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!

Security of tenure is kind of the point of social housing.
I think that the best way of handling the issue it to give incentives to encourage empty nesters to move to smaller properties. I gave up my 3 bed house to move into a ground floor flat. Many won’t though for all sorts of different reasons, but incentives such as paying moving costs or a couple of rent free months might sway them.

No of course they shouldn’t be kicked out. The whole point of council housing was to give working class people a decent place to live with affordable rent. Just because some people are getting that while others are struggling in the cesspit that is private renting doesn’t make people wrong for having council housing. Perhaps it’s the soaring rents in the private sector that are wrong?

Why should a family downsize once they have adult children. Where do their children stay when they visit? Last time I checked council houses were generally a 3 bed, sometimes a small 4 bed. Hardly Buckingham Palace.

My parents upsized on retirement so there is space for everyone to visit.

They need a better system for people moving in bigger or smaller properties.

I know someone whose 3 kids are no longer at home and she has been trying for 2 years to get a swap to a one bedroom just for herself…. but she’s been unsuccessful and is sat in a 3 bed by herself!

shes getting no help or support in getting a swap but there are definitely over crowded families in our city needing a 3 bed.

You have a point, most council housing is minimal rent compared to others private renting in the area. Needs change and the rent should go up when income changes. As for buying council homes at a reduced rate that is part of the reason people are housed in bedsits as they can’t build enough. The system needs overhauling it is unfair to those in need who need houses.

Are you sure that's not what she needs to top it up by.
No way has she got a new build for £200!
Crist I've been in mine 10+ and I'm not at £500 a month yet. If I moved out they would get £850 -£900 for it as going rate for a 3 bed is £1250 - £1600 near me.

Thank you op for assuming I’m a thief who queue jumps in shops and takes things without paying!
If a person can afford a mortgage and all the additional expenses home ownership has they good on them.
I’ve paid a fortune in rent to the Council over the last 28 years for living in the home they provide. When my kids have moved out I will downsize to another council home- why - because I cannot afford to buy and I cannot afford private rents

My view is a 20 story tower block and on the other side is student accommodation for the local Uni. Come and see the wonders of living on an overcrowded housing Estate in the arse end of our glorious capital city before you throw jealously filled stones are our doors.

Well the situation we have at the moment is that private sector rents are so insanely high it's costing our economy £13 billion a year in wage topups for private sector tenants. I don't think that's a solution at all. If rents were lower, were in line with wages and what people can actually pay, we'd all have more money. Apart from landlords of course. What is so unrealistic about that? We don't currently have "market rent" in the private sector. We're subsidising the rents there by billions every year.

That's the problem, not council tenancies.

Wonder if OP will be back, or are they watching rubbing their hands with glee.

You are both reasonable and unreasonable!

my parents couldn’t get a council house when my dad left the army. By some fluke in the early 70s they lucked out and got a mortgage. Things were beyond tight to keep that mortgage and I really suffered as a child during periods of crazy interest rates whilst peers in council properties had clothes, school trips etc etc as well as a secure home while my family lived in fear of losing ours.

on the other hand, like anyone who has a heart and has seen Cathy come Home I can’t begrudge the stability and quality of life a good home brings. I am however riled at the frequent posts on the town Facebook page where I see people maligning the council/HA and @ the MP when their heating has been on the blink for Oooh a whole 12 hours! I think they are out of touch with the cost, expense and time required to maintain a home.

and as for those people who get rich after being allocated a council house. Probably no need to evict them as they have likely started the process of buying it thus exacerbating housing issues for others in a whole different way.

Space for adult children to stay is a luxury many in private rented or mortgaged homes don’t have. It should absolutely not be a priority for council tenants to have that when there are others that genuinely need those rooms.

Re: space and tools for moving empty nesters on. Wasn’t the bedroom tax meant to do that? Did that get discontinued?

There should be more council houses not kicking people out of their homes.

However I have some sympathy as some family units don't make keeping a council house fair when many others are in dire need - I know of one too. But the true answer is we need more social housing.

Interestingly my parents were part of an experiment when the council house list was too long in the early 60s. As my Dad and Mum were a low paid workers, they were given a council lifetime mortgage. So long as they stayed in that house. It was bought from.the open market.

We only moved when Dad lost his parents and inherited their house so could sell both and afford a bank mortgage.

1. Council housing should never have been sold off and private renting should not have been messed with in the 80s. Private was affordable and often not much more expensive in the 80s and more stable.
2. It is madly difficult to get into social housing. If you get protected tenancy/get to stay there for life you'd be an fool not to stay even when you're doing better.
3. It is hard to impossible to scan the social housing system. If you're in serious danger/ill/children are involved you'll get more points but might still wait for years to get a tenancy.

YABU

I thiknit's u

privileged to be a council tenant.

Fuck me.

If it’s any consolation, my rent is more than all my friends pay for their mortgages

Council rents should be determined on % of household income, with a minimum cap but no maximum. So, if you’re genuinely struggling on low income and in need of council housing, your rent is subsidised. There is a discount for people with children living at home then applied. However, as you begin earning more your rent then increases. There is no cap, so if you earn enough, you end up paying more than market rate for the house you’re in, hence incentivising those earning enough to no longer need council housing to move out. So, if you had no children in the home and you earn well, you’d be at a significant disadvantage. Pensioners would remain in their council homes due to low household income but working empty nesters would be better off moving to private rented or a mortgage.

Why should the rent increase if the tenant’s income changes?
I’m sure mortgages and private rents don’t increase when someone has a pay rise.

I do agree that that is a large part of the problem. But how can it be solved? We can't just make rents lower, or stop paying housing benefits. They aren't things that we can do without disastrous impact on the private rental sector- where would people live? How exactly would you propose we do it?

Yes,same as my parents.

They live in a lovely 4 bed house, all kids are grown up...they have reached out for support with downsizing but none is out there.

They want a smaller property but, they still want a nice council property as they looked after their 4 bed house.

But how much is rent for an equivalent house in your area? Rent will nearly always be more than a mortgage as you are paying whole cost of the property, whereas with a mortgage you are only paying on a percentage of it as you own the other part outright via your deposit.

That was the intention but fo you not think as society changes that how social housing is used should adapt?

I think rent should be means tested so every year your income is assessed and your rent is based on that. I don’t think turfing people out of homes is the answer but neither do I agree someone should be paying full market rent if they can afford it.

I also do not think tenancies should ever be able to be passed on.

Genuine question - how do you feel about receiving subsidised accommodation? I know you’ve said you can’t afford it, but do you have any desire to have a home that is fully paid by yourself?

'I chose to own my own home and get a mortgage instead of getting a council house!'

Why though?

The problem is we've been convinced as a society by the right wing press that it is shameful to live in social housing

Yet it's incredibly desirable, apparently.