Increase in Homelessness

[Alex50]

This isn’t going to end well, AIBU the government should still block evictions for non rent payments

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53797657

I'm inclined to agree! A roof over your head is basic human need, first or second in Maslow's hierarchy, depending on how you look at it. Then maybe Maslow should pay everyone's rent.. or people should learn what his hierarchy really was!

What would happen in the case of a landlord having the house repossessed (if they rely on the rent for the mortgage payments)? Would the bank still not legally be able to evict a current tenant?

Or in the case of someone using rent from an elderly relatives home to pay the care home fees? Should the elderly care home resident get kicked out when these fees can't be paid? If you can't evict a tennant at all, you couldn't even sell the house to pay the fees instead...

"More people would be able to own a property if people didn’t hoard them to rent out. "

How so? There are always lots of properties for sale. People arent renting because there aren't enough houses to buy because landlors have bought them all!! They are renting for a variety of reasons, the most obvious being they cant afford a deposit or they dont want to commit!!!

"We need way more social housing for people who can’t or don’t want to buy."

You mean like Council houses,? That's a whole different thread. Landlords arent hoarding properties. Most landlords are like you and I, they may have inherited a house, or worked hard and bought one on a buy to let mortgage.

I’m not sure I agree landlord Ian is theft. I rent out the house I owned when I married my 2nd DP. After being in a very scary housing situation following my divorce from exDP1, I kept my house renting it out and moved into DP2’s house. Hopefully nothing will happen that means I have to move back into it - but if it does, it’s there for me to. In the meantime I have a good tenant who doesn’t take the mickey and who is treated well. The bottom line to me is that there needs to be more social house, especially for the poorer and more vulnerable in society.

A bank as a landlord doesn’t demand three monthly inspections, randomly sell the property, leave it in a state of disrepair or charge tenants for changing utility suppliers.

Some of the arguments on here are ridiculous. The housing market is distorted by landlords, that’s factual and none of them are doing it to provide a public service.

@Orchidsindoors

"As soon as people start seeing families, elderly and sick people on the street"

This will never happen. They will be put up in emergency b and b if they need emergency housing....or families will need to find somewhere cheaper to live.

December 4, 2019 By The Big Issue@BigIssue An estimated 320,000 people are homeless in the UK, according to the latest research by Shelter. This equates to one in every 201 Brits and was an increase of four per cent on the previous year’s number.

All that available cheaper housing and b and b's I wonder where they are?

"All that available cheaper housing and b and b's I wonder where they are?"

They are clearly available, as the homeless were living in them during lockdown. Now lockdown has ended, some of those who live on the streets by choice, are back out there, not taking up the offer of housing. There will never be families with children on the streets, it's just not possible. Councils have a duty to house them.

Plus when shelter count homeless people, they will be including those in b and bs, as they dont have their own home and are there temporarily.

@Orchidsindoors

How so? There are always lots of properties for sale. People arent renting because there aren't enough houses to buy because landlors have bought them all!! They are renting for a variety of reasons, the most obvious being they cant afford a deposit or they dont want to commit!!

The majority of people renting are paying the cost of a mortgage & then some. If there was a one property cap then mortgage lenders would have to accept a lower/no deposit. Which again, would not be a bad thing. Very few people are going to own a home & not to their utmost to keep it that way. Most people can afford the monthly mortgage payments, but not the hefty deposits. Which is why, the rich get richer & the poor get poorer. I’m sorry, but if you want me to have empathy during a pandemic landlords are not going to me my first thought.

A bank as a landlord doesn’t demand three monthly inspections, randomly sell the property, leave it in a state of disrepair or charge tenants for changing utility suppliers. No, because if, as the owner, you fuck it up and sell at a loss, they still come after you for the money!

And they can't leave it in a state of disrepair. New Housing Redress system makes it easier for tenants to complain ... as do additional powers given to LAs, many, many years ago! And they can't do the last one. That hasn't been legal for about a decade!

If tenants used the rights they do have, and SHELTER stopped fucking around twiddling at the edges just keep themselves in a job, then the whole sector would be better off!

"If there was a one property cap then mortgage lenders would have to accept a lower/no deposit."

Where do you think landlords live? If there was a one property cap, there would be no landlords renting properties out. No holiday let's either. Therefore no properties for people to rent, but lots of properties sitting their empty as noone allowed to buy them. Would people who prefer to rent, have to live in hotels instead?

@Orchidsindoors they wouldn’t be sitting empty, mortgage lenders would rather take ‘a risk’ making money then make none at all. I think I could survive without holiday let’s, I’d stay in a hotel 👍🏼 I’d rather own my own home and make that sacrifice.

I think people who would PREFER to rent are in the slim minority. Maybe there could be a scheme for that, people with very low credit ratings or choosing to rent. Through the council maybe...

Nobody has to be a landlord and buy to let has definitely inflated the price of houses. Everyone needs a roof over their head. I would start by the government making a commitment to keep house prices stable. Not rising but stable. We will need at least a decade of house price stability to let wages catch up. They could partly do this by building lots of good social housing. I would also regulate landlords more tightly and force more long term contracts to be offered.

The majority of people renting are paying the cost of a mortgage & then some.

Yes, because they are also paying to live in a property that has to be kept to a higher standard than homes that are owner occupied, they are paying to have someone deal with the contracts they need and so that all they have to do when something goes wrong with the property is make a phone all or send an email.

There’s a valid reason why rent is usually more than a monthly mortgage payment!

I think people who would PREFER to rent are in the slim minority. Maybe there could be a scheme for that, people with very low credit ratings or choosing to rent

No! There are lots of people in very many walks of life who want or need to rent for short or long periods of time. To assume only people with poor credit want/have to rent is one of the fallacies of the Anti Landlord Brigade.

Any week, actually any day of the week, I do check ins with students, people moving for a job, people moving for a limited period for a job, people who don't want to settle, or have the upkeep of a property.

Why the hell else do Savilles and Hamptons and the other posh international agents rent out enormous houses?

@NailsNeedDoing

cost of a mortgage & then some.

Yes, because they are also paying to live in a property that has to be kept to a higher standard than homes that are owner occupied

Disagree with that in part, if you saw the property I was renting. If it was my own there would be a lot of upgrading going on. Maybe in terms of safety checks etc.. I’m not a landlord so wouldn’t know.

Irregardless of that fact, landlords are still making money or they wouldn’t be doing it. So you could own your own property, maintain it to just as high a standard as a rental and still have change.

@ CuriousaboutSamphire I’m not saying these people don’t exist, I still stand by the fact they’re in the minority.

[quote Eatyourbanana]@Orchidsindoors

How so? There are always lots of properties for sale. People arent renting because there aren't enough houses to buy because landlors have bought them all!! They are renting for a variety of reasons, the most obvious being they cant afford a deposit or they dont want to commit!!

The majority of people renting are paying the cost of a mortgage & then some. If there was a one property cap then mortgage lenders would have to accept a lower/no deposit. Which again, would not be a bad thing. Very few people are going to own a home & not to their utmost to keep it that way. Most people can afford the monthly mortgage payments, but not the hefty deposits. Which is why, the rich get richer & the poor get poorer. I’m sorry, but if you want me to have empathy during a pandemic landlords are not going to me my first thought.[/quote]
Lenders cannot accept lower or no deposits on property because of necessary regulation brought about but the 2007 housing and financial crisis. That regulation would be more necessary in a falling market brought about by removing a load of capital from it.

The only solution would be to raise interest rates for those who earn a lot. Mortgage payments would end up being the same as rent if not higher.

"Orchidsindoorsthey wouldn’t be sitting empty, mortgage lenders would rather take ‘a risk’ making money then make none at all."

But who would own them? Do you think the banks would buy them? So if a LL has to sell his second property, who buys it? If not sold, it sits empty? As all the renters could buy properties now if they wanted to, so what's stopping them?

" think people who would PREFER to rent are in the slim minority. Maybe there could be a scheme for that, people with very low credit ratings or choosing to rent. Through the council maybe..."

So where dk the council get the money to buy all the houses they need to rent out cheaply? Most councils are in massive multi million pound deficits

@LemonTT well yes, but you’re talking about in the current climate. I’m talking about if they imposed a 1 property cap. Not going to happen, but one can dream!

@Orchidsindoors a lot of things would change if a one property cap was introduced, therefore a lot more properties would be on the market & available to a whole new audience. People who are already in council homes/temporary/emergency accommodation may find themselves in a position where by they could OWN their own property. In short, if housing were more affordable, the councils housing departments would be far less in demand.

"41Eatyourbanana

@Orchidsindoorsa lot of things would change if a one property cap was introduced, therefore a lot more properties would be on the market & available to a whole new audience"

But what audience? There are are already houses for any audience to buy. There isnt a shortage of houses on the market.

"People who are already in council homes/temporary/emergency accommodation may find themselves in a position where by they could OWN their own property"

People in council houses can already buy their own house, at a much reduced cost to everyone else!!! And people in temporary housing can already buy, if they can afford it.

"In short, if housing were more affordable, the councils housing departments would be far less in demand."

But it wont be more affordable, as that would put millions of people in deficit and negative equity.

Finland invested in social housing and it has paid off with a drop in homelessness and savings to the taxpayer.
www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jun/03/its-a-miracle-helsinkis-radical-solution-to-homelessness

Social housing promotes social stability.

[quote Eatyourbanana]@LemonTT well yes, but you’re talking about in the current climate. I’m talking about if they imposed a 1 property cap. Not going to happen, but one can dream![/quote]
I realise that. Lenders would still not be able to offer loans with little or no deposit. Especially not in a market when house prices are falling.

You think the average LL has more control over the housing market than Tesco have over the food market
collectively landlords have purloined a large portion of the UK housing stock and pushed up the prices so that very few can afford to be owner occupiers