To think councils should move people to smaller properties when kids move out?

[Faithin]

There's a huge lack of 3 bedroom social housing where I live (and everywhere I think?)
a lot of the people living in the 3 bed places are usually just 1 or 2 adults as the kids have grown up and moved out. Meanwhile there's lots of young families overcrowded in 1 and 2 bed flats with no garden etc
aibu to think those that actually need the space should be in the houses and those who don't should be made to downsize?
as the waiting list is so long, what tends to happen is peoples children are in their teens by the time they are moved into a 3 bed property, the grow up and leave within a couple of years and the parents stay, so the vast majority are under-occupied.

@greenteafiend you sound very over-invested and angry about this. Why are you so angry that people think of the place they have lived in for 35-40 years - and raised their children in, as their 'home...' ?

Why are you so keen for people to give up the home and garden, (that they have paid 10s of 1000s of £££ in rent for over the 35+ years they've been there (along with 1000s of £££ making it nice,) for a shitty little flat - probably in a dodgy area - with no garden, no privacy, yobbos hanging around in the stairwells, and people living above, below, and both sides?

Also, what gives you the right to assume most people in their 50s and 60s are in perfect health and can walk up multiple flights of stairs? Whilst some people in that age group are in good health, I know many who are starting to struggle health wise, especially with their mobility. How dare you assume everyone under the age of 70 should be shoved in an upstairs flat?!

You sound so bitter and angry, and like you're projecting. Like hell would I move out of MY 3 bed house after 35-40 years of being here (with its 2 extra bedrooms and a lovely garden) purely to suit the likes of YOU. It's not my fault the councils have sold off much of the housing stock via the right to buy, and not been fucked to build an equal amount of new homes to compensate.

I also find the thought of people who OWN a house with 'spare bedrooms' having to give it up for a bigger family ludicrous too!

Me and DH own our own house outright, and have no mortgage, and it has 3 bedrooms. If it were up to people like you, we would have to sell it and buy a 1 bedroom flat! LOL, fuck that! We will stay in our lovely 3 bedroom cottage in the countryside, near the woodlands, with its quarter acre of land, ta very much!

Blowing out someone else's candle, won't make yours shine any brighter you know.

Most pensioners I know with their home have downsized / had to downsize due to cost of living. My own mother, and mother in law have both downsized. We live away and visit them. We make do! Blow up mattresses in the lounge or a local hotel / B&B are a fact of life.

Blow up mattresses in the lounge or a local hotel / B&B are a fact of life

Which is fine if the older person is benefitting from equity from downsizing. There is no benefit for people in SH to downsize. 1k per bedroom isn’t going to really help in retirement. It would just get swallowed up anyway in associated moving costs.

Which is why the old maxim "for the many, not the few" comes in. Sometimes you need to consider what is best for your society, not just for you. Especially when using social housing. Social house should be about everyone

I wouldnt be giving up my housing and moving away from my community to benefit other people.

Communities have large and small properties. My mother didn't leave her community - actually moved closer to the centre of it.

We, how ever, did have to move away from our community in order to live in appropriate housing we could afford in order to have children.

Sometimes you need to consider what is best for your society, not just for you

Which is why I said in an earlier post that we need to tackle the anti social behaviour that makes these blocks of flats so undesirable to live in. That would be a win for everyone.

Some communities have a mix of large and small properties.

Until recently round here there were something like 10 one beds and literally the only two beds were in two blocks of flats with no lifts. Everything else was three or four beds.

🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

Absolutely this. The ‘I’m alright, Jack’ mentality is talked about a lot on here wrt to middle class people; it’s clearly JUST as strong with people on lower incomes. And I know it’s not only people on lower incomes in social housing, but it absolutely bloody should be. Cos other people are not alright, and they matter just as much as you.

My daughter has moved out and im still paying full rent. Im worried that the council might make me and my son move into a smaller property if i tell them

Not this shit again!

NO. That is the amswer to your shitty question.

Yes they should. Council homes were not meant to be life long homes it was starters now everyone just lives in them till they die which is why there is none

Where does it say that council homes are just "starter" homes?
From what I gather, if you pay the rent on time and are a decent tenant, you can stay in them for life.

I don't think I'd be delighted if my elderly family member who had lived in a property for 2 generations was turfed out as soon as one bedroom becomes 'uninhabited' (Either by someone moving out or passing away).

There are many properties left completely empty by councils and their negligence. Hundreds of brand new and renovated council properties in my area are empty. Others are falling apart. Overcrowding is serious but the solution has to be thought out properly.

People are able to swap to smaller properties amongst themselves so maybe the council could give more incentive for this to take place, publicise the scheme more, but it should be a carrot rather than stick situation.

The real solution is building more social housing, in the long term that's what's really required. And filling/ renovating the empty ones they already have. Not dispersing long term residents from their homes.

People just make shit up as they go along - it's never been the case that council houses were 'starter' homes. They were meant to be for as long as you needed them - that's why tenants have secure contracts and can't just be kicked out!

The solution is to build more council houses, not to force people out of their homes!
As much as the case could be made that older people without young kids don't need to be in big houses, equally the case can be made that people who can't house their kids, shouldn't have them! Be careful what you wish for - it's easy to find yourself on the wrong end of socially manipulative policies!

This is an old thread, you'll be bettet starting your own if you want advice.

It's crazy.
I'm overcrowded in a two bedroom but my next door neighbour is single in a three bedroom.
He offered to swap ( he's never worked so never paid a penny in rent).
The council wouldn't allow it because my house is too big for him 😳
So if we wanted to swap he would have to find a one bedroom and swap with someone who wanted a two bedroom and then I would have to swap with them!
Honestly it's crazy.

Not every council house was originally a council house though.

My mum had to sell her house to the council after her and my dad split up and he stopped contributing his half to the mortgage.

Its a beautiful 4 bed detached house with massive gardens and a garage. She had to sell it whilst we were all still living in it as teenagers.

We are all adults now and theres only 1 adult child left at home.

Why should my mum downsize to a small shit 2 bed council house or flat when she has poured over 25 years of her money / time / love into her house. What if one of us divorces ect and have to move back home?

She pays the excess bedroom tax ect so I think she should be able to stay there until she dies. It's not her fault her life went down this path and she tried so so hard to stop it being this way

I remember being 14 and going to work with my mum as a cleaner. She was so excited to get her first ever paycheck and her face dropped when she opened it. It was for 400 and odd pound and the mortgage alone was 800.

Fuck, that makes me want to cry remembering how upset she was and how much she tried and tried to keep that house

So maybe for your average council house yes, but not every council house was originally one and not everyone living in a council house that's too big for them is greedy ect

My mum deserves that house and all its spare bedrooms

Yes.

We are in a housing crisis. To help get out of that crisis we need to maximise our use of the space available.

Or alternatively we can build more houses/stop importing people.

Maths meets reality.

I am inclined to agree with you. My MIL has lived in the same council house for over 40 years. They built some appartments 2 minutes walk from when she lives and she was offered a transfer but she refused, vehimently. Personally I think she should have moved. She would have got a nice new place all on one level. But she's older now and doesn't like change and she has nice neighbours. I understand why she wouldn't move.

MIL also has a friend who lives alone in a 4 bed council house. She has poor mobility so she barely uses the upstairs. Such a waste.

Maybe the expectation with council housing should be different. You get the house for as long as you need it. If people knew that at the start it would make it easier to get people to move.

Why does your mum deserve that house ? And why is the fact it wasn't built as a council house make a difference?

I know how much harder things are for young people these days. They can't even get council house previous generations could. I know I'm very lucky to be able to do this but I plan to sell my big expensive house, that I won't need anymore, when my children are young adults, and buy them a small house each with the money.