To think you should downsize your council house if it’s just you?

[OuchOuchOuchh]

Oh my goodness I have created war at work and everyone is gunning for me.

My auntie has a huge 4 bedroom council house she has lived there since the 90s with her one son. That has now moved out.

All i said was I think it’s unfair that she’s living in such a big family home perfect for a family to bring their kids up in. Large garden backs on to the woods plenty of visits from deers and fox’s it’s beautiful! Anyway all I said is that if you haven’t purchased the property in a certain amount of time you should have to downsize if it’s just you living there.

Theres families overcrowded and can’t get anywhere then you have my auntie paying £100 a week in rent for a massive house for just herself.

please tell me if I am being an asshole! I appreciate it’s her family home but it just doesn’t seem fair to me.

Exactly that! I've been researching my future options and my current property is a lot cheaper despite it being bigger.

No... Not subsidised. CHing runs at a profit. Not all tenants are on benefits either. Stop reading the Daily Fail.

Because that's subsidised by the state so if that subsidy isn't necessary you should pay full market rate not discounted council housing rates which are capped below real world prices.

If your kids have grown up claiming child benefit is theft. How would you describe your situation where you are being subsidised by the state?

It isn't subsided. Ffs.

I own my own home now. What are you talking about?

No, housing benefit is so you can pay you rent if you are on a low income and/or benefits.
You can claim housing benefit and be in a private rental, or be in a council house and not claim it at all.

It is subsidised because it is below market rate for rent. The stats could charge more to rent it out but doesn't. The difference between the real world price and the council discount rent price is the subsidy. You are subsidised.

NO. IT. ISN'T

If you have three families: one in a B and B, one in a council house and one private renting, it's obvious that the one in council house is the lucky one. But why them? Why did they get lucky? The system is unfair, so it makes sense to make it fairer to allot housing by giving the appropriate space to the appropriate family size. That way more people are housed. The argument that the government should just build more houses really annoys me. So we should shit all over the natural environment just because some people don't want to move?

No I don't expect you to tell your nan to move. I think the council should.

Surely she pays a massive "bedroom" tax on that property though?

If you own your house why are you giving it as an example about council housing.

Council housing is subsidised because it is rented out at below market rate. The subsidy is the value of the difference.

No. Subsidy is where someone else is paying for it. The words you're looking for are cheaper and inflated. CHing rents are cheaper because private rents are inflated.

Bedroom tax only applies to housing benefits and pensioners are exempt...

And thankfully the government doesn't agree with you 🙂

My nan I rightly in her HA bungalow. Is happy. Paid in her whole life and doesn't owe moving out to a single person. And it won't change. Not for people with tenancies already

YANBI! it makes me SO mad this system is well and truly broken! A council house should provide temporary accommodation until you're able to get back on your feet. Not a lifetime of discounted rent. This country is so backwards I swear. And then you have kids living in cramped hostels and people who work like dogs full-time paying almost half their earnings into system but will never be able to afford a home.

babsanderson
@DPotter Downsizing can cost more than staying. If people downsize they often want a bungalow, it is more expensive often than a house. I would live a nice 2 bedroom bungalow, I can't afford one.

That's why there need to be incentives - eg no stamp duty, build more bungalows etc. One of the reason bungalows are so expensive is because they are rare and getting rarer certainly in the area where I live, because they are snapped up and transformed into houses. In our area the last remaining bungalow was turned into a house last year, yet there are probably about 30 elderly couple / singles in 4 bed houses in my village which they can't maintain house or garden. One of them died late last year - he'd been living in one room downstairs as he couldn't manage the stairs. Totally bonkers. My Dad enquired about a part exchange with a building developer - they only did them for people moving into bigger properties, not wanting smaller ones.

Not only is the country not building enough housing stock, but we're not building the right sort of homes. I've had town councillors trying to tell me it's perfectly fine to raise 2 children in a tower block with no green space / playgrounds around, when quite clearly that's rubbish.

Sorry - this is a particular bugbear of mine. I'll take myself off and sit quietly in the corner now I've said my bit

It doesn't matter where people move we have way too few too houses

And even fewer good quality houses

getting rid of second homes would probably help more than trying to move people around

And also. Why does my nan deserve to be unhappy according to you? How would an 85 year old woman who suffers with mobility and has no mode of transport cope in a high rise flat on her own? Why would you do that? Vile

@Jonnywishbone The problem is the lack of regulation surrounding private landlords/rents. Direct your anger there. Not at CH tenants who are abiding to their tenancies.

Where have I said they do any of that, precisely?

Not if she doesn't receive benefits. My god

Bungalows take more land than houses for the same liveable area

Land that is at a premium in sone places due to the fact that so much work in concentrated in the south and east and in cities

Just because you use capitals doesn't change facts.

Council housing is rented out below market prices. This is a fact and the state is trying to increase council rents to 80% of market rent - it's not been achieved yet so the discount (subsidy) is greater than 20%.

I don't care how much you shout, if the state gives you a discount to what everyone else pays you are being subsidised.

Can you read? I was talking about my nan
And it's not subsided. Hth

It isn't discounted... God almighty the misinformation is astounding.