To be angry that this government has further shafted everyone bar homeowners

[Kitchendisco73]

The eviction ban ends and the prediction is that about a million people who rent will be in trouble and at risk of losing their home.

Alongside that, the government has also shafted anyone who is a first time buyer by creating a fake housing boom using help to buy and the stamp duty holiday as prices have risen so much, those who it was allegedly meant to help are priced out.

In Cornwall, I read there were 10,000 air Bnb properties but 62 for long term rent for local families.

www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jun/01/bank-of-england-monitors-uk-housing-boom-as-it-weighs-inflation-risk-dave-ramsden-covid

It’s entirely possible that there is a big housing crash coming too thanks to inflationary pressures.

Aibu to be angry- it’s just truly appalling and impossible for anyone (millions of people) who can’t get on the property ladder. Surely this madness has to end soon? You can’t just protect homeowners at the expense of everyone else. I am tired of the rampant inequality in this country.

All savers "have been shafted" nobody is paying more than 1%

Housing however is going up 20% in some areas per year

I don't know the answers

Savings 1% housing 20% - is it any wonder that people are buying houses as an investment?

@Tealightsandd

The system is terribly out of balance. We need some landlords but there are too many.

I had a look on Rightmove and a couple of other sites after a similar thread recently. Loads of flats - ideal starter homes - were being sold as 'investments'. They were being marketed for landlords. Some aimed at both FTB and investors (so FTB having to complete against already asset rich, sometimes cash buyers).

That leaves FTB trapped in expensive renting, and in turn pushing out onto the streets or homeless accommodation, the people who would have been renting instead of them - people on low incomes who could never afford to buy.

But really the biggest problem recently for ftb is the ridiculously ill advised stamp duty holiday.

But isn't that either because they have tenants in situ or because the lease is too short for a mortgage, rather than anything sinister against FTB?

In fact the situation significantly worsened under the Blair and Brown governments

'Did it? In what way? Houses were pretty affordable during the Blair years.'

The boom in buy to let as an alternative to, or supplement to a pension really took off under Blair and Brown and they didn't replace any of the council houses that were sold off during Maggie's era either. It suited the Labour government very well to foist the responsibility for social housing onto the private sector.

Based on what the last Labour government's approach to housing and BTL landlords, they would be the very last people in any position to complain about the lack of secure and affordable housing available today.

I see your point to an extent, but on the flip side those buying second, third or however many homes are doing it as an investment in their future and their families future - I don’t think it’s fair to be angry at them just because they can afford to do that.

Consider all the homeowners who rely on rental monies that weren’t paid and couldn’t evict their tenants...I really feel for them.

We privately rent. There has been an influx of people moving from London when they can during covid. It has pushed up the rent so much. We could afford a mortgage but as usual it's the deposit that stops us. We.pay out 60% of.my DH’s wage on rent. The only way to reduce it would be to move away and get new jobs, pull the kids out of school and where they have called home there entire lives.

This happened to me in summer 2007.

First time buyer, on my own on a rubbish salary. Found a lovely ex LA maisonette (they still owned the freehold) offer made, instructed a solicitor, a week lawyer I’d been gazumped by a local landlord couple who were BTL landlords.

I was literally cheated out of my first home for the sake of a couple of grand but I just couldn’t stretch any further.

I’m now about to join the club as a second home owner. I’ve paid off the mortgage on my home so I’m going to keep it and rent it out when we move to the next one.

I could beat them so I’m joining them.

This is a nonsense. It wasnt about protecting home owners. Indeed anyone who took advantage of a mortgage break during covid19 are now stuck with penal rates because they are classed as unable to pay their mortgages whereas it was the governments lockdown that created that situation. Likewise landlords have been unable to evict tenants who are causing mayhem or failing to pay as the length of time to evict was extended to protect the tenant during covid19. Owning a house is not a human right. If it wasn't for housing associations and private landlords there would be a damn sight more people on the streets. If you want to buy a house, you need to save. Unfortunately people aren't willing to sacrifice free time to take on a second or third job to get a deposit together and are happier to moan about not getting on the property ladder and blame the government or other people buying. Being happy for someone else's success on buying a house should never dampen your own. Incidentally owning your house isnt all its cracked up to be as you rather than a landlord are responsible for the repairs. Find what works for you but if you dont like it, work hard to change your situation because every situation is only temporary

Agree OP ever increasing property prices don’t help anyone except house builders, developers, and the few who are downsizing or inheriting.

• Allow local authorities to borrow to build and reinvest rents
• Redirect funds spent on housing benefits from private landlords to social house building
• Empty, second home and foreign buyer taxes, replace or reband council tax
• Stop and rectify part but/rent and multiplying ground rent and leasehold cons
• Make ‘affordable’ quotas actually affordable and increase and enforce them
• Possibly open up to green belt building if very high quotas
• Stop all subsidies inc. help to buy and stamp duty holidays

This would just be the start to manage property prices but what we actually need is managed decline. Not sure how that would work though and homeowners should not be left in negative equity

Yes, it's massively important to the Tory party to please homeowners:

Home ownership and GE2019
As in previous years, homeowners were more likely to vote Conservative in the 2019 election. According to Ipsos MORI’s figures, 57% of voters who owned their home outright voted Conservative, as did 43% of people with mortgages. By contrast, 45% of social renters and 46% of private renters voted Labour.
The 2011 Census tells us how many homeowners were in each constituency. At the time, around 64% of UK households owned their home, either outright or with a mortgage. 315 of the Conservatives’ 365 seats (86%) had home ownership levels above this average, compared with 53 of Labour’s 202 seats (26%). Nine of the Lib Dems’ 11 seats had above-average home ownership levels (82%).

It will beinteresting to see the English 2021 census results when out in 2022 to see if there aer any changes and also the red wall now being blue (eg Bishop Auckland where my father grew up now has a Tory MP).

Owning a house is not a human right.

No but having a home is. The right to shelter. Something denied to increasing numbers of vulnerable low income individuals and families.

you want to buy a house, you need to save. Unfortunately people aren't willing to sacrifice free time to take on a second or third job to get a deposit together

Yeah nevermind the child care and other essential things like sleep...and perhaps... exercise. And people complain about people being overweight through being 'lazy'.

The problem for growing numbers of people isn't not being able to buy. It's that there's a severe shortage of council housing, and private renting in the UK (unlike many other countries) is incredibly insecure and expensive (bang goes savings for a deposit, which were already crap due to low interest rates propping up the house price bubble).

The most devastating issue of all is that far too many private landlords won't let to tenants on benefits. Which leaves vulnerable adults too disabled to work on the streets and vulnerable low income families in very expensive taxpayer funded homeless accommodation (many of those families are working, often long hours).

It's no good for society when large numbers of people are unable to settle and put down roots, establish themselves in a local community. How destabilising and distressing for young children - to constantly have to move away or be ready to move away from their school and friends.

We need more social housing, increased housing benefits to meet at least 50% of market rents (with some rent control), more secure tenancies - the government promised two years ago to end the no fault eviction but hasn't done it yet.

We also need to stop inflating the bubble. No more brainless stamp duty holidays, for a start.

Obviously, people who have huge fixed debts (mortgages) will want stability (vote conservative.
Radical changes are only appealing when you can be nimble.

@Empressofthemundane

Obviously, people who have huge fixed debts (mortgages) will want stability (vote conservative. Radical changes are only appealing when you can be nimble.

Err...Brexit? The biggest and most economically disruptive change for a generation.

Brexit has not hurt house prices yet.

Yes, it's massively important to the Tory party to please homeowners

Seemed to be as popular with Labour. Definitely under the architects of mass Buy to Let, Blair and Brown.

Unless involved in legally or morally dubious tax avoidance scheme, homeowners are taxpayers.

Taxpayers are paying huge sums to house homeless vulnerable adults and children in very expensive temporary accommodation.

This is often private rentals - just with the landlord charging several times more than the market rate for a substandard poorly maintained property that they couldn't let on the open market (due to being in shit hole condition).

That's not the sort of person I'm happy to give my tax money to.

Also, how's the house price bubble popular with homeowners who can't afford to upsize? Couples and young families who are ready to make the move from starter

@Empressofthemundane

Brexit has not hurt house prices yet.

Well no but a vote for conservatives in 2019?was hardly a vote for stability and limited change!

@Tealightsandd

"Also, how's the house price bubble popular with homeowners who can't afford to upsize? Couples and young families who are ready to make the move from starter"

It was older homeowners who voted Tory in 2019:

Age was a strong predictor of how people voted. YouGov estimates that the chance of someone voting Conservative in 2019 increased by around nine points with every 10 years of age. Ipsos MORI estimates that the Conservatives had a 47-point lead amongst voters aged 65 and above. Meanwhile, Labour had a 43-point lead amongst voters aged 18-24 and a 24-point lead amongst voters aged 25-34.

People who want to maximise their equity when they downsize. House price bubble's perfect.

You need to realise that homeowners - or a proportion thereof (I am one myself) form the core of the ruling party's vote. They will never do anything to diminish the value of housing.

The only way around 2nd home syndrome is to tax the pants off them. 2 or 3 times the Council tax. Or more. Restricting who can buy what where is a nonsense. How would it work ? Restrictive covenants ? And the people keenest on adopting it would be mortified if they could only sell to fellow locals and thereby suppress the price.

I’m a landlady, have an awful tenant taking me to court for money, where independent contractors are in my favour. Caused me unbelievable amount of stress. There are scenarios where having the option to serve notice for eviction is needed. So one size doesn’t fit all. May I add I’m not rich. Come from a single parent, working class background. Just trying to make an honest living and worked very hard to get where I am today

Totally agree with you. Many of the council homes (yes they were intended as homes not just houses) are now owned by private landlords who rent them back to the council who first built them for thousands of pounds more. This is when it started. Most people at the thin end of the wedge are in work, working their socks off and paying horrendous amounts in rent, with no hope of ever being able to afford anything of their own or even renting a council house. This IS government policy and not simply market forces. I’m ashamed we’ve got to this. It’s so sad.

It was older homeowners who voted Tory in 2019:

And?

The housing situation significantly worsened under Labour - Blair, and then Brown.

MPs from all the main parties are landlords and second home owners.

Most homeowners - ordinary families and individuals (those who own a home, not properties) want their children and grandchildren to also have housing stability (whether secure tenancies or ownership).

They don't vote for keeping the house price bubble inflated.

People voted Tory in 2019 because of Corbyn and Momentum (and the long shadow of property millionaire, Tony Blair).

They voted against, not for.

There are scenarios where having the option to serve notice for eviction is needed.

I'm talking No Fault evictions. If tweaks need to be made to Section 8, we do that. We don't need Section 21.

Most homeowners - ordinary families and individuals (those who own a home, not properties) want their children and grandchildren to also have housing stability (whether secure tenancies or ownership). They don't vote for keeping the house price bubble inflated

But they do. People downsize to give their kids deposits. Houses are sold when people die and the proceeds are used for deposits.

But this is nothing new. Back in the 70s, the Welsh nationalists torched second homes. There was the awful joke: Come home to a real fire. Buy a house in Wales. 😳