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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that Boris bringing back the 'Right to buy' scheme from the 80s is a terrible idea

510 replies

somewhereoverthechipshop · 02/05/2022 14:00

Just this really. I think it's a slap in the face for all those private renters who cannot afford to buy a home, and just a horrible idea.
Boris Johnson mulls a new Right to Buy scheme as housebuilding hits the curb (cityam.com)

Not sure if link above works, but you can google it.
Evidently he is 'mulling over' the idea of bringing back Margaret Thatcher's scheme from the late 80s that decimated this country's council housing stock.
Just wondered what other people thought about it?

OP posts:
Mrssheppard18 · 03/05/2022 19:28

Stupid idea when there’s not even enough council housing to go around as it is

Stripyhoglets1 · 03/05/2022 19:30

Councils weren't allowed to use the money to build new housing for a long time. They had to give the money to the govt.
Its only now they can.
And then often only allowed to part fund using RTB receipts.

Stripyhoglets1 · 03/05/2022 19:33

Junipercrumble · 02/05/2022 21:32

Parents can indeed pass on their tenancy to their children, so long as it only involves one succession of tenancy.
If a single parent wishes to pass her tenancy onto her child, that would be one succession of tenancy.

Show quote history

Theres no automatic right for one succession to family members any more. Only to spouses.
Some social landlords still allow one succession to family members but its up to the Landlord now.

bellsbuss · 03/05/2022 19:38

@sweetheartyparty if they brought that in landlords would net let anyone stay in their property long enough for it to apply.

AnyFucker · 03/05/2022 19:45

…and who could blame them ?

FoodologistGirl · 03/05/2022 20:13

Don’t be fooled it’s just a distraction

Suzi888 · 03/05/2022 20:17

How many local authorities still have council housing?

linsey2581 · 03/05/2022 20:18

@NoodleNuts Not in Scotland anymore. Sturgeon put a stop to that a few years ago. It used to be if you lived in your council house for over 8 years you could apply to buy it. We have lived in our council house for nearly 15 years but we can’t buy it.

mmmmmmghturep · 03/05/2022 20:47

Government knows they wont be able to take your house to pay for social care if you dont own it!

the80sweregreat · 03/05/2022 20:57

My dad didn't own his council house but because he had savings and a private pension he still had to pay for his care! They get you in the end regardless ( especially if you have dementia)

TabithaTittlemouse · 03/05/2022 21:04

I hate him more and more every single day.

Justajules · 03/05/2022 21:11

This is how messed up the system is.

I bought my council flat 5 years ago. They ridiculously undervalued it for a start (I can only think it was a typo) at 130k. Even the lady at the council who gave me the paperwork was shocked, but said "oh well, that's what it says". Got 97k discount or thereabouts off that. 2 months after I bought it I received a notice of demolition (they obviously knew this was happening when they sold it to me) so I had to sell it back to them. They gave me full market value (240k, 4 months after valuing it at 130k). 10% on top for the inconvenience. They paid all costs involved, stamp duty on my new property, all solicitors fees, moving costs, mortgage early redemption fee, new mortgage fee.

All the flats they bought back they used for emergency housing in the meantime. 5 years on and there's no demolition in sight.

I'm not in any way posting this to be smug. I don't agree with the system but it would have been madness to refuse it. I bought the flat fully expecting to live there for many more years. Makes absolutely zero sense to me.

Norwegiancopice · 03/05/2022 21:14

Boris thinks it will buy him some votes. Let's hope not.

Florrey · 03/05/2022 21:22

@sweetheartyparty you are utterly mad. Nobody is going to pay full market price for a house then let a tenant buy it from them for 40%! People will let their houses sit empty or evict tenants before they can become eligible.

chynapearl · 03/05/2022 21:39

You could buy a council house before Thatcher came in to power . My parents could have bought theirs mid 1970s . I think maybe Thatchers discount scheme was the reason so many bought . Imagine the profit those who bought them in pretty country villages made .

jaynecooper · 03/05/2022 22:24

Not many private landlords have that many house! Most only have one or two.

jaynecooper · 03/05/2022 22:27

Agree

sweetheartyparty · 03/05/2022 22:43

I wasn't being serious. Selling off council houses when there is an acute shortage of social housing is wrong and shortsighted. These are all our assets and i dont want them to sell the social housing just to help BJ have an easier time at the local elections

Dnaltocs · 03/05/2022 22:53

If private landlords sold their houses due to higher taxes, there would be a huge huge hole in the rental market with many, even millions homeless. The government should give a tax reduction to private landlords to stop them selling their rental properties.

It’s a mess at present.

Abblebee · 03/05/2022 23:03

Dnaltocs · 03/05/2022 22:53

If private landlords sold their houses due to higher taxes, there would be a huge huge hole in the rental market with many, even millions homeless. The government should give a tax reduction to private landlords to stop them selling their rental properties.

It’s a mess at present.

Spoken like a true landlord.

If landlords weren't buying up housing stock, more people would be able to buy and there would be fewer tenants looking to rent.

purplevamp · 03/05/2022 23:03

Not wanting to get my head bitten off but we bought our HA house 7 years ago. The mortgage is £100 more than the rent was but about a third of what private rent is in my area. If we hadn't have bought it from the HA we would still be living in it anyway as we cannot afford to private rent. If we decide to sell it we have to sell it back to the HA, which is fine with me. Our reason for buying it was to have a home for life (hopefully) and once the mortgage is paid off we wouldn't have any rent to pay in our retirement. Also, the discount was less than 15% of the property price at the time.

LuluBlakey1 · 03/05/2022 23:11

It's:
a quick vote winner
a way to allow associations to offload badly built, in need of repair housing
a way to allow squalid landlords to buy these properties up from the people who bought them cheap- who will make a quick, relatively small buck and the property will be rented out all over again for a higher rent by squalid Tory landlords
a way to get the dim, cheated property buyer who had bought a badly built property that they've already spent a fortune renting- to vote Tory because now Boris has done something for them
a way to remove more of the burden for social housing from the state- that's his game- same with NHS. Remove the burden from the state.

LuluBlakey1 · 03/05/2022 23:12

No one should be allowed to own more than two houses in this country. No one.

Villagewaspbyke · 03/05/2022 23:17

@Justajules - I don’t blame you for taking the deal but councils are so wasteful. I have a family member with a similar story. Compulsory purchased whole blocks then demolished it allegedly to widen a road. Which they decided not to do.

all this with a chronic housing shortage

Villagewaspbyke · 03/05/2022 23:19

LuluBlakey1 · 03/05/2022 23:12

No one should be allowed to own more than two houses in this country. No one.

Why? If they’re occupied why does it matter who owns them? We need more properties for rent and ownership.