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!

Wow.

Nothing speaks to how successive governments have totally fucked up society like 55% of posters actually agreeing with this OP.

That the housing market is so fucked and so unaffordable and so many working people struggle with the cost of living, that 55% of the posters (on a site well used by educated, professional people) are actually so jealous of those with secure housing that they want them kicked out of it.

Kicked out maybe not, but you should be in a home that is suitable for the size you need and you should not be occupying this flat if you are wealthy and less well off people need it.
Are you affected by the bedroom tax?

Yes, if it is too big for your needs or if you can afford to rent privately. The level of entitlement of council tenants is staggering. Why do you think you deserve to be subsidised?

I agree OP

Market rent is only high because landlords have realised they can get away with charging whatever they want!

Why should anyone be turfed out of their long-standing family home. And if they’ve paid rent for 30 years, they’ll have paid back the cost of building it. So their rent is giving the council revenue. And people nearing retirement can’t afford a private rent.

The answer @Helpmechooseausername is for the government to invest in council housing instead of selling off and demolishing more than they build year or year, decade on decade.

Then everyone who’d like one can have one. And money grubbing private landlords can go stuff themselves.

We want public money (including capital and opportunity costs) to be used appropriately and fairly, not given to a small subset of the population who got lucky.

My grandparents also lived in council housing but honestly I cannot personally understand expecting the government to provide a home, or having children if I couldn’t provide for them 100% myself.

How do the rest of us on low incomes afford extortionate private rents?! We do, because we have to. I totally agree with the OP, although also agree that if the council houses hadn't been sold off via right to buy it wouldn't be such an issue now.

For some reason council house swap pages keep appearing on my Facebook. I cannot believe how large and nice the houses are and the entitlement of what people are asking for. Council housing was supposed to be for people who needed help, not so people who have good jobs can pay cheap rent and live a luxury lifestyle.

Any home that is rented is never truly your home in the sense that you can do with it what you will.

I agree with you op.

Good. Then the HAs can buy them all and rent them at affordable levels to the people who either need, or want, secure housing.

I've lived in 2 HA properties that were sold by the HA when we moved out. No one ever talks about this. They deemed them unsuitable for their books as older properties (mid terraced, 1920's). There was nothing wrong with them. Needed a couple of k spending to improve fuel efficiency.

HA are definitely not perfect and should be more regulated, especially when considering who much of their turnover will come from housing benefit ie taxpayers money.

Taking private landlords out of the sector would only be a good thing long-term.

The issue with a council house is that you might end up with dodgy neighbours & you’re trapped as it’s harder to move. You also have to keep paying when those of us with a mortgage will be ok once it’s paid off. I can see why you’re envious though. It’s always the people just above the threshold who end up pissed off.

it’s the system that is to blame

not people - hate the game not the players

you can’t blame anyone for securing a secure fairly cheap tenancy for themselves

Yup, like Levi Roots a millionaire refusing to move out his council place in South London to ease the waiting lists of those more in need. It’s a ridiculous thing to me for people like him to state ‘but this is my home’. Erm yes and no. Only for the duration to get on your feet! It’s like me in private rented when my partner left and the rent went up I couldn’t say ‘but it’s my home!’. Because it’s only my home as long as my circumstances can afford (or in public sector) justify it. It’s not a case about being jealous either. Years later, I’m single and settled with an affordable mortgage luckily enough. But at uni I studied Social Policy and did my dissertation on homelessness and honestly it just triggers me bad the inequality of the system! Don’t get me started on the Right to Buy either and how it depleted housing stock, 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 🙄

It's not about worth it's about need FFS.

They are not "cheap houses." Councils make money from working tenants.

I don't blame landlords either. But the answer isn't council houses should cost more/ be restricted, it's that all houses should cost less.

And can't believe the people bitching about having a mortgage when they "could have just got a council house." Er, you will own an asset?

But they are providing for themselves? Council housing isn’t free housing, it’s cheap because the council have owned these properties outright for a long time. There’s no reason for it to cost more than it costs.

As other's have said they should never have been sold to previous tenants (especially at discounts and the money not invested in new social housing stock). This is what has contributed to there being a shortage; not people continuing to live in them (and pay rent), as eventually they will be empty for a family in need, which won't be the case if they've been sold.

What about the level of entitlement of NHS users in that case?

Why shouldn’t people be entitled to not-for profit council housing? They pay taxes and still have to pay rent. It’s not free.

Would you rather taxpayers carry on getting ripped off by private temporary accommodation providers who charge a fortune to house record numbers of homeless families because there isn’t enough council housing?

There’s a lot of misunderstanding around bedroom tax too. That only applies if you receive housing benefit for a social house with more bedrooms than your bedroom entitlement.

So someone lives in a 3 bed house in London. Their kids grow up and they still live in a secured tenancy house forever. Maybe they would like to pass onto their children.

Sorry but if I couldn’t afford my mortgage then I would have to sell up.

Additionally it’s like the difference between a final salary scheme that a lot of government employees enjoy. They have NO risk of their investment going down. My DH’s pension has gone down £40k in the last few months. Most government employees have nothing like that to worry about.

How ignorant are you. Its not free housing. They pay rent. Its their home. Where do you suggest they move too

Council House Envy

Such an unattractive trait in some people.

If the house is too big for them needs they need to move.

Fucking hell, this again.

Cry harder, OP.

yup! Why is there not more hate and bitterness to those people taking advantage of the desperate housing crisis to line their own gold lined pockets with multiple properties. Many of these landlords don’t work either, they see their many tenants salary as their own income to live off. So not only do they get free property to own forever, they directly take out the taxpayers pocket to feed their own children.

Who exactly are the parasites here!