1 single person in a 3 bed council house

[Fyptk]

20ish years ago this person exchanged from a 1 bed flat to a 3 bed council house because relatives were moving in with her, so all the bedrooms were needed.

Fastforward a few years and those relatives all moved on and the single person remained in the 3 bed house.

To get out of paying bedroom tax they claim the other bedrooms are used for something to do with their work which they are not. The rooms are unused apart from storing excess clutter.

Meanwhile here in London (where this person lives) families are stuck in hostels and overcrowded rooms whilst the local burroughs housing register has in excess of 10,000 people on it waiting to be housed. The minimum wait for a 3 bed house here is 10 years.

AIBU to think they are selfish?

I'm not in social housing already. In private. Need social housing if left partner. Can't get it because of things like the swapping sites when people in 3 bed council downsize to 1 bed so nothing for disabled not already in social housing. I used to work. Wasn't always disabled.

Difficult one and I've seen 4 bed HA houses with single tenants.

But when previous policies have encouraged people to have large families then this is what happens.

I'm guessing that people want more and more social housing to be built without control of the long term allocation of these houses?

The bedroom tax is a good idea. If you are reliant on benefits then why should you have this house far beyond what you actually need? Someone else who in most likelihood would love a house that big is having to pay for it.

Also, why should people simply be given larger housing? We had to make the decision whether or not to have more children. We've had the children we can afford to and won't be having any more. Why should my tax keep going up to subsidise other people's choices?

I'd also note again that Thatcher built more houses a year than Blair/Brown did in total.

@Happycat1212

This could be about my ex! He is a single man in a 3 bed council house in central London! He rents out all the rooms and is allowed to do this and due to the location he gets a lot of money, his council allow it and he’s still allowed to claim benefits as well 🤦‍♀️ Meaning he pays pennies in child maintenance.

That’s fraud surely?

@Mytiredeyeshaveseenenough "I'd also note again that Thatcher built more houses a year than Blair/Brown did in total." I do recall seeing her in a hard hat for TV opportunities but missed her sideline as a bricky.

Perhaps what this quote tries to show is interesting and what it doesn't show more so?

"Council housebuilding dropped away as a significant part of country’s output under Margaret Thatcher’s and the subsequent Conservative government – falling from 55,200 in her first year in power to just 400 in John Major’s last. This was due to the introduction of the Right to Buy and spending restrictions which prevented councils from building at scale".

www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insight/have-the-conservatives-really-built-twice-as-much-council-housing-as-labour-50497

Since then Housing Authorities' role in subsidised housing construction might make comparisons harder but perhaps the best comparator to Mrs Thatcher would be herself and John Major?

@GappyValley

I don’t understand how in MN land, Buy To Let is completely evil because it deprives people of the opportunity to have their own home

But clogging up a family council house as a single person is fine

Was just thinking the same. Landlords are evil just in it for the money. God forbid they want to sell their property and people have to move but it’s absolutely fine to take up a large council property you do not need. It may be someone’s home but the houses belong to the council.

@Fyptk

"Bedroom tax" is only relevant to those on benefits; not - as implied - if working

The things I heard from cleaners in our office were unfair to the people who claim benefits and the tax payers. People are selfish and there would be many cases like that. However, most would be outraged is these things are pointed out. Likely to come with excuses for those abusing the system.

I used to do home help work for the elderly snd there was lots of single elderly people living in 3/4 bedroom houses, my uncle included. I can see it from both sides. These people have lived in there houses for 40/ 50 years and brought up their families who wouldn’t dream of the upheaval of moving. Then on the other side you have families who need larger accommodation. Maybe they should be building more one bedroom bungalows for the elderly?

Why should my tax keep going up to subsidise other people's choices?

Houding Benefit aside, council housing isn't actually subsidised. Housing stock pays for itself via the rents collected and the rent amount is the affordable rate for the area, in a lot of areas this is not much different to - and in some case actually more than - private rents. In areas where council housing is a lot cheaper than private rents, that's down to the private rental sector and profit-making rather than down to council housing being subsidised.

[quote Zilla1]@Mytiredeyeshaveseenenough "I'd also note again that Thatcher built more houses a year than Blair/Brown did in total." I do recall seeing her in a hard hat for TV opportunities but missed her sideline as a bricky.

Perhaps what this quote tries to show is interesting and what it doesn't show more so?

"Council housebuilding dropped away as a significant part of country’s output under Margaret Thatcher’s and the subsequent Conservative government – falling from 55,200 in her first year in power to just 400 in John Major’s last. This was due to the introduction of the Right to Buy and spending restrictions which prevented councils from building at scale".

www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insight/have-the-conservatives-really-built-twice-as-much-council-housing-as-labour-50497

Since then Housing Authorities' role in subsidised housing construction might make comparisons harder but perhaps the best comparator to Mrs Thatcher would be herself and John Major?[/quote]
What a well written article. Makes such a change for one to look at the numbers and the context behind them without the axe grinding.

Not brilliant is it to see even the Tories low point of 400 was higher than the peak of 320 under Labour.

I know there is the argument regarding right to buy (I'm more pro for various reasons) but one thing I would suggest is that it must be becoming problematic for council's/HA's to purchase land suitable for large scale developments. develop the housing and then sustainably fund these costs with rental income being capped, especially when land owners, including councils could receive more monies from the private sector who don't have these restrictions.

We still need less people though. I cannot understand why population control is never talked about. Supply and demand and all that.

I’m in a 5 bed HA property. Been here a few tears but now 2 children have moved out I could downsize to a 3 bed

But it’s literally £10 less in rent. All the upheaval to save £40 a month?

Nope, not doing that

&often smaller properties have a higher rent or they are in remote or doubtfully safe areas - They might want an outside area rather than being trapped in a high rise, noisy, tiny flat with no storage with a lift which is not cared for & goes out of action frequently.
I bet someone has told you this & it isn't true
However if this person is retirement age they won't have deductions from their hb for extra rooms

*years

Also spent a lot on decorating and the gardens

@Mytiredeyeshaveseenenough we pay £450 a month for our HA property and it'll never be ours. I have friends who pay less for their mortgage knowing they will have something to enjoy at the end of it.

People have different circumstances and I wouldn't begrudge anyone a roof over their heads.

What you often find is 1bed flats in HA and councils can often cost more than a two -3 bed house so why would anyone move unless they really had to .

Then you have the situation where a council tenant has been convicted of a violent ASB crime & the courts banned him from entering the area for 2 years so he can’t physically go back to the house .
But the council are doing fuck all . So you have a 3 bed council house that no one has lived there in over a year and will not live there till Oct 2022 and meanwhile you still have people sleeping on the streets
And the council are dragging their heels on evicting

"Bedroom Tax" should be an actual tax on spare bedrooms - applicable to renters and owner-occupiers and irrespective of benefits entitlement. It should be a multiplier of council tax. Second home owners would be charged on the combination of both homes (eg. family of 4 with 2 three-bed houses = 3 spare bedrooms).

How old is this person?

When somewhere has been your permanent home for decades, it is a huge wrench to even contemplate leaving, especially if you are of more senior years, there is a good local community you are part of, and all your friends, shops, doctor etc are close by.

@freakyfridays

It's time people stop considering social houses as THEIR home, when it should be just like a rental, not a forever house. They have right of peaceful enjoyment, but nothing more.

Even home owners don't own their home until it's paid in full!

Fair enough people don't move because they can't be arsed, but the "bedroom tax" should be much higher. These properties should be a safety net, and available correctly for the ones who need them, they should not be a lifestyle choice

If you want to have YOUR home, you buy it.

You give me a £200K mortgage against my MW salary and I'll buy a 2 bed house, otherwise DOFOD.

Why do so many of people here want disabled like me to be homeless. Bedroom tax means no homes for disabled single and couples without children or children over 18 because all downsizers take the1 bedrooms so nothing left for disabled.

I have a four bed council house when I only need a 3 bed. I would happily downsize if the council helped with the costs of moving but they only help pensioners to downsize. On our cul de sac of four bed homes , of the nine only two are fully occupied and so there will be 14 empty bedrooms. I think it's pretty shortsighted not to offer incentives to all people to downsize because moving costs are a reason to stay put.

I work with a young man - he moved out of his mothers house as did his sister a couple of years ago - she was hit by the bedroom tax and so swapped to a 1 bed flat - roll forward a couple of years and now the two children's relationships broke down and the sister is in a homeless hostel as she has kids and the brother is sleeping in his car. Without the bedroom tax both would have moved back in with their Mum.

Most children leaving home boomerang to and from their parents house a few times before leaving for good. The bedroom tax now means many of these people from lower income homes become homeless - its one of the reasons for the increase in rough sleepers - another safety net is gone.

Surely judgement should be towards the councils and government who don’t want to provide more social housing even though there is a massive need for it?
Where would the money to build houses come from - answer you and me / our taxes

I've been in my housing authority house for nearly 20-years. I have three bedrooms and when my youngest leaves home I will be the only person in it, should i be forced to leave our family home which i have spent a lot of money on over the years?

If i were to swap it for a one bedroom flat it would definitely be in the roughest area of town as that's where all the social housing flats are compared to the nice location i'm in now.

@Ericaequites

Why shouldn’t there be reviews every other year on council housing and under occupiers strongly encouraged to move? Why should a single person be allowed to live in a home suitable for a family? Support to find alternate housing and moving assistance should be offered to the displaced single person. It’s difficult, but no one is entitled to a specific publicly subsidized house when circumstances or finances change.

This. Council housing is funded by the tax payer, and thanks to successive Tory Governments has been massively underfunded. While I don't think this person should be forced to leave their home,there should be reviews every few years.

I think if the person is trying to pull a fast one so they can stay yes it’s selfish. But it’s not always like that.

My friends brother lives in a three bed council house in London. It was the fathers, and he lived with his father, he was on the tenancy and the father passed away. He went to the council, with my friend, and told them ans offered to move, but they don’t have any one beds available, so for the last two years, despite numerous calls as he wishes to move. He’s been left living there alone.