AIBU to think social housing homes should be temporary?

[Shannoncakequeen]

I know a lot of people won’t be happy about this view so I’m prepared to get flamed for it.

I don’t agree with people living in their social housing homes when they’re no longer ‘entitled’ to them.

By entitled I mean their children have left home so they have extra bedrooms they don’t need but continue to outlive their life there, and so preventing another family from enjoying a suitable home.

It’s not a bash about social housing per se as I know it is there for a very good reason. I was raised in council properties myself so I understand the importance of them being available to those in poverty. I feel many people abuse the system that keeps it fair for those who need it.

As an example, I have a neighbour who lives alone in a 3 bedroom house, large garden, garage and driveway. Ideal property for most of the population. Her children left home over 10 years ago and she is in her early 50s. She told me she had decorated the spare bedrooms for her grandchildren to sleep over in the future (they are currently babies). Whilst I’m flabbergasted she would want to stay put rather than downsize to something small and suitable for one adult, I am human and understand the memories/emotional connection/a house is a home etc, but it isn’t her property and is rented from our local council and therefore I’m shocked the council haven’t got stricter policies on this type of thing. I understand they can’t legally turf out people from their homes, but there should be an incentive to rehome these people so families aren’t stuck in one bedroom tower block flats whilst single adults live in luxury.

Maybe I am bitter because I have to rent and pay extortionate money for the privilege as I cannot get a deposit to buy so I will never be able to raise my child in a home like she has. The house would be £400k+ if it was owned privately, yet she gets it for free and for life just because she joined the list many years ago when it was easy to get social housing. I know many other people in similar places to her and they all believe they morally own the property and have no concern for the housing crisis.

Does anyone else agree that there needs to be stricter rules to make it fair for everyone to have affordable housing whilst in need only (up until children leave home) and not for life? If you are in this position what makes you stay and not give up the property to a family in need? If you plan to stay in your property when your children leave home what offer would make you rethink staying? I’m aware there are new rules for new tenants but this is aimed at long term tenants.

Again I understand this will trigger some people, but morally I can’t come to grips with the entitlement of some people (excluding those who still need the property for health reasons).

His son couldn't possibly have done that unless he was also on the tenancy
Also we don't all live in London
My two bed ( used to be council but a housing association took over all the council houses in my LA) house is worth maybe £80,000/90,000 if that it's an undesirable area in the Northwest.

This did not happen. The son may have given his parent the money to buy his council house.
It is rare for an adult child to inherit a council tenancy, as they are rarely eligible if living there. No one inherits a council tenancy if they do not even live there.

Son give father the money - father buys house and gifts it to the son - not impossible

But it is the father buying the council house. It is the father who will own the council house, not the son. Once he owns it, he can do what he want. But the father will not get housing benefits or care help (deprivation of assets), and the son will pay tax on the gift.
What is far more likely is that the father bought the house and then left it in his will to his son. This makes more sense financially in terms of tax.

That's not impossible no ,but to say the son was able to buy his father's council house ,as son used to live there is nonsense.

It's not nonsense in our family.
My sibling bought our parents ' council house in the 1990s, he didn't live there anymore.
Parents live there still.
Once parents have died he'll be able to sell for a massive profit, we're in the south east. He'll keep that profit.

So your sibling must have given your parents money to buy the house?

It sounds like the parents own the house and the parents have left the son the house in their will.

WHY should she move out? It's her home. She won't be getting it for free... she must be on benefits. I find your view narrow minded and envious. We need more social housing. Instead it's all being sold off. Thatcher did bring in right to buy, but didn't ensure social housing to replace the properties sold. This isn't rocket science.

The house must be bought in parent's name though as has to be bought by whoever holds the tenancy. Your brother must have given them the money?

This can be complicated. I know a woman who bought her elderly mother's council house for her, in mothers name as she was the tenant and had no savings herself to pay for it. A few years later the mother had to go into a care home and the ex-council house was counted as the mother's assets and had to be sold so she could self-fund the care home

And if a parent gifts a bought house to an adult child while alive the child will have to pay tax and the parent could lose benefits (deprivation of assets).
I

And if a parent gifts a bought house to an adult child while alive the child will have to pay tax

Only if the parent dies less than seven years after making the gift.

YANBU. It's an abuse of the system. But let's be honest here, very few people are going to voluntarily work against their own interests for the sake of the greater good/other people they don't know. That's why there has to be more robust policies and enforcement to ensure that when someone is no longer in need of a large property they're given notice to find somewhere else and then evicted if they refuse to go.

The house is in my brother's name, don't ask me how it was done but when he married (after buying the house) he had to get a solicitor involved to protect his asset (the house our parents live in) in case of divorce. ie so that wife wouldn't be entitled to half and means parents would be evicted.

I also know of another person who bought their mum's council house (he didn't live there) and his mum still lives in the house. They're looking at moving her into a nursing home , she will get full funding from the local council as she has no assets or savings.

Lots of elderly people are working against their own interests by refusing to buy their council house. It is virtually only elderly people who still have a right to buy. Tell them they will be forcibly downsized, and many will decide to hell with principles and just buy the council house.
Elderly people were brought up more with an idea of thinking of the common good first.

It sounds like they have committed fraud then.

I have no idea how it works, but it wasn't done fraudulently. I wonder if the particular council allowed this in the 1990s?
My parents have savings and it was very short sighted of them not to buy the house themselves, but my dad doesn't want to pay for any maintenance, new roof etc. My brother has maintained and paid for new roof, windows doors, boiler etc plus making it more elderly friendly in the bathrooms (walk in showers etc)
My parents will be self funding their care.

If the government make good on their plan to extend Right to Buy discounts to HA tenants, I’ll snap it up. 😂

My cousins have done a similar thing, they have somehow bought my aunt and uncles council house for 30k last year and they all jointly own it. My aunt and uncle are in their 70s and the house is worth around 200k so nice profit for them. I think it’s wrong, but if loopholes exist people will exploit them.

The discount is capped at ~85k£ (a bit more in London), so that just doesn’t add up if they bought it last year. A ~£200k house outside of London would cost ~£115k to buy even with full RTB discount.

You’d have to have been a tenant for 40 years to get the full 70% discount on a house anyway, (23 years for a flat), although you’d probably hit the ~£85k cap at 20 odd years.

So your brother gave them the money to buy the house in the 1990s at £30k. Well over 20 years later it is now worth £200k. In that time they gifted it to your brother who would have paid tax on the gift.

@Elsiebear90 and @MyDogandClowns are two different posters with different stories about RTB @antelopevalley

In that time they gifted it to your brother who would have paid tax on the gift

No he wouldn’t because they didn’t die within seven years of making the gift.

That's so unfair, this loophole needs closing.

It's bad enough that he will receive the council house but for it not be considered an asset and nursing care is free