Housing stigma

[Antiquedoll]

Has anyone else noticed an increase in bad attitude towards social housing from property owners? I hought the UK was progressive and believed innequality but it seems to me the division is growing?

Is it? How so? What part of my taxes are paying for my house, dear?

No it isn’t dear.

63% of social housing tenants receive housing benefit/the housing element of universal credit. Interestingly, that figure is not available for those who privately rent (why, I have no idea, there must be some way to track it!) but Shelter estimate it’s a third. We need far more affordable, secure housing.

I assume the poster means that you get the benefit of cheaper rents than if you rented privately, so it's equivalent to being given money to pay some of your housing costs.

Private rents are profit driven. Social housing isn’t. It’s not a benefit. Private rents are rip off merchants.

One could say the same for people who make a profit on their house when they sell.

Ok it's not a benefit per se, but you still pay less rent than private rental so in that respect you are saving money or being essentially given money to pay for housing.

Not at all the same because the state isn't spending money on any equity gains to house owners.

Not always.

I moved from a private rental to a social rental and the rent is the same amount. Well, for about 3 months it was £50 cheaper but then they raised the rent by £50.

Private renters are looked down on in exactly the same way. It’s always been the case that if you don’t own your own home, people treat you differently. I’m back on the property ladder now, but when renting for several years, the judgement and snobbery around renting on any level was, and still is, very prevalent.

Ultimately more people need social housing than is available. So there has to be a discussion around this which looks at what is financially viable, but also protects those most in need. There is no more money, the national debt is higher than it's ever been, so any money for more social housing needs to come from within current funds. An option would be to charge rent linked to ability to pay - someone gets the house when really struggling, they work hard, do better, earn more and then pay more - a percentage of earnings (40%?) up to limit of average rent for a property that size in that area. - still doing better than private renting as secure tenancy.The extra money raised would then go towards building more affordable housing.
There will of course be the argument that that will disincentive ambition, but as its a percentage will still have more, and ambition is usually about more than money, it's about learning, pride in self etc.

How’s that work when I was paying all my rent myself approximately 3 years later? What “benefit” money was I being given then?

Green with envy that my parents were able to exercise right to buy and saw a house increase in value to a point where it was six times what they paid for it. Effectively a lottery win that has not been shared.

Of course social housing is a benefit. You need to meet certain criteria to be allocated a unit, for example by the council, and initially you get allocated/can bid for what meets your circumstances. There is NO way the small rent covers upkeep. I live in a mixed estate, where social tenants pay service charge too, but their rates are MUCH lower than for those that have bought their homes. Guess who pays?

Benefits doesn't mean you are given money. Come on, surely you can understand that? You receive something quite valuable not available to EVERYONE. Of course it is a benefit. How could it not? I think you probably don't understand what the upkeep of a home costs and how much reduced social housing rent is beyond of what it actually costs.

Look, if I booked an economy fliegt on BA and get upgraded to business for free I am not going to claim I paid my fare share and I essentially did not really receive anything extra. I am going to feel like I got quite lucky and enjoyed something I could otherwise not afford.

Did you actually read my post where I said I now live in my own bought house?

The criteria we met in order to get a HA house was living in a privately rented house that was being compulsory purchased by the council. There was no bidding involved. Not sure how that was a benefit.

That’s no longer true but it’s only changed in the past 5 years

they no longer offer right to buy and you no longer get an assured tenancy it’s a 5 year short hold tenancy that gets reviewed

Yes

I don’t think it’s just social housing , it’s renting in general - I see it in comments, the posts about ‘renters’ as if we are all some second rate species - there are many reasons people rent - in our case it was due to having to sell up due to a business that went wrong through being screwed - by the point we recovered all income and got credit records 109% again we were too old to get sufficient on mortgage for long enough terms in areas my H was prepared to live - so we have rented nice places ever since - if we buy again it will be if/when we sell business/inherit etc - I get fed up of the ‘going into rented’ being used in a negative kind of way -

Right to Buy is absolutely still available in England to some tenants and this government has pledged not to abolish it.

@PrincessC0nsuelaBananaHammock So are you paying reduced rent or not? Usually you have to register at the council even to receive a HA property as social housing and then the usual criteria apply. If you pay reduced rent it's a benefit. Even if it's because you would have otherwise been displaced.

I was told when I got this council property that right to buy would be an option and that was only in January.

It's probably still an option for those that have been in their home a long time and have some old contact. I know someone who could either buy it or pass it to a child.

It's not that I don't seem to acknowledge. You seem to think you have the right to lecture and look down on others. Life is unfair and that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Theres no point of being envious of what others have.

Doesn't make me ungrateful. You have repeatedly told me and others how I should be "greatful". I would look closer to home if I were you instead of poking your nose so far in others business. Very presumptuous!