To think housing in this country is fundamentally broken?

[BrokenHousingLogic]

Whether you rent privately, rent socially or own, it feels like the system isn’t really working for anyone.

• Rents are high and insecure
• Buying is out of reach for many
• Social housing is under strain
• Landlords and tenants feel pitted against each other
• Local authorities seem overwhelmed

It often feels like people are arguing with each other instead of addressing the fact that the whole structure is failing.

AIBU to think this goes beyond individual choices and points to a system-wide problem?

A single person living in a one bed property is not contributing to the housing crisis, FFS. Who do you think one bed places are intended for?
Are single people only allowed to live in HMOs and tiny bedsits?

So as not to demonise one sector of the population, I will put my hand up and say that I am contributing to the problem: DH and I are rattling around in our five bedroom family home.

Longer life expectation and old folks not downsizing is a big contributor to the housing crisis.

Lots of young single workers can only afford to live in HMOs and tiny bedsits because of the shortage of housing has pushed up costs to ridiculous levels.

I know pensioners living in HMOs.
But that is not the fault of one person living in a one bed flat. If they can afford to live there, they are not pushing up prices and causing a housing crisis. Stop blaming the people who are not actually doing anything wrong. Me and my ex splitting and living in sperate one bed flats, that we paid for and could afford, is not fucking things up for everyone else.
Landlords are the ones pushing up prices.

Again, who is the target demographic for one one bed flats?

I bet i can guess what the answer will be

You're making it our business by keeping going on about it!

How is a single person living in a one bed flat contributing to the housing crisis?

Sorry but couples not living together or even claiming a paltry level of Housing Benefit is not adding to housing shortages.

We have a falling birthrate, in any normal world, this should lead to a surplus of housing but thanks to the Tories, who sold off all housing stock and then latterly, allowed in millions of migrants, we are now in the mess we can all see.

Your thinking is off.

The best way to solve the crisis is to demolish houses and replace them with skyscrapers. Change the culture from a 2 or 3 bed house with a garden, to living in a 2 or 3 bed apartment instead. That's the only real way to offer the amount of housing needed, without creating brand new cities or expanding significantly into greenbelt land.

Of course, nobody wants to lose the home, there's too much NIMBY-ism and red tape preventing housing projects from being built, so nothing is getting done.

The reasons for the housing crisis is broad and complex.

It is not about one bedroom flats, although they undoubtably are part of the solution.

You’re taking this very personally. More of the population living alone is adding to the housing crisis. No one’s blaming you personally, but it means that we need to build more housing to accommodate this social change which we are not doing.

Landlords are pushing up prices because they CAN. They’re getting as much money as possible and they can do this and the government has made being a landlord so unappealing, so many landlords have left the market that there is no where left to rent. Who’d be a landlord? Look at Scotland. The number of properties withdrawn from the rental market following the rent controls is vast. This is the reason why rent rises are through the roof here. If a landlord can only increase the rents at a change of tenant, the rent goes up minimum of 25% at the change of tenants. And people will pay this because there’s a huge shortage of rental properties due to the rent controls. Landlords are making money due to appalling housing policies. Rent controls have failed everywhere they’ve been tried.

The housing 'crisis' is because those not rich enough to live alone without financial support
are being funded by the council
to live in unsuitable accommodation

the answer is to allow councils to affordably house those who cannot house themselves
cut private landlords and builders out of the whole equation

then the price of ALL houses would fall as the floor is lowered

Not really. Even better would be to demolish entire blocks of derelict/semi derelict High Street retail space, most of which will have empty "flats" above and these days most will be empty shops on the ground floor too. Build flats instead. Do the same with the street upon street of semi derelict terraced housing in the "wrong" end of towns, especially run down Northern towns, run down seaside resorts, etc. Likewise all the ex commercial units around the edges of towns which are likewise often semi derelict. Rejuvenate these run down towns and run down town centres with new purpose built flats and get people living in towns again which would rejuvenate local/convenience shops, cafes, etc. It's seen to work with Uni towns because there's incentives for developers to repurpose town centre derelict properties because they can make a killing with communal living student accommodation. The govt need to incentivise the developers to do the same with ex commercial and ex retail premises in run down towns rather than leave so much property unused and derelict.

The basis of our economy is house prices, if they fall, consumer confidence falls off a cliff.
Now, that may be a price worth paying but it wont help the Govt that does this.

Where will councils get the money to affordably house people with an economy in recession?

We need to build Council Housing, not all at once but steadily, over time - 10 to 15 years... gradually shifting from private BTL to the original model of social housing, being careful not to recreate the ghettos of the sink housing estates we have had.

Here's a controversial view why there is a housing crisis. Feminism.

This has resulted in two wages necessary to purchase a house.

Before feminism there were successful women in business and yes the numbers have increased but at what cost?

Judging by the number if threads on munsnet many women are still reliant on a man or the tax payer.

Is that you Tate? Or Peterson? It's pretty impressive that apparently women are now to blame for the housing crisis according to this thread, what with their multiple partners, feckless breeding and also careers and selfish notions of equality apparently...

Honestly if things regress much further down this line we'll be in pre Big Bang territory...

I recognise this poster. On another name, they were very misogynistic and anti-kids. The blaming of women for their bad decisions is a fucking beacon. I am rubbish with usernames etc but sometimes one sticks out like a sore thumb when you can recognise the rubbish they spill out.

I take it personally because I have had people tell me I am to blame for the housing crisis.
Point your finger up, not down at me.

You usually find that this type of misogynist doesnt like child free by choice women either

I am female and I want women to have better lives. I think there have been downsides to feminism and don't see women having much better lives but see many struggling. Two wages necessary to purchase a home is detrimental to women and men.

If other posters agree with me I can't be all wrong.

You blame women for being in abusive relationships.

I think too many women idolise men and are scared to be alone. I want women to be stronger and have self belief.

Erm, wasn't that something feminism was addressing?

There's some real pretzeling going on here...

Yes it was addressing it but has it been successful.

@Balletpoint People who lived together in one house snd then went another house, so two houses, obviously add to housing demand. It makes no difference what type of accommodation. If they own it or rent it, it still has to be built! Of course coupled splitting and maintaining two homes puts pressure on the supply of homes. Not that I’m advocating couples stay together but it’s still a pressure on housing.