To think council housing is really unfair??

[Helpmechooseausername]

I totally get that some people need to be housed by the council, but AIBU to think that the system is abused - but it seems to be his the system works?

I know of two families who have lived in their council houses for years and raised their children there. They needed help when they first moved in, and so were quite fairly given council houses. But, now the kids have grown up and moved on. The parents both have got jobs, nice cars, holidays, go out for meals, etc., etc.. They can continue living in their council houses for the rest of their lives.

It seems massively unfair. Is it really not means tested?? Surely the houses should be given to other people who need them? How can it be right that they aren't told to move back into the private property market?

I feel a bit like when I stand in a queue in a shop, waiting to pay, while people come in and just take what they want without paying or queuing!!

And yes, I'll admit that I'm jealous! I can't afford to do any nice things for my kids and I, despite working hard, and it seems to be because I chose to own my own home and get a mortgage instead of getting a council house!

I agree and it's not their anything, they dont own it. The live there obviously and may think of it as their home, but possession is 9/10s so its actually not their home. To have a their home, they would be one they can now afford to buy ie its tgeir possession.

Means testing for council houses should def be introduced. I have a DF who was given a council house when she was young and a single parent. She now earns a lot so should she still be in the house? No. She can afford to buy....

A private landlord can 'throw you out' when you get to the end of your lease or by giving notice. I was raised in council housing, my parents were born in council housing. However I feel right to buy went too far and now we dont have the housing stock we need. I also feel that council housing should be time limited with a long term lease. if you still are evaluated to need council housing once your family becomes smaller you should be offered a smaller property. But once you get to 65 you shouldn't have to leave (council housing system) as your income will not support this. If everyone has a (say) 10 year term initially it allows people to plan for this. If still in need or still raising a family, the term gets extended. Yes many will disagree but the fact is there isn't enough to go around and there is no reason a couple with no kids at home should sit on a 4 bedroom house just so their grandkids have a bedroom each for sleepovers. A crisis in housing calls for hard choices.

We lost our house back in 2010 in recession, our children were babies and we became homeless. My husband redundant, i was SAHM and we were given a brand new property by our local council.
Eight years later we bought it - only because our rent was £800 and mortgage was around £600 so it made sense to save and have something of ours. We paid full price for the property (market value at the time as new builds dont hold a discount for the first 20 years of being built)
We are now in a better financial position, children are teens so we have focused on our careers a bit more, not rich by any means but we have a beautiful home, nice car and nice holidays.
We love our neighbours - they all moved in on the same day as us and every single council tenant is still living here 15 years later (the area where we live not so much!) but we have no plans to ever leave our home, one day it will be passed on to our children.

It's not tenants that are fault, if i have the opportunity to buy my home that i live in and love i for sure will.

I never understood this idea that council properties are cheap either? Ours was same as any other property in private rental but our tenancy is more secure. Instead od banks being this countries biggest landlord it should be local councils, i would rather pay more to LA than less to private landlords.

We are greatful to this day for how its worked out and cant imagine ever leaving our home.

Maybe everyone’s anger is directed at the wrong people? Private rents are absolutely extortionate… maybe everyone should be angry at all those private landlords who are buying up tons of houses and making huge profits?

In my local council the problem is there isn’t enough 1 bedroom properties to move people to, especially bungalows/ground floor flats for the old and disabled, an elderly person isn’t going to want to move from a 3 bed where they’ve raised their family to a flat in the arse end of nowhere with no family or friends near by and 3 flights of stairs, as well as spending 1000s to move there to have no carpets etc, let’s be realistic. I think most would want to move if there were nice 1 beds available.

No, they both work for a living.

I live in social housing and for the last 3 years I have been actively trying to downsize as I no longer need all the bedrooms.
I have had no help from the housing association and I managed to find someone myself who needed a 3 bedroom to swap with but it has been a nightmare. There is no help and the housing association seem to not really care or want to help Perhaps that’s what puts people off.
Honestly it’s been the worst experience

I’m afraid you’re misinformed on several counts:

• Council housing isn’t subsidised. It’s not-for-profit. The council pay up front and the tenants pay them back. Like mortgagors do to the mortgagee. Once the home’s been let for about 30 years, the tenants are actually subsidising the council as the cost of building it has been paid back.

• Thatcher introduced Right to Buy, which decimated council housing: selling off 2m of the best homes at a loss and leading to the record levels of homelessness (and commodification of it by private temporary accommodation providers making billions a year) we have today.

• And the demand for homes is determined by the number of households (not people), which has mainly increased because there are more people living alone or in couples - immigrants tend to live in larger households.

They ARE being subsidised by the state. Their rent is far lower than private rental so therefore they can afford nice cars, holidays etc

By the time kids are grown and moved out who is going to give people in late 40’s/50’s a mortgage??

"...family members getting together to ‘buy for Nana’ then sell on her death making a killing especially in the more desirable parts. And all (allegedly) so Thatcher could be assured of votes".
My relatives did this when I was little. They still hated Thatcher though and always voted Labour.

I’ve just downsized by mutual exchange from a 5 bed to a 4…. Within 2 weeks one kid has now moved out and on with partner!

took ages to get that exchange organised!
im staying put!

I, despite working hard, and it seems to be because I chose to own my own home and get a mortgage instead of getting a council house!

FFS OP, really? How nice and privileged of you to be able to CHOOSE to get a mortgage and own your home! Not everyone is in a position where they have the CHOICE to OWN their own home!

If I could choose between living in social housing or owning my own home, I'd choose to have my own bloody house! Oh, to have the problems of the middle classes.

I fully agree OP, I’ve noticed recently an influx of ‘influencers’ on insta whose pages are all about ‘renovating my council house’. I’ve no issue with this however one in particular boasts that she is set to save 50k this year and has the ability to buy a property but isn’t going to as she has the council house for life anyway. I think people should be reassessed after a few years and if they have a good income/savings over a certain threshold then a decent amount of notice should be given. It’s all well and good people saying they still pay rent etc but there isn’t enough council house stock anymore and people who genuinely need them are homeless or living in unsuitable accommodation whilst waiting years on a waiting list which also isn’t fit for purpose.

Everyone should have a council house unless they choose to buy

Do you know what their rent is, then? As I've previously said, mine is three times what my mortgage was. How does it affect you, anyway? Other than the seething jealousy?

It's their home and they pay rent. That's all there is to it.

Social housing isn't subsidised. It's paid for by tenants' rents (and service charges paid by right to buy owners or people who bought off them). Councils have to keep a ringfenced account (the housing revenue account) that pays for all running costs, repairs, staff, etc. It's effectively a non profit making self sustaining business with no cross subsidy from other council budgets (the "general fund".) or general taxation. As well as being self funding it generates wealth in a number of ways - private developers and contractors building and maintaining the homes, contributing to local employment and supply chains, the social value of housing families who'd otherwise be occupying more expensive temporary accommodation or claiming universal credit/housing benefit in private rented housing (the average cost of housing benefits in social housing is £95 a week compared with £145 a week in the private rented sector - source gov.uk)

This is true. I'm all for social housing but it needs to be fluid. Who's parents haven't downsized when their kids left. Many people are in this situation.

I really don't feel it's unacceptable to ask people to downsize when their requirements change, or indeed their income increases. Also, rent maybe being paid but it's heavily subsidised. It's completely disingenuous to say it's anywhere the same as private rental.

It really isn't. It is a council housing, which should be a safety net for those on need not just another part of the benefits gravy train.

Sorry, but the capital was not paid by the people who rent. The capital increase is tied up as well.

Council tenants are in a contract just like any other person renting, and like everyone else on the waiting list they waited there turn to be housed.

I don't understand your point

They should have saved for a deposit while they were younger and paying low rent.

But they went on nice holidays instead.