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AIBU?

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Original poster

To resent our benefit claiming neighbours?

140 replies

kerala · 07/08/2007 12:46

I worked really hard for 6 years for the deposit to this flat. DH is still slaving away doing 12 hour days (at least) to pay the mortgage and support us.

Our noisy neighbours have been given the flat next door to live in by the council. It is the same as ours. They spend the afternoons messing about in the garden with their DCs, drinking stella, smoking hash and destroying the peace of the neighbourhood. They keep fighting dogs because the council pays all the vets bills for them.

My DH would love to spend time at home with us. but trots off everyday to work. I used to consider myself a left wing guardian type but beginning to resent the thousands I have paid in tax so my neighbours can loll around in the sun all day. They are all able bodied and we live in London so cant believe there no jobs they could get.

OP posts:
Peachy · 07/08/2007 22:06

See I knew this would come up today!

I was in town and saw a lasy who reminded me of someone I knew and that reminded me of a story -

years ago when DS2 was on his way, we were having ds1 Baptised. We scrimped to pay rent, for a decent baptism, etc- this other family were sharing teh church unbeknown to us and they were the local criminals. This aldy I knew since school had her babies in exactly the buggy I wanted but could never afford, and I was so . We ahd to pay for a cheap one a bit each week.

hut you know what- if I could have exchanged her life for mine, like Hell woudl I. She was 18 with 3 kids by different dads, abused by her dad as a kid (turned out she got compensation which paid for the buggy and half a sahred ownership house), her successsive dh's (she's had 4 now at 24) keep running off with younger girls, out of 5 kids she only ahs care for 2

thing is, in truth we nwver know what led to someone being so lacking in self esteen that they're happy to live off benefits. Sickness / disability aside I wudln't want to be dependent like that, its important to me to contribute to my keep (into which i include beinga SAHM). I ahve the power to control my life, something she never will.

expatinscotland · 07/08/2007 22:07

No one's saying everyone on benes is a thug, but these folks are just Neighbours from Hell.

onlyjoking9329 · 07/08/2007 22:12

i know you weren't expat.
once upon a time i worked full time and so did DH. now niether of us can work, it is not our fault, i could do some paid work but sadly have no childcare and somebody has to care for my DH. i do voluntry work when i can.
if anyone wants to be in my shoes for a while form an orderly queue

nightowl · 07/08/2007 22:19

anyone who claims benefit and/or lives in a council property is a scrounging lazy thug..end of

Bubble99 · 07/08/2007 22:23

MD. Too true.

I see the knackered working parents dropping their kids at nursery in the morning and then, an hour later, I see the cackling marauding hoard of women who have dropped their school-age children off and who then hang around, child-free, at the local Tesco before heading back to their state-funded flats.

So tell me, anyone? Why are these women being paid to do feck all, all day, while other parents are working?

And, before anyone gives it the 'income support is only £53 a week' routine. Where I live in London they are getting £600 a month in rent (two bedroomed council flat average) plus £1100 a month in council tax benefit plus £212 per month.

That's more than a lot of minimum wager's are getting.

AND one of these women applied for kitchen assistant's job that we advertised recently but said at the interview that she 'wanted to be paid in cash.'

Show me a genuinely disabled person in London who cannot find a suitable job and I will sympathise. But the rest should get off of their feckin' lazy arses and work, like the rest of us have to.

Here endeth the rant.

BarbieLovesKen · 07/08/2007 22:25

well said bubble!!

Peachy · 07/08/2007 22:29

Hang on, so what about poeple like us- no benefits but I'm at Uni? We rent 9although no housing benefits)- should I get a job then? Surely if thats how DH wants to spend his money 9and indeed my student income-a dn indeed a smalla mpunt of grant) that's up to us? Likewise next year when I ahve a year off post baby, its up to us if thasts how we want to spend our (not huge) income.

Can see why eple would be narked about benefits claimants who choose not to work- but its all beginning to sound like arant against working mums. If we choose to live with less cash, as longa s we pay our way thats our own choice

Peachy · 07/08/2007 22:29
  • non working mums
Bubble99 · 07/08/2007 22:32

Peachy. If you're paying your own way, no-one should have a problem.

paulaplumpbottom · 07/08/2007 22:33

You are right to feel bitter. There are way too many people abusing the system. I don't know why limits can't be put on how long people can claim

Peachy · 07/08/2007 22:34

Fair enough

but could yu add arers to the 'show me a genuinely disabled person'... bit? As one myself, and watching a close friend care for her very ill dad (alzheimers- needs 24 hour care)and yes live in a council house, do think they get forgotten.

nightowl · 07/08/2007 22:36

where are these mythical lot? i'd love to know. i have a council house (through falling on rubbish times, i owned a house prior to this).

i've also had to claim benefit twice through redundancy twice!

but i work, most of my neighbours work...this street (council) is like a ghost town in the day....everyone is at work! (no, really).

margoandjerry · 07/08/2007 22:36

peachy, the point is, no one in the household seems to be working and in London, there's no excuse for that. If there are two of them, one should definitely be out working...

Peachy · 07/08/2007 22:36

paula i can see your point about limits- the problem is with famillies I think, all very well pulling resources but a child can't help having parents who choose not to work.
I wouldn't want a child to suffer as a result of its parents if it could be helped.

paulaplumpbottom · 07/08/2007 22:38

Thats a fair point, still ticks me off though

Bubble99 · 07/08/2007 22:39

I've heard, via the media, and I hope it's true, that the govt. is planning to crackdown on the abuse of incapacity benefit, or whatever it is now called.

There are so many people taking the piss with this, and I know two of them.

Both work cash in hand and then get their rent, council tax and benefit paid on top.

One is claiming for depression and has to have (at most) twice yearly appts with a psychiatrist and the other has a 'bad back' and has to call on his RADA acting skills with his GP every so often.

Before I had children and ran my own business (ie. before I was a 'responsible' person) I used to think 'Oh well,' now it really P's me off.

Peachy · 07/08/2007 22:39

margo why in London? Surely if its a moral imperative its everywhere?

Dont get me wrong, I dont think theyre in themoral right or anything.

It can take a while to get abck on your feet after a job loss- when It happened to us dh took 6 months (we sold our house to cover bills etc), after that time have no idea why anyone would want to choose that lifestyle, which is the bit that confuses me.

Bubble99 · 07/08/2007 22:44

Peachy. People will choose to stay on benefits if they get the same per month (including rent, council tax etc) as a person on a minimum wage.

One involves working and the other involves feckin' around outside Tesco after dropping your kids at school.

Peachy · 07/08/2007 22:47

Some will (some- if all then nobody would be on minumum wage), not sure I argued otherwise though....

Peachy · 07/08/2007 22:49

'One involves working and the other involves feckin' around outside Tesco after dropping your kids at school.

and some involve going home, and wiping your dad's arse all day whilst trying to prevent him self harming and not having seen a friendly face socially for six months

margoandjerry · 07/08/2007 22:53

Peachy, because if you're in London there is no shortage of jobs. Demand is huge. No matter what your skills, there are jobs here.

I wouldn't like to say whether that's the case everywhere - I suspect it's not quite as easy in some parts. But in London, there's absolutely no excuse.

Peachy · 07/08/2007 22:58

Now see I can get that

pesonally I wouldnt worry as long as someone was trying to get a job- took Dh ages (years ago) because (imho) I think poeple could see at that time he wasn't well enough to work- wouldn't claim incapacity- but as longa s you're looking (genuinely) then that's an OK, to me.

I don't think its anything like as hard to get a job as when I was growing up but there are certainly places where its harder, especially in some fields.

nightowl · 07/08/2007 23:02

actually, my old neighbours were a pain in the ass. they parked on our lawn (yes, our lawn), they were incredibly noisy...i could hear them having sex every night amongst other things. they also left a metro to rot on our drive until i had to ring the council to complain and get it shifted. (broken windows, glass everywhere outside my house with a 3 year old toddling around) they took no care of our shared drive, i did all the fecking work on it, weeding, mowing the verge while they sat on their arses. in many ways they were neighbours from hell.

we owned our houses and all worked.

doubt a thread about that would have even raised an eyebrow!

lunalovegoodasgold · 07/08/2007 23:03

I think the op is not unreasonable to be hacked off at her neighbours. Hash, Stella and aggressive dogs would upset me. Especially around children. I think that despite the title this is a thread about neighbours rather than working status.

nightowl · 07/08/2007 23:05

erm "am i being unreasonable to resent our neighbours"

"am i being unreasonable to resent our benefit claiming neighbours"

?