Can I just make something clear about Housing Association and Council Homes

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I am amazed at the ignorant perceptions that some people have about HA houses.

1. HA houses ARE NOT SUBSIDISED. The reason they are cheaper than privately rented homes is because HAs are charities who plough all of the profits back into their housing programs.

1. Private rents are more because the greedy money grabbing bastards who own them want to line their fat pockets. THEY DO NOT COST MORE BECAUSE THEY ARE BETTER QUALITY THAN HA HOMES.

1. HA and Council houses are not specifically for people on benefits. Anyone can have one you just have to get on the list.

1. Some people in this country ARE on benefits and those people live in a huge varity of places, including HA, Council, and private rentals.

1. There are some people on benefits who actually own their own homes.

Can those of you who sneer at people who don't own the home they live in please please tell us why you think your better than them, coz I'm genuinely puzzled by this.

As you were.

Well im sitting here in my lovely HA house surrounded by fields in a idyllc north yorkshire village ,where my children can play freely and i often forget to lock my car on a night and where i know all my neighbours by first name and i really dont care who looks down thier noses at me ,im paying £350 a month rent and if my DH was made redundant tomorrow we would manage without any problem on my wage if i went back full time . Do i care if i dont OWN this house ? what do you think

Well im sitting here in my lovely HA house surrounded by fields in a idyllc north yorkshire village ,where my children can play freely and i often forget to lock my car on a night and where i know all my neighbours by first name and i really dont care who looks down thier noses at me ,im paying £350 a month rent and if my DH was made redundant tomorrow we would manage without any problem on my wage if i went back full time . Do i care if i dont OWN this house ? what do you think

10 greenbottles i think it us that are the wise ones
still think my ha house is THE best

Oh I'd love a HA house - am privately renting at the moment and it takes just under half my salary each month. Not to mention the insecurity of it - yes - would LOVE a HA house.

jp are you on the list? i hope you get one soon

Am I right to assume that you lose the HA house if you buy another property privately?

I bloody hope so.

I haven't read the whole thread but had to point out that HAs are subsidised, largely by the government via the Housing Corporation in order to create their housing stock in the first place. Many are also "gifted" housing stock by councils who no longer want to run it and they also enter into agreements with developers in order to receive housing at reduced prices (my mind has gone blank but there is a specific section in the planning regulations allowing for this arrangement). Housing associations are great things, they provide a valuable service and I would never sneer at someone who lived in a HA home (in fact, I'm quite of some) but they can charge a lot less than private landlords because they have those pretty big advantages over them (and I think many private landlords, including me, do a pretty good job as well).

Interesting thread this. The obsession with home ownership is peculiar to this country . About 70% of English people own their own homes (well, OK, have a mortage on it!) - in Europe the figure is the ecact opposite - 70% of the population CHOOSE to rent (mix of social and private landlords). I really do wonder what our obsession with owning is about?! Can it all be summed up by 'An Englshmans home is his castle' ?

BTW - £350 a month to live in the beautiful North Yorks countryside tengreenbottles? You LUCKY LUCKY girl!

Exact! Exactly!