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Original poster

social housing changes

54 replies

Strix · 19/10/2010 12:27

Can someone enlighten me? I read this article and two statements really surprised me. I want to know if they are true.

Statement 1:

"At present, council tenants keep their property for life unless they breach their tenancy agreement, for example, by engaging in anti-social behaviour. They can also pass their homes onto their children."

Surely it is possible to get out of your rut, finish uni, get a good job, and leave the council house behind. But, why would you if you can live for free for the rest of your life and then pass the house onto your children. I must have missed something. Someone please clarify that this story is misleading.

Statement 2:

"There are currently some eight million tenants in social housing in England. "

As I think there are a toal of some 50 million people living in England (including quite a lot of foreigners who would not qualify for social housing) this sounds like a very high figure. I wonder what percentage of UK residents are in social housing in England?

Again, please come tellme I have been misled by this article.

OP posts:
Original poster
Strix · 19/10/2010 12:27

Article here:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11570923

OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 19/10/2010 12:29

well for a start council housing/social housing is NOT free!!!

Original poster
Strix · 19/10/2010 12:36

Now, that's an interesting point. I wonder how many council house tenants have their accommodation free and how many are paying a portion of the value of rent.

I know some people get it for nothing. But, that's a good point. The article just gives numbers of people and doesn't point out what portion they are paying, and many of them (I assume) probably are paying something.

So what is this "for life" thing all about. If you get a house at 50% of market rent, does that mean you are entitled to live in it for 50% of market rent until you die, and then you pass iton at 50% of market rent? I have no idea. Am just asking how it works.

OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 19/10/2010 12:41

its the tenency thats for life,not the house.

rent is required to be paid same as anywhere else,its not free.

however,housing benefit will pay rent/mortgage interest,if someone ends up on benefits!!! its not just council tenants on housing benefits,its private tenants and mortgage payers also!

its assessed on income. so the proposals to increase rent to market value are just going to cause bigger problems!!

market value seems to be set by greedy landlords. so the pensioners still living in their 3 bed council house will have to be re-assessed....and moved! not a bad thing in alot of cases,but,well,can see some resisting it

nobodyisasomebody · 19/10/2010 12:42

It is not free.

All these threads fail to take account of the appalling state a lot of these houses are in when they are first let to tenants. No way would they be let in that condition in the private sector. As a council tenant you are responsible for a lot lot more of the upkeep of the house than other tenants. The house I received was uninhabitable. There was mould on the walls, no doors, floorboards missing,a heating system that did not work. To name but a few. It was awful and took a lot of time to sort out by me.

The kitchen and bathroom are dire and need replacing. This is typical and a lot of tenants spend many years getting their homes up to scratch and for that they get a life tenancy. I am fed up of the sniping and envy that goes on towards council tenants.

It is very very hard to get a house and if you do meet the criteria then surely you are deserving?

Secure tenancies are awarded in order to build stable communities.

GypsyMoth · 19/10/2010 12:42

rent on my 3 bed housing association property is £138 a week.....market value here on a similiar property,private rental is £525

MaMoTTaT · 19/10/2010 12:43

Actually it's not HB that pays the mortgage interest just to be pedantic - it's the DWP Smile

but yes - you're right there are 100000's of people claiming housing benefit for private rentals too. Many of those work, many of us them don't.

GypsyMoth · 19/10/2010 12:48

so are they saying that once you are working,then they want people out of social housing??

because if thats the case,then who is going to repair and maintain these houses,as HA here do very little now

MissAnneElk · 19/10/2010 12:49

Social housing is not free.
It would be much better if more people lived in social housing and paid the full (albeit cheaper) rent than the current situation where people rent 'privately' and are subsidised (or rather their landlords are subsidised) by the government in the form of housing benefit.
More social housing would also help to reduce house prices which I'd say is a good thing.

CheeseandGherkins · 19/10/2010 12:50

I read the changes being brought in will be making the rent the same as the private properties, or bringing it into line with market value, as it was put. It also said they'd be "encouraging" people to move into private rented when they earned more money and would be regularly testing to see when this would be.

sarah293 · 19/10/2010 12:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

MaMoTTaT · 19/10/2010 12:52

so "big society" is going to include having unstable communities, of poor people - nice Wink

MaMoTTaT · 19/10/2010 12:53

they're going to make the rent the same as the private properties Shock - but that's going to MASSIVELY increase spending on HB Confused

FWIW - not all LL's are greedy and feckless. I have a lovely one here who only just covers his mortgage with the rent he charges on this house.

MaMoTTaT · 19/10/2010 12:55

and "encouragin" people to move into private rented isn't going to help their budget either - as if they're working on a low wage they'll probably be getting housing benefit to help with the private rental.

GypsyMoth · 19/10/2010 12:56

but housing benefit will be capped wont it....passing the extra market value rent,onto the tennant to pay?

CheeseandGherkins · 19/10/2010 13:06

Yes that seemed like the idea from what I read, I saw it on bbc news late last night. The tennant would end up paying more.

Original poster
Strix · 19/10/2010 13:10

How can the tenancy be for life, but not the property?

OP posts:
MaMoTTaT · 19/10/2010 13:10

yes - as many tennant (even those on full HB) already have to do in the private rental.

In my previous rented house I had to top up £80 a month out of my other benefits in order to pay the rent - yet I got full housing benefit.

It was the only suitable house I could find that accepted HB, and as where I was living at the time was on the road to repossession I needed to be out.

Original poster
Strix · 19/10/2010 13:12

And, of course, there are some people who don't pay anything for their council houses. I would like to know how many that is. It sounds like no where near 8 million.

OP posts:
MaMoTTaT · 19/10/2010 13:14

I'm not currently paying anything for my current private rental I should add, lovely landlord who looked like I'd lost a screw when I asked if he was ok about housing benefit, and who then went through the process of going onto the RAS list so that I could get help from the council to move Smile

ReformedCharacter · 19/10/2010 13:16

Strix, why are you only interested in the amount of people who 'don't pay anything for their council houses' (claim full housing benefit)? These people are claiming considerably less for their housing than they would be if they were in private rentals.

expatinscotland · 19/10/2010 13:18

'And, of course, there are some people who don't pay anything for their council houses. I would like to know how many that is. It sounds like no where near 8 million.'

MANY who are in private rented who don't pay anything, either.

Social housing is not just council, either. Many councils transferred their housing stock to an HA or HAs years ago.

It is not free, either, if you are working.

ReformedCharacter · 19/10/2010 13:21

Precisely Expat.

I am in a HA flat and pay full rent. It is very cheap considering it's in London, but it is not subsidised by anybody.

usualsuspect · 19/10/2010 13:23

I don't get why some people assume that all social housing is free Confused

ReformedCharacter · 19/10/2010 13:25

"How can the tenancy be for life, but not the property?"

Council/HA properties come with a lifetime tenancy (can't remember correct word now) meaning you can live without the threat of eviction. You are not given the property, just allowed to live in it until you want to leave.

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