To think people dont understand the magnitude of the social housing crisis?

[Arrowfanatic]

I work in social housing. We have endless requests for moves from customers who expand their family whilst in a property which is unsuitable to move them to a bigger property. We advise that family size housing (3 bed+) has a waiting list of around 10+ years and then these customers get mad.

We're accused of allowing them to stay in overcrowded properties, or affecting their mental & physical health and inevitably an overcrowded property becomes prone to damp & mould as it's too full.

These customers also want these houses in the exact location they desire, thereby limiting even more their chances of a move.

We get so demoralised when every day it's the same thing, but social housing is at a massive shortfall for the needs of the country & family size housing is in an even greater shortfall.

My company has an extensive plan to build more properties but it's a 5 year plan!

It's like they think we're lying to them, or the old classic of "you housing immigrants straight away" note, we dont, they have to apply like everyone else. We dont want our customers in unsuitable accommodation, and we really work hard on making the housing stock we do have work.

If you're in this position what could we tell our customers to make them understand the position we are in, and the one they have put themselves in and why we cant help as quickly as they would like.

I feel like I say "we have a shortage of family size housing" 100 times a day & get yelled at 100 times a day for our association not caring.

I didn't say that at all Ada but you just read you want to read 🙄what I actually said in response to people believing that all social housing is vastly cheaper than private rent that isn't always the case and lots of people their own rent wether you like to believe this or not .

From DWP

Overall, the number of people claiming HB has been gradually decreasing and will continue to fall as UC rolls out and replaces HB for Working Age claimants. At May 2019, there were 3.6 million recipients of HB and 1.1 million households with a housing element in their UC assessment.

73% of HB recipients (2.6 million) were tenants in the Social Rented Sector and 27% were in the Private Rented Sector (970,000).

As at May 2019, 13% (320,000) of Working Age HB recipients had a reduction to their weekly award amount due to the Removal of Spare Room Subsidy scheme, whereby tenants in social housing whose accommodation is larger than they need may lose part of their HB. The average reduction amount was £15.41.

There are current 4.1million social homes. And 2.6 million of them claim some housing benefit

Then this from ONS

There were another 24,000 newly built homes for affordable rent and around 2,000 bought or converted. Affordable rent is subject to controls that make it around 80% of local market rent. The government includes “affordable rent” homes in its definition of social housing.

The number of new properties at affordable rent level has outstripped the number of new homes at social rent levels since 2013/14.

The number of households in the private rented sector in the UK increased from 2.8 million in 2007 to 4.5 million in 2017, an increase of 1.7 million (63%) households.

Ok, so taking into account the trends

• the gov class affordable rent as social housing, even though social rent is 50% market value and affordable is 80%
• Affordable rent is now outstripping social rent. So people are not paying ‘peanuts’ they are paying 80% market value to rent
• this rent is still somewhat unaffordable, due to 63% of social tenants still struggling to pay the rent by themselves

I also found this

43 per cent of social rented households are
in full or part-time work. This is higher than it was in 2010/11 (when it was 32 per cent), but remains lower than the average for all households (60 per cent). For those of working age the figure for the social sector rises to 58 per cent.

There is a higher proportion of part-time working households in social housing than in other tenures.

7 per cent of social rented households are unemployed, 27 per cent are retired, while 21 per cent are economically inactive (which includes those with a long-term illness or disability, and those looking after family members or the home). Half of social households have at least one member with a long- termillnessordisability

Almost three quarters of social renters are in the bottom 40 per cent of the income distribution

“73% of HB recipients (2.6 million) were tenants in the Social Rented Sector and 27% were in the Private Rented Sector (970,000).”

This is a figure that x2boys disputes.

A lot of private rented properties will not take HB people. And obviously anyone who is a homeowner does not get HB.

Social housing for about 10 years in most places only goes to the very poorest. When there was more social housing, that was not the case. So yes the very poorest will be reliant on HB.

@x2boys

If you are earning so little that you are entitled to housing benefit then you aren’t earning enough to be a net contributor, are you? Simple maths.

So x2boys claim that social housing tenants aren’t being subsidised by others, is clearly incorrect.

As I said above, it’s not wrong that we have some subsidising others. It is wrong for people like x2boys to claim that this doesn’t happen though.

Stop twisting everything I have written Ada I'm not sure w you are doing it but it's very irritating and making you look.a bit of a twat and I don't claim housing benefit .

Also to any housing officers on here another problem is the amount of people you are allowing in the properties. In my area which all the council housing is now managed by a housing association they are letting out massive 3 beds to family's with 2 kids...4 beds to family's with 3 kids and so on. When the council had them up to 10 people could live in these properties.
It's ridiculous as now all the larger families can't bid on bigger houses so are stuck overcrowded.

And as the families that original could only bid on 3 bids are now able to bid on 4 beds it's leaving the ones that desperately need the extra bedrooms back to square one.
And don't get me started with the new builds! I saw one (rate) 5 bed with a maximum of 6/7 people! So kids basically got a bedroom each when there are family's with four kids sharing a room that couldn't bid.
My next door neighbour is in a 4 bed 3 daughters very close in age say 13, 16, 17 yet they were given a four bed the girls share and they keep a spare bedroom! How is this allowed to happen? When their are families with kids with disabilities desperate for a big house.

I live in a saught after borough where there is low stock as people bought their council houses for like 40k and are now selling for near on 400k people are renting for years waiting for a council house in a desirable village then buying it! I know this as a friend did just this they have "money" but played the system and it angers me.
Housing associations/council are slack and the system needs to change.

Housing benefit cannot be claimed by homeowners. But most other benefits can be. Housing benefit is not the biggest cost to the government. It is mid level compared to tax credits - which is being claimed by over 7 million families

This suggests even homeowners are struggling with the cost of living, and needing top ups

Which is why people get so upset when it’s all about people in SH. There are lots of families who need tax credits regardless of their housing status so you can’t lump all people from one demographic into one stereotype

@Arrowfanatic
But most social housing tenants haven’t paid for their property several times over, have they?

I asked my housing association if I could swap my lovely 2 bed in return for one of their one bedroom new build riverside apartments, they said no. Therefore I don't really feel guilty about having an extra room.

The neighbours downstairs don't live in their property, don't sublet it either, I presume they have it paid for on benefits. I haven't grassed them up as it is so lovely not to hear every fart, cough and telephone call . They won't soundproof although they did for other tenants in the same building. The previous tenants did sublet to noisy people and I did inform the HA but they were immediately replaced with the current ones who clearly don't need it, so I gave up! The problem is you get extra points for the amount of years you have been waiting, so someone who applied 10yrs ago who no longer needs it comes to the top of the list.

I am very grateful for my flat but I do get frustrated at having to use most of my annual leave for workmen to come round and fix things, it's an old flat so comes up a lot. The maintenance co. will typically send a round someone 2 or 3 times before something actually gets fixed. I had no heating or hot water for over 3wks over xmas and new year. But I'd rather put up with that ineptness than not have my lovely flat.

Oops

That was meant for @x2boys the poster who is mathematically illiterate.

@AdaKirkby Sat 01-Feb-20 11:10:38
@Arrowfanatic
But most social housing tenants haven’t paid for their property several times over, have they?

I've paid 120k in rent so far, having been here 20yrs and at 49 may easily pay 2 or 3 times that (been here 20 or so yrs).

If I paid £900pm rent for 6 years that’s nearly £65,000 in rent for a house i will never own doesn’t belong to me and you can’t stay for life and can’t borrow against or leave to my children

AdaKirkby I think you need to lay off x2boys a bit, it’s becoming a bit aggressive.

Social housing tenants may we’ll have been there long enough to repay the cost of the house in rental income over the years.

My parents were in their council house for 50 years. They paid the council way more in rent than I have ever paid in mortgage and repairs.

I used to work in a legal aid practice.

The housing seat that I did...woman and husband lived with 3 kids in a 1 bed flat.

Offered a 3 bed house and declined it as she didnt like the area.

She was then taken off the list because if you turn down a property you dont get offered another.

It is just beggars belief. Why have 3 kids in a one bed council flat anyway?!

@Menora

But your own quite said that 73% of social housing tenants receive housing benefit. Do you think that paying rent with housing benefit is paying rent out of their own pocket?

I think the key issues lie with the right to buy and lifetime tenancies.

Yes, perhaps social housing was never meant to just be for those ‘in need’ but times change, populations increase and so on and now it’s simply unsustainable.

It should be there for the most ‘in need’ those in vulnerable situations, the elderly, disabled, those fleeing relationships, those who have found themselves in a bad situation.

What it should not be, is somewhere for someone who had a shit time a few years ago, to then pick themselves up, get comfortable and then have either reduced rent for the rest of their lives, when they’re in a perfectly fine position to free up a house - or worse, to purchase the house at a reduced rate and profit from a lifeline they were given and remove it from being or benefit to anyone else.

People stay in council houses for life and I don’t blame them because it’s easy once you’re in one. Most people would be mad to give up a secure, lifelong tenancy, where you do not need to pay for your own repairs or kitchen/bathroom refurbs etc. But it’s not sustainable anymore when we have people desperate for these properties in genuine need. We shouldn’t have lifelong council/HA tenants who can perfectly afford to buy elsewhere or move on.

@Careerhelpneeded

I am merely disputing x2boys claim that social housing tenants aren’t subsidised. If 73% of them claim housing benefit then they clearly are.

Mathematically illiterate??
I think you mean innumerate?
( sounds like you're the illiterate one🤭)

I think a picture of the tenants is a good thing.

The subletting issue really annoys me.

If you can do this then you don't need a council or housing association property.

@uyscuti

Lots of squealing from those dependent on the state (but don’t realise it). Unfortunately for them, we now have a hard right Tory government in place. A government that couldn’t give a shit about those in social housing / claiming benefits.

Whether you think I am illiterate or not, I’m not in that situation, so it doesn’t bother me that the gravy train is ending. I didn’t choose to live a life dependent on the largesse of the state, without realising that politics could change and affect my lifestyle. So I don’t really care

@Adakirby

No
It is you who can’t read

63% of tenants in SH require benefit support
That’s not full benefits either.
Of 4.1 million homes, 2.6 million require support
Over 40% of those people are ill, disabled or retired
So 7% are unemployed
The other 60% work

73% is the % of SH vs private in total HB claimants not how many people in SH claim benefits

In fact maths wise
4.1-2.6 claiming = 1.5 million who are not claiming anything

If 63% of people in SH need HB and nearly half of them have no income due to age or health, then this leaves nearly 2 million people in SH who aren’t claiming any HB and are working