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!

Housing association is mixed in on new build estates.

I’m currently sat in one. There’s a very busy main road between us and the nearest private houses.

I know lots of them are now, (mine is 30 odd years old) but how often have you seen threads from people debating whether to buy a house near HA tenants and being advised not to?

Who says the people who find this most unfair own a home? Maybe they are renting privately.

However, even beyond that, I think many people see themselves having a mortgage well into retirement, and they don't care much about having an asset at the end when they could be dead soon.

I think the issue OP is the original idea of them doesn't fit the way they are actually being distributed in a lot of places.

There is a housing crisis. Compulsory eviction is not the answer I’m afraid. Eradicating anyone from an estate who earns over a certain level is also not the answer, is almost certain to backfire and ultimately could lead to the eventual ghettoisation of entire areas .

i live in a fabulous HA new build in a lovely area.
when i was allocated it my circumstance were very different to what they are now.
as a result i have a bedroom that is not used that often now and is a ‘spare’ room. but i have family who stay a couple of days a month in it to give me respite with a SEN child and another with complex health needs.
i don’t receive any benefits at all and i work full time.
this house is my families home and we all sleep better with a secure tenancy.
however, i don’t earn enough to save a deposit to buy and i’m of an age where i’d actually struggle to get an affordable mortgage.
ive spent money to enhance the property especially making the garden lovely. i’ve bought flooring, curtains, blinds etc.
on the outside i look just like someone who has
no business living in social housing (professional job, new car although it’s via salary sacrifice for peace of mind and a holiday abroad in europe once a year).
where would the OP like me to move to? a private let at much more per month than i pay now with no more than 6 months security? that’s just shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic?
my neighbour has just got back from why looks like a fantastic holiday in thailand. am i jealous, yes because i’d love to go to thailand but my children’s needs make that tricky.
am i jealous because she lives in social housing like me and has had an amazing experience? no i’m not. she got her house after fleeing DV with the clothes on her and her teenagers back. she’s worked hard and made a lovely life for them both.
everyone deserves safe, secure, good quality housing.
stop thinking those of us who have managed to achieve that should vacate and give all that up because we have somehow improved our lives beyond our station.

It’s usually a 50/50 balance on mumsnet threads though….many say don’t, just as many say it’s fine 🤷‍♀️

Are council tenants still surcharged for bedrooms they don't use? Perhaps their rent is not as cheap as people think?

The council should offer them smaller accommodation, because it does seem unfair that there are families in need.

Perhaps they bought it?

Surcharge is only for benefit claimants….no idea if it’s still a thing. Every person round here in social housing works. So nobody had said anything as it doesn’t apply to them

if the council doesn’t have homes for people as it is then where is this ‘smaller accommodation’ going to be magically appearing from?

That’s not them abusing the system. The problem is Maggie Thatcher sold off most of the council housing and created the nightmare that is the private rental market. Previously lots of working people were in council housing. It was never intended to be only for the homeless or very vulnerable.

Well it cannot be magically produced, but if they have not bought their council house, then it is up to the council to deal with it.

Only they know what housing is available.

None

there is none available. Otherwise people would be living in it!

A lot of the properties at that time were in need of repairs anyway. The problem was that the councils could not use the money to build new ones.

The whole system has changed since then and it is mostly housing associations which run estates for the councils.

This barmy government keeps promising more housing, but where? On the fields farmers have to give up because they cannot pay their taxes, so that they cannot grow our food either? Is the Chancellor thinking of importing more food and build houses where orchards are?

Having said that, criticism doesn't bring solutions, and that is what is needed.

Many people won’t be able to ‘pay off’ their mortgage in this day and age.

£700 a month for a 3-bed is incredibly cheap by the standard of pricing by me. You’d pay that for a room in a shared house!!

If you are in a secure tenancy, stay there. You obviously need it and certainly have the right to enjoy it. Rents to the HA are circulated back into the association rather than in the pocket of landlords who do not keep up with maintenance, so you should stay where you are.

You should not listen to that sort of thing and not take it to heart. Your little family is what social housing is all about. I would advise you to try to save for a pension when the time comes, in case the benefit situation changes. At the moment pensioners on less than £218 a week can claim pension credit which brings a lot of other benefits.

There are people who abuse the system, but with you working and caring for the children with special needs, you should be secure for life if you stay put.

Kicking them out/increasing rent would be a huge disincentive for people to better themselves in terms of earning.

The problem is the cost of housing in general not social housing. As has already been said, they were built for all and almost a third of the country lived in them at one point. They were not just for 'the poor'.

So unfair

You don’t get booted out your home just because your kids have left.

My tenancy is not only a lifetime tenancy for me, but can be passed to my child, then can be passed to their children. Security and community is really important in my area, and keeping local people in the area is a priority. I'm reassured knowing that if I die, my child will still have a home.

Not sure how any of that is different to your first post.

At the age of 32 his main ambition is to secure his nans council house so he can rent it for life 😬.

I don't 'hate the player'. In your example, I just think the player is pathetic and hope to God none of my dc ever end up in that way of thinking.

What about that is pathetic? What on earth is wrong with someone caring for an elderly relative, then taking on their tenancy? I'd hope that my children would aspire to be like him and keep their grandmother company. Thankfully, mine have been brought up to understand not to judge other people for something like living in a council house.

Britain has fantastic council housing.
I love the way it leaves people housed and secure in their neighbourhood for decades.
More countries should do the same.

Now we’ve moved to bashing elderly people again

Why should they be allowed to stay in a property they’ve rented and brought their kids up in. Oo. Difficult one….because it’s their home perhaps .

The problem is not the occupancy it’s availability.

Who gets free white goods repairs? Most HA / council tenancies don't include flooring, never mind fridges.