To think council house 'auto bidding' takes the point away from home CHOICE

[LolaPickle]

I have just realized in our area, that certain bands awaiting council housing, get placed in an auto bid cycle. Why do they call it home 'choice'?

This means you could end up miles away from support networks etc

Plus the housing site is very hit and miss if it even works, the person I help bidded for three last week, but only two of the bids registered, despite us re-checking them over the weekend, one of the bids has disappeared, meaning one bid will be an auto bid!

In merseyside and lancashire you choose if you want auto bids or not - lots of people don't have internet access or are not computer savvy.

You specifty what areas you want and auto bids are set up for you. The general rule is you get three offers only, so you do still have choices.

Thanks professormoody. Sounds like a vicious circle. Yes i can see the long term stability would be a plus.

Auto bid is really helpful for people who struggling to navigate websites or have disabilities or mental health problems which means they’d struggle to log online regularly. It’s opt in around here which works well.

Long term stability is definitely the main plus point for me. Knowing I'm not going to have to find a wheelchair adapted property and a deposit and months rent at short notice has worked wonders for my anxiety.

In regards to my local authority the auto bid only comes into play if your in temporary accommodation and fail to bid for a number of weeks or are in the top band as having been released from hospital or similar or have an urgent medical need to move. (In which case you get housed in general on first bid). So actually for our LA it seems fair that you are placed somewhere if you won’t bid for yourself or if you are ready for move in from hospital but can’t be discharged because of accommodation

It’s a choice if you are waiting on s house in a lower band ie waiting your turn sometimes with a need for extra space or a medical/social need.
Most LA use autobid for families who are ‘homeless’ and living in temp accom- the aim is to move them on quickly to house other emergency cases and to prevent them sitting in temp accommodation indefinitely and ‘cherry picking’ where they want to go. If every homeless family chose where they lived the emergency places they have would be over run

As some have already said, the autobid system is used where people are classed as homeless and therefore an urgent priority to rehouse.

Also most HA’s offer incentives to downsize including help with moving fees, redecorating, vouchers etc. This is most commonly used as incentive for elderly tenants to downsize and free up family homes which are most in need.

My council housr is £10 /week cheaper /week than a similar size private rented house so slightly cheaper but not massivly so, the advantage to them though is a secure tenancy and being able to decorate etc.

Personally I think we should do awar with social housing all together.

Eh? Why?

Simply speaking, I think people should stand on their own two feet.

@Libertarian and life doesnt always work out that way. How are disabled or homeless people able to get on their own two feet?

There are plenty of young couples who buy their own house and have to move far from support networks. I'm sure not getting a house in your choice of area is annoying, but that's a given in the private market in many areas. I'm not hugely sympathetic.

@RavenWings I agree, we have had to move over half an hour away from where all our family live and where we both grew up as we didn’t have a chance of owning our own home if we stayed there. It’s sad but unfortunately its life.

Simply speaking, I think people should stand on their own two feet

Ah, bit hard considering I can't walk, so am sat in a wheelchair. I did stand on my own two feet for over 20 years though, working my ass off to pay my mortgage. Unfortunately, after being a victim of domestic violence, having my home repossessed and losing the ability to move, I wasn't able to do that any more.

What do you suggest I should have done then, Libertarian, with no home, a child, a severe physical and mental illness and a wheelchair in tow?

The sheer twattery of some people baffles me.

Libertarian I have never had to use social housing but I am very thankful it exists because sometimes life doesnt go as planned, shit happens and I like living in a society where children for example dont end up on the street due to ignorant attitudes like yours.

Wow, what a statement, standing on own two feet. Like that's a choice too for some
people.

I like the fact that MN is diverse. Some of the dc go to private schools ( not mine ), others live in big houses etc, some people have very strong views on certain things etc but one of the things that I would say is unanimous on MN is we tend to agree that social housing/benefits/any form of help is there for our society for those who need it.
I am included in that part.

God forbid the rug is swept from underneath your feet and you have a life change where you need help. What would you do then?

The ignorance of that statement is utterly astounding.

For people like myself with a chronic illness and the pp who is a wheelchair user I find that comment insulting at best and fucking disgraceful at worst.

Simply speaking, I think people should stand on their own two feet

Lovely.

I think that how we treat each other defines the type of society we are. Treating people like shit because they have less money/a disability/are a carer/don’t have the opportunities and advantages that some have really isn’t a pleasant or decent thing to do.

We all make up society, so I’m always a little surprised (aye I know I should know better) and more than a little gutted when people swoop in with sweeping statements and euphemisms which effectively mean they’d support fucking over an entire group of people who have already been fucked over.

Ugh.

It’s used around here for people, mostly families, classed as homeless and in temp accommodation. 1. To prevent them keeping turning down accommodation and to free up the temp places 2. The council can discharge their responsibility if the housing is then turned down.

You're getting a house from the council, lower rent, and a secure tenancy. Support networks? Toughen up.

Lovely attitude. Just because your a council tenant doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a choice. (I don’t rent).

Simply speaking, I think people should stand on their own two feet.

Yes, because life always turns out that way. I think the biggest mistake which was ever made was selling off the housing stock through Help to Buy. People need housing, but no one needs to own a house.

Libertarian you don't sound a very tolerant person.
I presume you've been blessed with good health, a stable upbringing, no unexpected and unavoidable downturn in finances, no betrayal by a spouse you were Co-habitting with, etc. Lucky you.
But others have difficulties they did not bring on themselves.
I'm happy to live in a society that (sometimes) offers support to those who need it.

There is such a lack of housing and such long lists that people just cannot afford to be choosy. The council is tasked with providing support to those in need but ultimately doesn’t have the luxury of acting as estate agent.

Its not really a choice its a choice as to what houses they have available and gow popular those housrs are so its a very limited choice , some people clearly have no idea how the system works