Most private rentals "unaffordable"

[TheVampireEmpusa]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15284892

Not surprised by this, wondered what others thought. Especially in relation to those struggling for cash and reliant on local housing allowance.

According to the BBC article, the cheapest rent is in Burnley, at £394 pm, but according to the LHA calculator the max anyone could get is £340, so still need to find £54 a month. Quite a lot if you are struggling already.

His wife, who is very ill, wants to stay in the house. They would not get anywhere else the size of my house for the rent that they pay, and they have said they want to stay until we move back. He would be an idiot to jeopardise that. He also runs a business locally, so would have to move that as well.

@ Badgerspaws

"He would be an idiot to jeopardise that"

I'm sure that all his partners in Lloyds thought that this man was equally trustworthy, honest and reliable. Perhaps he even spun stories to them about how attached to his life here he was, how he wasn't go to go away, how he's always be around.

Lies, all lies.

The moment things turned sour he stabbed them all in the back and ran off over the horizon as fast as his legs would carry him.

If he's some fugitive still hiding out from sticking to his agreements, and the bit about his money being overseas suggests that he is, then quite what he's doing living and running a business over here is a very good question. The man has "dodgy" written right through him like a stick of rock.

So be very careful with him, what makes you think he'll treat you any better than all of his Lloyds colleagues? Count your fingers when he shakes your hand and check that he's not up to anything dodgy with your property.

Of course I could have all this wrong, and he's not some lying con artist, but be careful.

sorry I've skipped a bit of the thread
scary you are missing my point

a barrister can deduct his/her wig because it is essential for their employment and is used exclusively for that employment they are also runnin a business (all be it self employed)

most landlords are not businesses a mortgage is not essential and esclusively for the purpose of letting out the house

the argument about having to live elsewhere is a non argument

I havn't a clue whether the gov has done the sums most landlords pay no tax not because their income is not enough but because they are allowed too many deductions my point is that all rental income should be taxed at the highest rate pertaining to that individual prior to ANY deductions the main aim of this is to increase home ownership and housing stock available for purchase we would need far fewer rental properties because hard working underpaid individuals who happen to have been born 10 years later than you would then be able to have their own secure family home with their children putting their own posters on the walls and painting them pink, blue or yellow.

I don't think anyone needs me to go on about the benefits of home ownership any more or the mess some people in their 20s/30s are being left by the baby boomers

Any one individuals personal circumstances are really irrelevant there will be winners and loosers from any change, society and a lot of younger families will be winners from this one.
IMHO that is!

I'll read the intervening bit now

I think it's fairly true to say that for most houses the phrase 'can't sell' is simply wrong

'can't sell' in a falling market at peak price maybe
'can't sell' at my fantasy peak price plus 10%
all probably true
but for the vast majority of houses reduce the price by 50/500/5,000/50,000 pounds every so often and they will sell

If the owner chooses not to do that then they have made a choice it's obviously fine it's their choice but then if they are not paying tax on their rental income and are bein subsidised by housing benefit then that clearly shoudl stop.

i think we also need to view landlords maintainin their properties as just what it is not some kind of charitable work or social service!!

Holiday - you are missing the point that for many landlords the rental income won't be taxed even before deductions as what they get is under the threshold for tax, especially if the property is owned jointly.

So, if you get get £10k a year in rent divided by two owners, then there is tax to pay on £5k each. Those that don't have income wouldn't pay tax at all on the £5k as it is under the threshold, so no tax is due.

Many will also be like me and not let to HB tenants, so they are not being subsidised by HB at all. Taxing the rental income will not increase home ownership, as even if you did that, people will still not sell at a loss, and you are naive to think otherwise. As a hardworking underpaid individual for many years, married to another hardworking underpaid individual, we worked to pay our mortgage and buy a home, and went without to achieve that. I will not be selling it any time soon.

Teacher - tax on 5k is under the threshold if that's all you earn. Remember it is just part of a person's complete income (like yours probably, if you are still working).

Holiday - you're right. Landlords aren't doing the state any kind of beneficial service at all. They are running their own private business and the profit is purely theirs. There seems to be a belief that landlords deserve the gratitude of the public.

My Mum's a landlady, lets her property out for an extremely low rent for the area - but she always has tenants that appreciate the fact that they're onto a good thing and are reliable and prompt with payment. It's never been empty.

On the other hand one of my neighbours has just done a 'moonlight flit' because her Landlord treated her and her family like dirt and charged exorbitant rent.

What frightens me most though is that real rents are far higher than the LHA rates and there will be no choice than for people to sub-let rooms, or get a cash job or go hungry. If you're on benefit you can't just top up the shortfall, there's nothing to top it up with.

It is all I earn Abend; had to give up my job when I moved abroad with dh.
I've just done a calculation and the rent I charge for my house is about £90 per month more than the LHA rate, so not far out.

I private rent, I can't afford to buy.

We're living in a very cheap £500 a month flat, with no garden. The outside is grim, the bathroom has no window, and we have damp in two of the four rooms.

We want to move, but don't have any savings. We would like a garden for our daughter, and want a safe house to live in that doesn't have damp. DP works on average 50 hours a week on minimum wage, and we just get by.

It makes me really upset that we cannot even save up a deposit, which would be about £1400+. At this rate we won't even be able to have our wedding unless we take out a loan. I'm worried that the damp will affect my daughter's health, but there is nothing we can do. We were very lucky to get a place this cheap in my area, as usually house prices are £600-700pcm.

Your landlord has an obligation to ensure your flat is not damp. Send him a letter with photographs and offer to send a copy to the council if he would like that.

The damp will definitely affect your daughter's health, you need to get out of there. Have you applied for council housing?