Council house sold to resident after just 3 years

[Zaane]

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?

Thank you @DynamoKev for clarifying. A lack of social housing to replace what was sold in Right to Buy cannot be blamed on local authorities as they were prevented from using the funds to rebuild! It suits Tory governments to demonise local authorities when in fact historically they have done a good job managing school provision, social housing etc. They have been starved of funding for years through deliberate austerity policies and people wonder why they can't meet there obligations - it's not lack of competence mainly, it's years of underinvestment!

@Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep

Of course the system is flawed Right to buy needs to be abolished

RtB council houses has already been abolished in Scotland and Wales.

Where did they live before they went in to this council house and is it on a council estate?

It's possible the council wants to get rid of some properties.

I don't see any reason to be jealous, throughout life there are always people who seem to get some breaks when you don't but, equally, your time will come.

@ilovesooty

Right to Buy should have been abolished years ago.

It was abolished, in Scotland and Wales. There is no RTB here.

You could get rid of it in England if the electorate there knew or cared enough to pursue abolition.

I think RTB is an opportunity and we took the council up on it!

I would never have been able to afford a house otherwise, I've now sold it on after waiting 5 years and moved out of London to afford a house for our family.

I've worked since I was 15, never received any financial help from the government and am in a low paid job from a working class background. I put up with 15 years of shit living conditions in an awful estate where drugs and violence was an everyday occurrence. Me, my husband and 2 children lived cramped in the one bed flat for 5 years before we could sell it.

It really annoys me how judgmental people are of RTB council housing.

I'm disgusted that people can purchase a council house under RTB then let it out and profit from it

@Zaane YANBU at ALL !!!

IMO, if a home is sold to someone with 35% off - and in some cases it's 50 or 60%, the council should put it into building new affordable homes (to RENT!) Then if that person puts the house on the market within ten years, whatever profit they make, they should give 50% back to the council.

Eg, if they bought their house on the right-to-buy for £50K, (and it was valued at £100K,) and they sold it after 3 or 4 years for £120,000, they should give half of the £70K profit back to the council.

It is annoying, but even MORE annoying is this that happened some ten years ago.

A woman I know (and her DH,) lived in a council house from 2000 to 2009, and bought it on the 'right to buy' for £60K (it was valued at £120K.) They got 50% off!

They continued living there for 4-5 years til 2014 ish, then sold it for £140K, making £80K on it! They then moved into a little private let 2-bed house.

They squandered most of the money on new cars, holidays, clothes, expensive tech, a caravan (which got stolen and was not insured, so there was £6K gone,) then another caravan, and all sorts of shit. They had £10K left within 2 years.

In 2015 they went on the housing list, and claimed overcrowding as the son and daughter (now teens) were sharing a bedroom. In 2017, they we allocated a 3 bed semi detached house from a housing association.

So they made £80K on their right to buy, sold it, went into private let, squandered all the money, then went back into fucking social housing again. I am SURE there has to be a law against this.

Another couple I used to know, were 'homeowner/mortgage owners' for 20 years. They got £70K into debt by living above their means, renovating/redecorating the house, going on 2 or 3 holidays abroad per year, buying multiple tech items by Apple, having a brand new car each every year, amongst many other things...

In 2016 they went bankrupt, wrote off all the debt, surrendered their house/had their house repossessed, and moved into private let. They ALSO went on the housing list.

In 2018, they got offered a snug little 2 bed semi-detached bungalow owned by a housing association, that cost £65 a week rent. No debt and a cosy little social housing bungalow with a tenancy for life.

So, so, SO fucking annoying!

As I say, I have no massive issue with people buying their council house, but the council MUST put the money into building new affordable homes to rent, and the person buying their council home, must give 50% of any profit they make, if they sell the house within ten years.

Why the fuck should they be able to buy a £140K house for £70K, and then sell it, and run off with all that profit a couple of years later? And even worse, get social housing again within 2 to 4 years of making a killing on their right to buy?!!

@Ellieboolou33

I think RTB is an opportunity and we took the council up on it!

I would never have been able to afford a house otherwise, I've now sold it on after waiting 5 years and moved out of London to afford a house for our family.

I've worked since I was 15, never received any financial help from the government and am in a low paid job from a working class background. I put up with 15 years of shit living conditions in an awful estate where drugs and violence was an everyday occurrence. Me, my husband and 2 children lived cramped in the one bed flat for 5 years before we could sell it.

It really annoys me how judgmental people are of RTB council housing.

If you’re living in a council house, that is a form financial help from the government ( or the more accurately the tax payer).

@CharlotteRose90 how judgmental are you. As I said I was up to date with rent. (In a position to buy) I got made homeless as landlord wasn’t paying mortgage because I was made redundant and husband self employed unable to get privet rent.

Who are you to say who should get a council house or not. And I would be absolutely bonkers not to buy it.

@x2boys

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 .

Yeah, flushes out the ignorant types repeatedly.

If you’re living in a council house, that is a form financial help from the government ( or the more accurately the tax payer)

Again, how is it costing the taxpayer? It's been said more than once so must be an easy question to answer.

for those saying..."id be bonkers not to buy it, or I'd be a mug not to"

just think how much that social housing helped you in your hour of need, how grateful you were for the safety net of social housing.

Then consider that you have stolen that safety net from others in need.

it's a disgrace and needs to end. Housing association can not afford to build when people get reductions on purchases.

Good for them, without RTB this person might not of got in the property ladder. So what if they had a 35% and paid cash, should they'd of turned down the discount to please you?

Its the system that is flawed, not your acquaintance, you sound bitter and jealous.

[quote Zzzzzzxxx]@CharlotteRose90 how judgmental are you. As I said I was up to date with rent. (In a position to buy) I got made homeless as landlord wasn’t paying mortgage because I was made redundant and husband self employed unable to get privet rent.

Who are you to say who should get a council house or not. And I would be absolutely bonkers not to buy it.[/quote]
Not judgemental at all . Like I said if you are full time working on a wage you can buy your own place if you need extra help in your case then you needed the help. . You do you and you’ve bought your place. I do hope the scheme gets scrapped and eventually it will as it is unfair and more people need it then the people buying now.

@bobby6678

for those saying..."id be bonkers not to buy it, or I'd be a mug not to"

just think how much that social housing helped you in your hour of need, how grateful you were for the safety net of social housing.

Then consider that you have stolen that safety net from others in need.

it's a disgrace and needs to end. Housing association can not afford to build when people get reductions on purchases.

This with bells on.

The people that have bought don’t seem to understand that they have effectively stolen someone else’s chance for a well needed home.

zzzzzzzzzxxx

Where would you have ended up if social housing hadn't been available to you?

You should have given it back and bought or private rented.

All those future families who desperately need help...you took their house!

YABU.
But Gov are more U for not using the money to build more SH and then blaming the shortage on individual buyers.

I've not bought or ever had a council house, but how the hell is someone buying one with RTB 'stealing' or taking someone's house?
If the council run a scheme where tenants can buy after a number of years, and people meet that criteria to buy at a discount price why shouldn't they? It might be the only way they can buy a house.

@whammyyammy
Social housing is for those in need. so in the example from the pp, she was homeless, her husband was self employed, they couldn't get a private rent.
Social housing stepped in and in her hour of desperate need, they provided a safe home for her family.

When she bought that house, she made a profit and that house is no longer available as social housing.

Therefore the next desperate family can not have it as social housing.

It's a moral issue.

That's part of the problem with peoples attitudes these days. They wrongly think SH was set up for those 'in need'. Link it to benefits and call them free back in the day.

It surprises them that some councils will mostly only rent to those who work. It boggles their heads so they don't accept it.

Like I said, ignorant.

It's not a surprise at all, it's a confirmation that the current system is so wrong and urgently need to be completely reformed.

[quote bobby6678]@whammyyammy
Social housing is for those in need. so in the example from the pp, she was homeless, her husband was self employed, they couldn't get a private rent.
Social housing stepped in and in her hour of desperate need, they provided a safe home for her family.

When she bought that house, she made a profit and that house is no longer available as social housing.

Therefore the next desperate family can not have it as social housing.

It's a moral issue.[/quote]
Yes I understand that there is a shortage, but individuals buying houses off councils to ensure they have a permanent home for their families is not the problem, its the RTB scheme itself.

RTB might of been the only way this person could buy their own home and put down permanent roots.

If you couldn't afford a house through normal channels but was offered a 35% discount on a house that you were renting, you saying you would turn it down and move into unpredictable private rent so someone else could live in your safe home and end up buying it these for a discount?

Hate the game, not the player

If the money made from the sale of the older expensive to maintain properties went straight into building modern, energy efficient homes then it would be no issue , you can build several decent flats from the sale of one old house , even with a discount. The government should be making sure every penny goes to new housing.
I will be buying mine soon, I’ve been dealt a rough hand with my health and I’m getting an inheritance, this is the only way I’ll ever afford to own and be able to give my kids that stability and something to inherit from me. It’ll never be rented out for a profit though. Infact when I’m gone I’d like to think the kids will live in it until they marry and then use it to purchase their own places this hopefully not lining the pockets of greedy landlords or needing social housing themselves.

gamerchick, actually social housing was set up to help those in need. it was to aid low income families who were living in private rented slums. it offered security, safety, quality housing and guaranteed rents.

it was NOT set up to help people onto the property market.

Times have changed and now if offers security from private sky high rents, it also offers homes to people that don't qualify for private renting.

Yes, you are very ignorant.

I've never been in need of social housing but I understand that people do rely on it, plenty of PP have said it stepped in when they needed help...if everyone buys their house...who will help the future families that are desperate?

@Whammyyammy

Good for them, without RTB this person might not of got in the property ladder. So what if they had a 35% and paid cash, should they'd of turned down the discount to please you?

Its the system that is flawed, not your acquaintance, you sound bitter and jealous.

:-) I won't say it, someone else might.

It sounds well within the rules. Any discount could have come from previous tenancies, and there is or used to be a limit to the amount of discount you could benefit from.
There's nothing to stop cash purchases, the money could have come from relatives etc.
As I heard one local politician say "It was never a Right to Buy- rather an Obligation to Sell"
The OP does sound a little envious- undoubtedly without knowing the full circumstances. (how many times does a "cash buyer" turn out to need a loan...many times)