It’s not fair those renting get more universal credit?

[Bigbenbube]

I’m a lone parent on £31k-ish. I’ve worked out if I earn a few more K I Get no more universal credit, but a couple with two kids on £60k combined get £240 a week.

What is even more annoying to me, is that it's possible to have rent paid entirely by HB and then take up the right to buy at a huge discount.

I get what you are saying but those with a mortgage so no housing costs get a higher work allowance which I think is £600 ish for a single person so they can earn that without losing any uc

Then after that lose 55p in every pound

Where as those who rent , May get rent paid but work allowance is much lower think around £300 and then income over that is 55p per pound deducted

In the end a mortgage is an asset

Well Id imagine it’s because you have a house with equity, benefits don’t exist to pay your mortgage for you. Renters don’t own a house and so don’t have the same ability to sell it.

But it's ok to buy the landlord a house?

@nappyvalley2024 it's not to help landlords. It's to help renters. Or should all renters on low income just be homeless because those who where in a good position to save and buy a house and have an asset are jealous? I'm saying this as a renters who doesn't get any help from any benefits ither than child benefit.

That used to be the case until Thatcher.

Brought in right to buy and at the same time stopped HB being used to pay the mortgage.

Some people defaulted on their mortgage and literally moved next door and paid double in rent what they were paying on their mortgage.

The one that gets me is the way 'right to buy' is worked out it is on the number of years you have been a tenant even if most of the time you were claiming benefits.

I don't blame anyone for using this, if I was in the position to do it I probably would and I have a friend who did it.

She moved into a 3 bed council house as a pregnant teenager and was on benefits, she did work but had FIS (anyone remember that?) and housing benefit

Her daughter actually left home at 14 (long story), my friend put herself through uni as a mature student and then when she started working full time used right to buy.

What does amuse me is that she was horrified when the council stopped cutting her grass, which they apparently did for all their tennants up until the 1980s.

The government are in cahoots with the scum landlords of this world. They want to subsidise their horrible mates, but not actually enable poorer people to end up fully owning their home. This is because they're also in cahoots with all this horrible bankers who want to keep you in debt to them.
I'm quite surprised someone on £60k gets that much UC. I guess in a high rental area for a bigger home? Do they have a few kids?
I'm not on UC, on old style, and hoping they won't change me over as I find stuff like benefits claims super stressful and anxiety inducing.

No - they'll just pay a landlords one instead 🤦🏻‍♀️ Read previous... I am not saying they SHOULD pay mine.

As I said before, I don't think benefits SHOULD pay my mortgage... I'm merely just showing how if I was renting and paying the same, I would be entitled to the housing element. I am not going to give up my house and rent to claim, because I doubt I would actually get somewhere to rent for the same amount anyway.
You're absolutely right that there needs to be more social housing.

As I have said, I am not saying they SHOULD pay my mortgage.
I am not exactly going to sell my house tomorrow to rent - that would be silly. I do think though, that landlords, knowing that the majority of people renting will get some kind of help, has allowed them to continue to increase rents much higher and quicker that property values have increased.

Because the landlords mortgage is different. Rates are higher. Risk is higher. Rental
Payments are taxed. They could have the money in a pension or investment fund but instead chosen to have it in property. Most landlords I know make very little from their houses.

Regardless if you rent or own, if you have such a low income that you get UC you should be helped the same.

It can do if the landlord wants it to.

Don't be ridiculous. Of course the general public shouldn't pay towards your mortgage. It's totally different to contributing towards rent.

Your post doesn't seem to have anything to do with renters ...? Although it does seem unfair that a couple bringing in £60k to a household would receive extra financial support from the government, I wouldn't have thought they'd need it 🤔

I'm a solo parent to a small child and I have UC because my wages otherwise are only £980 a month. I'd love to have a house and a mortgage but all I can afford to do is rent a very small flat. Without UC, I don't know what I'd do... 🤷🏼‍♀️

If I was making £31k a year and in receipt of UC on top of that... I wouldn't be jealous of me and my living situation that's for sure 😅

I guess they don't want to be essentially buying your house for you. You'll profit from that later, although technically with private rent they are just buying someone else's who is likely better off in then first place and making a tidy profit on top at the same time so you're right - it isn't fair or logical but lots of things about the welfare system isn't fair or logical. It is what it is unfortunately!

Good point about the higher work allowance though for mortgage payers plus currently still on old housing benefit and I only get £135 towards my £750 rent and I earn about 12 k a year so it's not like missing out on loads (uc calculation shows. £15 pm difference in over all income)

Not another divide and conquer post 🙄...the haves and haves not.
Im on 50k year...the tax etc i have to pay now is astronomical..but...i don't begrudge anyone who is struggling to receive support, there but for the grace of God etc...whether, collectively, theyre on more money is irrelevant. I am from working class background and have seen struggle..ive also worked at trussel trust, homeless centre for council, MIND....Ive nothing to complain about..in comparison to some...ive seen it all and some heartbreaking stories/situations. Compassion or at least sympathy...be grateful for what you have.

Really easily.

Relatively wealthy person buys second home with a buy to let mortgage (one contributing factor pushing up housing costs)
They rent it at a market rate that is unaffordable for those on benefits
The government recognises person on benefits has to live so gives some additional UC to allow person on benefits to rent privately.

Hey presto - taxpayers money is now paying a private individual’s mortgage. Obviously we couldn’t do that for a person without much money who can’t afford to pay their mortgage currently because that would be utterly unsupportable.

There isn't 'more' help for renters, there is 'less' help for mortgagees.

There used to be support for interest payments on mortgages - the Tories scrapped it post -2010. It should never have been scrapped.

The whole housing situation is a mess - made far worse as a result of Tory government choices - but turning on other UC claimants rather than looking at the structural problems is not going to help.

Sounds like the system did for you exactly what it was intended - to provide a safety net for a short time. Hopefully things are better for you now.

Hahaha yes those private landlords, really they're a charity.

'make little from their property' - my arse.

Yes, this what the Tories scrapped and shouldn't have. Edited: I can't remember the name, but pre-2010 you used to get equivalent of housing benefit just on the interest part, I think. The Tories made it a loan instead.

It didn't pay off the capital but enabled people to stay in their homes - saving money for the taxpayer long term.

Cutting this was a stupid decision.

But the Tory government made benefits a race to the bottom, and now we see what the outcome is - poverty vastly increased and all that goes with that - including much higher costs for the taxpayer.

Absolutely.
I get tired of the 'it's a hard life being a landlord' nonsense. If it didn't generate loads of unearned cash, they (including MPs) wouldn't all be doing it.

As others have said the government can't/ won't be seen to be paying off people's mortgages !
Lots of people have said this on this thread, but the government is very happy to be paying mortgages for LANDLORDS.

They're not willing to help an average family through a difficult snap, but are happy to use taxpayers' money to help already wealthy people build property portfolios.

I'd rather people could have some universal credit to support them into secure housing by having support with their mortgage than line the pockets of landlords with huge property portfolios, charging huge amounts of rent and keeping the market inflated.