To think this is a ticking time bomb (people priced out of housing)

[Batmanisreal]

It’s becoming clear that there is a problem with people not being able to afford housing like they used to be able to. This has been made worse by the introduction of right to buy by Thatcher in the 80s which reduced the numbers of council houses. The price of housing is going up and up, so more people are having to rent on the private market.

So what happens to these people who are privately renting homes, when they get to retirement age? If they can’t afford their rent?

I was lucky enough to be able to buy my house. I have young children who, by the time they get to the age I was when I bought my house, will probably not be able to afford to buy like I was. There’s a very big chance they will have to rent, possibly for the rest of their lives.

People who rent on the private market are at the mercy of whatever rents the landlords want to charge for those properties. And with more properties being rent out as short-term lets this is only going to make the situation worse.

I worry that we are heading for a situation where elderly people will end up on the streets, because there won’t be enough affordable or social housing to supply them with housing if they become homeless in the event of them not being able to afford their private rent anymore.

As a parent, I just find the whole situation so depressing.

And where do they take a shit?

Agree 100% and the degradation of many of our towns and cities where people are increasingly living in tents and vans is at least in part a result of the pressure of population on housing.

They tend to set up their tent or van near to a park, green space or grass verge. Or sometimes in little patches of woodland or on the edge of a cemetery. Grim.

Exactly the current population level is unsustainable for such a small country. England in particular is overpopulated and hasn’t got the infrastructure to cope with more and more people arriving expecting a free house, free dental and a doctor on standby etc. Majority contribute nothing back except for committing crimes.

My dd was in the process of buying a flat, then realised there was no limit to what she could be charged by the leasehold company. She was too scared to continue and pulled out. It was the right thing to do in hindsight. That years bill was astronomical (she knew someone in the block).

And it’s difficult to sell a flat now as there are too many on the market not selling.

I don’t blame people for not buying flats.

And how will we afford this? With a shrinking tax base made even smaller by AI taking jobs?

I think it is more helpful for us to calculate 'rooms' rather than houses.

We have enough rooms for everyone to have a room, with shared rooms for children under 11.

The sort of houses I walked past today could accomodate 2-3 average sized families. They would have been bought by 1 family in the 1960/70s.

They didn't work any harder - in fact they probably worked much less, given that one income likely bought that house so 50% of the work that would be required today to buy it - or actually more like 25% of the work in terms of hours as jobs have definitely become more demanding than they were when I started work yonks ago.

Landlords aren’t making much, if any in some circumstances, money. It’s a myth that they are. One that political parties use to fuel division.

They’re “eye watering” rent often correlates across to eye watering mortgages which have jumped recent years, alongside other costs.

Landlords and renters need to live symbiotically, rather than one group vilifying the other (and that works both ways) and without one, there isn’t the other.

Sorry, but I don't want to live in a room. I am not in my 20s and ok with a house share.

And many people WFH now, and need the extra rooms.

@3DPrintedDragon Why do you get a choice when others working just as hard as you don't?

If a room meets your needs, then why not?

Once upon a time people were lucky to get a bed in a shared room.

Now single people who are entirely state dependent expect at least a flat whilst families with two parents working full time can't find a private rental because so many people are overhoused.

Time to make if fairer - property tax time.

A room in a shared house might work in your 20s.. but not so much later on. When people want more room for hobbies, and general belongings.
People are not battery hens.

'when people want'... well that's it isn't it.

It shouldn't be about want, it should be about need - at least if it's state supported in any way - and almost all housing is, when government strategy such as quantitive easing allowed the massive overinflation of housing stock value, to the detriment of every generation that came after.

They need to claw that back so it is fair.

One generation should not be housed like kings whilst the next are housed like paupers.

I speculated earlier on where the money may come from.

OK, so what are one bed flats for then?
Why do they exist, when we can have the coffin apartment things that exist in China?

Housing benefit calculated at the 30th percentile of rent in the Broad Market Area. So it won't cover the best and most luxurious properties or the priciest roads, but it will cover, in full, the rent on the cheapest 30% of properties in the broad market area. That doesn't seem too unreasonable.

Its for people who havent got living proof they have had sex without contraception
Ah yes us childfree should be last in line for decent housing. First in line to do the shit shifts at Christmas (see the thread "Christmas leave priority" ) and apparently second in line for conscription.
Ive actually been told on two separate threads on here that i shouldnt be in social housing AT ALL even though im in a one bedroom flat simply because i havent reproduced.

I understand. I am childfree too. It does feel like we are last in the queue for everything because we have not had kids.

So younger people dont have hobbies or belongings? Is there an exact age at which this change occurs?

Yes, this is a big part of the problem. If government could somehow reduce the risks involved in buying a flat (service charge increases, flammable cladding etc), then we could have more high rise living. Especially as people are increasingly single and childless. It would be a much better fit.

From experience. people in their 20s are still moving about etc, not settling down. But of course, some are too.

Personally, I feel HMOs are for people in transient situations, and not long term. But sadly there are people in HMOs long term because of how the rental/housing market is. I know of two men in their 70s who are in HMOs... living alongside people a third of their age. They spend their day in pubs just to get out of their bedroom.

Plenty of flats round my way

Loads more that are earmarked for older people and cannot be bought by younger - often with co-located facilities that make it easier for them as they age.

Lot of London flats too that are not being bought - again, need to get rid of ridiculous leaseholder rights to a service charge increase that does not always reflect the actual work needed.

If the government would look into management fees on leasehold flats that would help people to get on the ladder. They are a total scam and they can increase them to whatever they want! I stupidly bought a totally average 2 bed flat some years ago and now pay nearly 3k a year in maintenance fees in addition to another £300 on ground rent. Next to no maintenance is carried out for that money either. No one wants to buy them and fork out for those fees so people are trapped living in them!

On the plus side, they've got the money to spend all day at the pub! Have you seen the price of a pint!

My dad lived his last 15 years in a one bedroom flat built for older people.

It met his needs, it had clear access, a lift and services nearbye.

My mother also lives in similar, although not age limited. It meets her needs.

They had a house, but divorce reduced their buying power - and increased their need for social care.

They go to Wetherspoons. Spend all day and night there.