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AIBU?

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Original poster

Council house sold to resident after just 3 years

167 replies

Zaane · 28/04/2021 11:06

An aquaintence who acquired a council property to rent only lived there for 3 years and has now bought it with a 35% discount too! Cash purchase. This makes me wonder how someone in need of council house is in a position to actually purchase it just after 3 years. Isn't the system flawed ? I rent and am far from buying my own property. There are hundreds of people waiting for housing, council isnt building new properties, and they are actually loosing the one sthey could help the neexy with?
This makes me wonder if I am just jealous or this is unfair. AIBU to think its unfair?

OP posts:
ChiefBabySniffer · 28/04/2021 13:37

@Angel2702

My partners property was adapted with a wet room, wheelchair access etc. He was still allowed to buy it. The adaptations in my proper were not funded by the housing but rather by a private grant from a charity. Maybe it's different in different areas?

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 28/04/2021 13:39

I don't have any problem with facts. I have a lovely 4 bed in a nice area with gardens that I pay very little for. I do have a problem with the implication that I shouldn't have it because I rent from the council.

People don't care who you rent it from, they care that you get something far better than most and pay very little for it.

MedusasBadHairDay · 28/04/2021 13:45

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

I don't have any problem with facts. I have a lovely 4 bed in a nice area with gardens that I pay very little for. I do have a problem with the implication that I shouldn't have it because I rent from the council.

People don't care who you rent it from, they care that you get something far better than most and pay very little for it.

Isn't the problem there that private rentals are overpriced?
CharlotteRose90 · 28/04/2021 13:49

This scheme should be stopped . There are thousands of people waiting for council housing and then you get people that can afford a house buying it. If you can afford a house then buy a private one and leave the council one. Council housing should be left to those who truly need it not people working full time. Actually sickens me, my friend is disabled and has been waiting for 5 years now in a hostel while scum buy their houses out that people need. Hope they scrap it soon.

gamerchick · 28/04/2021 13:50

@FuckingFabulous

Just to clarify- I don't agree that anyone who can purchase a home with cash should be benefitting from subsidised rent!
FFS for the millionth time. It's not fucking subsidised.

Honestly, this shit still being trotted out gets right on my tit ends.

rainbowthoughts · 28/04/2021 13:50

@Cam2020

Did they have a windfall somehow? Death of a relative or a won some money that suddenly enabled them to buy? If not, that does sound off!

Presumably they worked and saved like everyone else. Why do you jump to a windfall?

apooagnuandyou · 28/04/2021 13:52

FFS for the millionth time. It's not fucking subsidised.

Of course it is, that's the whole point! Confused

NamechangeApril21 · 28/04/2021 13:54

My DS bought her council house after five years. She lost her job and landlord had served her notice 5 years ago so desperately needed social housing as she couldn't afford private rent again. But within 6 months she was back on her feet, and stayed with her cheap rent. Her house was valued at 80k, and she got a 22k discount. The mortgage broker was able to take the 22k discount as a deposit, so she didn't even need to save a deposit while she was paying low rent. Obviously she's my sister and I'm glad she's safe and secure, but it shows how flawed the system is. Someone paying private rent will be paying more out, will have less disposable income to save, and won't get a discount on their house - meaning even if they earn more, will be drastically worse off. Social housing should exist as a safety net - I think it's essential it's available to everyone who needs it. But it's not sustainable if we keep selling it off, with massive discounts and not replacing it.

MedusasBadHairDay · 28/04/2021 13:56

@apooagnuandyou

FFS for the millionth time. It's not fucking subsidised.

Of course it is, that's the whole point! Confused

No, it's not. A quick Google came up with this from Cambridge Council in response to a FOI request;

"If the tenant pays their own rent in full, as a tenant of a local
authority, they are paying the full rent charged by the local authority
for the occupation of the dwelling. Social housing rents are well below
market rents, but are not subsidised rents."

It's only subsidised if they are claiming HB.

Babygotblueyes · 28/04/2021 13:57

With the incredible shortage of social housing in this country, that is disgusting. I dont need to be paying for people to get cheap houses out of my taxes, which is what this effectively is. We need more social housing stock, not less.

ChiefBabySniffer · 28/04/2021 13:59

@apooagnuandyou

Council housing isn't subsidised. It's the rest of the market that is over inflated and selling council houses actually adds to that. Council houses are not priced differently depending on your circumstances. Is the same rent for all. But singer people can claim benefits so in some ways THAT can be a subsidy to to up your income.

My brother in law lives and pays rent on a council house that it's 70 years old. The rent has been paid for 70 years. That house has more than paid for itself so please tell me how it's been subsidised? Do you think the builders built for free? The brick works donated the bricks? No. It was paid for by the council/given and then rent charged accordingly.

Sugarplumfairy65 · 28/04/2021 14:03

@RandomMess

The Thatcher idea was that the houses were sold and the councils were given the money to build new ones only central government pocketed the money and never gave it to the councils to built new.

Done properly it does have big positives as it actually find a new home for another person in need (wouldn't have to be a new build).

This was never the plan. Councils were specifically banned from using the part of the proceeds that they received to build more housing stock. This is why housing associations started.

MedusasBadHairDay · 28/04/2021 14:03

In an ideal world there should be more council housing stock, private rent should be less extortionate and more secure, and getting on the housing ladder shouldn't be beyond most people. But it's just not that way, and I can't blame anyone for doing what they can on a personal level, it's understandable that people will want to buy their houses. Personally I'd rather see them go back into stock to help others, but especially in areas where there's no way they can afford to buy otherwise, I can understand why people feel differently.

Think the anger should be reserved for politicians who benefit from high rents and high house prices.

apooagnuandyou · 28/04/2021 14:05

It's the rest of the market that is over inflated
Grin

Or more accurately , as said above, they are well BELOW the market rate.

Let's solve the problem and charge the real market rate for every rental, shall we? Instead of using the tax payer money to finance people lifestyle's choices.

MedusasBadHairDay · 28/04/2021 14:07

@apooagnuandyou

It's the rest of the market that is over inflated Grin

Or more accurately , as said above, they are well BELOW the market rate.

Let's solve the problem and charge the real market rate for every rental, shall we? Instead of using the tax payer money to finance people lifestyle's choices.

What problem does that solve exactly? It will just mean more people claiming greater amounts of housing benefit.
SeaTurtles92 · 28/04/2021 14:10

It's an absolute joke and they wonder why they have a housing crisis in Britain.
3 years is just wrong. 20 years, maybe.

But a lot of these are bought then rented out for extortionate prices.

Sort it out Britain!

MegaClutterSlut · 28/04/2021 14:13

Yanbu. I am a council tenant and we were randomly called from the council saying we could now buy our house if we wanted. We said no, I don't agree with it at all. There are enough people on the waiting lists to prove there is not enough housing as it is.

CrotchetyQuaver · 28/04/2021 14:19

Right to buy should be dropped. Things have really changed in the 40 years since it was introduced and now those homes that are left need to stay in public ownership.

gamerchick · 28/04/2021 14:22

@apooagnuandyou

It's the rest of the market that is over inflated Grin

Or more accurately , as said above, they are well BELOW the market rate.

Let's solve the problem and charge the real market rate for every rental, shall we? Instead of using the tax payer money to finance people lifestyle's choices.

Out of interest. How is taxpayers money being used to fund council houses?
x2boys · 28/04/2021 14:23

@CharlotteRose90

This scheme should be stopped . There are thousands of people waiting for council housing and then you get people that can afford a house buying it. If you can afford a house then buy a private one and leave the council one. Council housing should be left to those who truly need it not people working full time. Actually sickens me, my friend is disabled and has been waiting for 5 years now in a hostel while scum buy their houses out that people need. Hope they scrap it soon.
Why shouldon't people who work full time be able to get social housing,honestly Mumsnet is ridiculous sometimes ,most posters believe social housing is " free" and nobody who lives in them work ,pleanty of people work and depending on where you live in the country there is often no discernible difference in private rent or social.
Gemma2019 · 28/04/2021 14:32

It's not the incredible bargain it once was, but still an amazing opportunity and I don't blame anyone who does it. Those people who say that buyers are depriving people on the waiting list - they aren't really as they would probably just stay in the council house forever, and you used to be able to pass tenancies on. The houses still wouldn't be available to anyone else.

Over 25 years ago my parents had the opportunity to buy their London council house at maximum discount. I paid for it - it cost £42k and I had paid it off within a few years. They lived in it until their deaths and I now rent it out through the council.

If I bought the same house from the council today it would be valued at £600k and with a maximum discount of £112,800 it would be unattainable to most people.

viques · 28/04/2021 14:34

@toxictoad

I am in a HA house. Have lived here 13 years and have right to buy but it is at full market value, there has never been a discount. cannot afford it anyway
I had a HA flat, when thatcher changed the rules and bought in right to buy for HA tenants some time after the rtb for council tenants, we were not allowed to buy the property, instead we were given a cash grant (all done through HA and solicitors, I never saw it!) to buy on the open market. That seemed a better system to me, I got onto the housing ladder because the money more than counted as my deposit and my old flat is still available for social housing .
NettleTea · 28/04/2021 14:45

Im in a HA and in the SE. For the right to buy I needed to have been a council tentant from before 1998, so Im 8 years out. The most discount I can get on my HA, if I was ever in the position to buy, which is very unlikely, is £11K, which is nice, but not when the house is probably worth about £280K

CharlotteRose90 · 28/04/2021 14:50

@x2boys I know social housing isn’t free but if you work full time unless you’re in a low paid job you can afford to rent or own your own place not scrounge off the council. There’s thousands of disabled people or people that can’t work who are begging for a house and can’t get one due to these people . That’s where the system is wrong.

x2boys · 28/04/2021 14:58

Iin some parts of the country social rents are comparable to private rent,s ,and I'm not sure what you mean by scrounge off the council @CharlotteRose90? 🙄
However I do love a good council house thread,so many misconceptions it's laughable .