to buy. I obviously know nothing of her circumstances, but a secure tenant can lose security of tenure if the property is not their ‘only or principal home’. I am curious as to why she has bought houses in someone else’s name, if that is true. I doubt very much that she has paid for the property ‘ many times over’ in rent, as someone suggested - nowhere near probably. I used to develop social housing. To make it work financially, you either need a grant or for it to be subsidised via a s106 up front, then the social housing provider usually has to borrow to fund the rest of the development and running costs over a 30 year period as they have to maintain and manage the building during this time, so she will have been benefiting from free repairs and a subsidised rent.

TheQueef · 12/08/2018 18:18

Shocking how many people don't know the difference between Social Housing and Low income housing.
The propaganda works.
Maybe because it's easier to sort out deserving/undeserving poor with a means test. Hmm

Anyonewhoknows · 12/08/2018 18:20

glint its not just a nice thought - my neighbour is going through it right now. I have been through it previously. Unless the HA are bullshitting wouldn't surprise me but they say it firmly enough so that exiting tenants believe them.

Anyonewhoknows · 12/08/2018 18:21

TheQueef I am ashamed to say I don't know the difference between social housing and low income housing. Can you explain it to me?

glintandglide · 12/08/2018 18:29

Yep they’re bullshitting

There is no official difference between low
Income and social housing so not sure what thequeen means by low income?

TheQueef · 12/08/2018 18:31

Low income is just that, poor people housing creating a glut of poverty and ghettos, think American projects.
Social Housing is an asset to the community/ society. By design poor - middle - high incomes are mixed. The doctor is encouraged to live with teacher and dinner lady etc by having well maintained, reasonable rent, appropriately sized and amenitied estates.
It's in private landlords hands because they are the only people with surplus stock in some areas, creating the slums that social housing was intended to solve.

TheQueef · 12/08/2018 18:33

TL:dr
Low income is means tested social housing isn't.

Anyonewhoknows · 12/08/2018 18:34

Our HA say if you leave things like carpets then new tenants complain they have to pay to dispose of them/flea ridden/not safe/not to their taste so it is easier to tell exiting tenants to remove them or they will be charged. Likewise any towel rails, shelves etc. They are quite forceful with it so the exiting tenant goes along with it.

Anyonewhoknows · 12/08/2018 18:36

Sorry thequeef I still don't quite understand.

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