Home swapping is ridiculous

[Aaliyah1990]

I’m more than frustrated with the fact that you could bid for years and not get anywhere. Then you think to yourself oh maybe house swap might help? Nope not at all!!! the housing system is a big joke if you ain’t got a garden you can forget it,the demands people are asking for just makes you feel worse and all your hopes are thrown out the window. It’s almost like doing the lottery and hoping you get lucky. I don’t know if somehow these so called serious swappers are getting a power buzz out of it cause that’s what it’s seem to me. In all reality we should all stop compiling to these ridiculous set ups, you waste so many of years being unhappy then you feel as you have to beg in a way to get a property you want. I think it’s all wrong and the council should be responsible if your over crowded etc and the bidding set up is more of a joke you’ll be on there for centuries 🙄. Until the day everyone stops compiling then that’s the day you’ll be able to get what you want but everyone seems to conform to things that are unrealistic,draining and upsetting. From today I’m not doing any of the guideline rules forget it!!! It doesn’t work out and it just makes their jobs easier while we suffer nope not anymore. So on that note I’ll get back to you guys. I’ll update to see that my situation will have improved. And I’ll let you what I did to get out of the flat/cage I’m in.

I’m not thinking of a mechanism to force absolute equality so much as increase incentives for those who don’t really need social housing to move out

My rent is pretty much equal to private renting anyway. Social rents aren't reduced they reflect the actual value of the house and the cost of maintaining it. Private rents are artificially inflated. In my town we have enough social housing and far too much private rented accommodation. The LLs can't inflate the rents because supply outstrips demand.

I wouldn't move even if my rent was higher than private letting. I didn't move over to social housing because it was cheaper. As I said, it isn't in cheaper in my area. I moved for security and so I didn't have to deal with inept buy to letters or 'accidental LLs' or criminal letting agents. If my rent matched my privately renting neighbours (which is about £5 a week more than mine) I would pay it. I wouldn't move to private letting even if I was paid to.

Instead of blaming social tenants maybe more attention should be placed on buy to let LLs and the shitty way they are allowed to treat their tenants.

That’s how I felt ppl saying I’m procreating and all sort when that’s just not the case at all. I wouldn’t have another’s child in these current circumstances it would just be crazy and unfair but yes there was a few ppl who actually understood what I was trying to say and thank you

The council, and ultimately the taxpayer, is not responsible for overcrowding. I do realise that circumstances can change, but ultimately you are responsible for yourself and your family. I would think that if someone is in genuine need of help - that is to be housed at lower rent that is subsidised by others - then they should be more willing to accept what they get. Many of us don't have such subsidy in our lives and have to work hard to afford private rent/mortgage etc.

I do think there should be something done also about “some” of the private LLs around. I’m in London and we all know how housing is in short supply here. So what I have seen LLs doing is converting a house into so called studio flats. They really aren’t studio flats. They’re one small room with a corner sectioned off for a small shower and toilet and a 2 ring plug in thing for a cooker etc. It’s a bedsit essentially. But apparently they get a lot more money by renting them as studios and they will take people on benefits. They get around £1200 a month for each one, where really a room in the kind of area they’re in would be £400/500 a month.

So someone converts 5 rooms (so say 3 beds, kitchen and living room all converted) in a house this way and they get 6k a month, all paid for by benefits. That’s money that could be going into housing. But the councils let it continue because it shifts people off the waiting list. I’d like to see a limit on what landlords can charge based on x amount of space.

that is to be housed at lower rent that is subsidised by others

HA houses are not subsidised

Social housing is not subsidised.

I would think that if someone is in genuine need of help - that is to be housed at lower rent that is subsidised by others - then they should be more willing to accept what they get. Many of us don't have such subsidy in our lives and have to work hard to afford private rent/mortgage etc

You know I find it really really strange how this utter ignorant crap keeps coming up on here. I mean it can't be stupidity, even when told people simply do not want to believe it.

It's like people want council houses to be free and for the poor only so they can look a bit further down at them because their lives are utter wank with their mortgages? Is it, because it boggles my head man?!

gingham not all social.housing is cheaper than private rent but how is social.housing subsidised by others?social.housing is paid for by people paying rents , yes some people in social.housing get housing benefit but many peop!e pay their own rent just like private

Ok for those who still mistakenly believe the “subsidy” bullshit. Here’s a helpful pie chart for you from this page
www.insidehousing.co.uk/comment/comment/social-housing-a-way-station-or-a-destination-55427

As you can see, home buyers have received far greater subsidies than those in social housing. So my taxes are helping you! Not the other way round!

Well Yh I’m a genuine person in need 🙄

Does it make you feel better when you say your taxes because I’m baffled on why you would even state it. And for the most part if your not happy with it why do you just comply to it. This is my whole point of everyone complying to stuff they don’t really wanna do but still fall in line to do so and throw thing in other ppl’s faces to make a divions no one is less or better than in my eyes.

Because someone upthread said that social housing is subsidised by their taxes. I’m in social housing too so I was pointing out that no they don’t actually subsudise us at all. People buying homes get more subsidies.

I never thought of that as I hay fever and make it will make worse but I will most certainly have look on it for the winter. Also sorry to hear that you have ptsd.

Oh sorry I got ahead of my self I thought it was another attack lol sorry

Money is playing a big part in all this

I am in a housing association property and looking to swap to get nearer to family and work if possible but I know not many people would like to live where I am. I know I am lucky to have this place. What does make me laugh are the people looking for a place that must be a period property with a double garage etc. I feel they may have even less chance than me of finding a place.

I'm also baffled how everyone thinks my rent is subsidised I pay the full £800 a month from my wages the only reason we live here is because I couldn't afford private rent in my area for a three bedroom place on my wage. Then again my sisters husband wont believe me I pay rent as all social housing is free and I'm lucky to have a free house apparently.

No, not attacking you at all. It was to all the people making assumptions like they always do on threads about social housing. Like how some people automatically assumed you must have 5 kids when you only have 1! I hate the attitude of “well you just need to do better at life” as if people’s circumstances are 100% down to them. There’s so many factors that contribute to the situations people are in, good or bad. Yes some stuff is within our control but a lot isn’t.

Well quite Asta when I planned my children both myself and dh worked we never expected to have a child with significant disabilities but shit happens ,that said I think most peop!e on here base their assumptions that private rent is so much higher than social housing in the South East and London which i many parts of the country just isn't the case .

Just a couple of points.
I’ve worked with older people in a large ‘new town’ which comprised once of mostly social housing.
Many of them have lived in their house since they were built, raised their families in them know their neighbours and feel safe there.
Most did not want to move as it was their home. Many also had expensive adaptations (that would have to be ripped out once they died), but again it was their home.
The council had incentive schemes but many just didn’t want the upheaval of moving and getting rid of a lifetimes worth of ‘stuff’ to move to a one bedroom sheltered flat.
What can you do? Force them out?
I can see this from both sides.

I live in an ex council flat on an ex council estate. It was bought by the previous tenant under the right to buy.
There are large family homes on large corner plots here, that have been bought by the council tenants (or their children) then theyve built a further house on the plot to sell at ridiculous outer London prices!
You couldn’t make it up

The elderly people also quite rightly don't want to move because they've built up a support system where they are - moving would mean they lose it at a time when they need it most! Not to mention their GP, dentists, etc. Their whole lives are there - how is it fair to expect them to pick up and move just when they need that security the most? Especially those with significant health concerns.

And as for telling them "hey, we're moving single homeless people into your spare rooms" as a PP said.... never going to happen. That opens those vulnerable elderly people to huge risks - theft, manipulation, abuse, etc. Pretty sure the government is not looking to be sued for that.

The elderly people also quite rightly don't want to move because they've built up a support system where they are - moving would mean they lose it at a time when they need it most! Not to mention their GP, dentists, etc. Their whole lives are there - how is it fair to expect them to pick up and move just when they need that security the most? Especially those with significant health concerns.

Previous tenant in our house lived here since it was built and stayed until they died. Several others on the street are currently occupied by elderly couples/single people. The remaining houses, like ours, were occupied by elderly people but they've since died or moved into other accomodation (one went to a nursing home, another to a bungalow, and another to live with his daughter) so the houses now have families in them. A street that was once entirely occupied by families went on to be entirely occupied by elderly people and it's now on the way to coming full circle to once again being occupied entirely by families.

While there is a shortage of social housing in some areas, this is not the case all over and in many areas you will only have a wait of weeks/months, depending on your need, rather than years.

am also in the U.S. and I find what is going on in the U.K. shocking.

Here's a link that might help you understand how dependent on the council/government some people are.

I remember the week that was originally broadcast @Gone4Good - everyone was talking about it, it seemed.

Cases like that go some way to explaining the Brexit referendum vote, IMO.

I've been following this thread and it still astonishes me that some people are so ignorant about social housing policies but still like to throw their twopenneth in.

Itsrelly not that difficult, using the power of google, to look up policies online, then you would be informed before spouting nonsense.

Here there is no shortage of houses, the rents are very high on the new affordable properties, you have to be employed. The only real difference between the HA houses and private rents is you have security of tenancy, some offer lifetime tenancies too just to piss people offeven further.

I couldn’t of said it better you are so right