Rent arrears "fastest growing problem"

[DoctorTwoTurtleDoves]

BBC report here. The number of people in arrears and asking for advice has risen by 37% compared to 2011. The article does point out that rents are at an all time high, despite our beloved (ha!) leaders assuring us that they'd drop, but it doesn't say that whilst everything is going up wages are at best stagnating.

Hard working families, to borrow from the chancellor, are going to be made homeless, and because it's as a result of owing rent they'll be blamed for it and refused council help.

It's certainly very difficult. Some might want to move into smaller accommodation or move areas or back in with their parents before arrears build up perhaps.

Nothing to do with rising house prices caused by an idiotic price reflationary policy and a total failure to close the door to migrants.

Nothing to do with rising house prices caused by an idiotic price reflationary policy and a total failure to close the door to migrants

Well, when you get Gidiot causing a housing bubble whilst assuring us that rents will go down due to the benefit cap, despite being warned that the opposite would happen what do you expect? His economic policy is to increase GDP by raising house prices, which is fine as long as people can afford to pay for said houses. But, this housing inflation and the deflation caused by Mark Carney will clash. Interest rates will rise, whether they're put up by the B Of E or by mortgage lenders I don't know, but they will go up, and hard working families are going to lose homes.

As for your risible and contemptible comment about migrants...

I get your point. Migrants and benefit scroungers caused the current downturn and are the source of all our ills. Oh no, wait! Sorry, I meant grasping corporations and thieving banksters and corrupt politicians across all parties caused the current crisis.

Migrants are not allowed to claim benefits, even if they're from within the EU. Well, those from within the EU can claim benefits after 12 months. Those from outside the EU, including 'illegals' get nowt.

Juliet, thanks to a combination of a reduction in building and Iain Dumbass Shithead's policies there is a shortage of 'smaller accommodation'. This shortage is forcing prices up. Rocket science it is not.

I think the whole thing behind this is for those who already are in a position of wealth will benefit from any given policy, and those already at the mercy of a pitiful income will lose further.

My Dad explained it to me once. The tories are all about a few people having a lot, and the rest not having anything.

Labour were pretty awful but at least they didn't base their entire manifesto on that.

Oh yes migrants that's the problem .

The housing market is ridiculously overpriced with most on the average wage increasingly priced out. I think it is easy for those of us on very good salaries to look amongst our peers and assume everyone has the same income.

Amongst my friends I am one of the lower earners but if I compare myself nationally when DH was working we were in the top 20% of household income, now he's a sahp we are in the top 40%. Your normal is probably much higher than those in the bottom 20%. The options of moving elsewhere is ridiculous - if you are already behind in rent, where does the deposit money come from, the money for removal companies, not forgetting the fact that you would have to find a job or start paying for an expensive commute.

I think its easy to blame the individual because then you can think that it would never happen to you. But we are all at risk and not through individual failings, but systemic ones.

DoctorTwoTurtleDoves

As for your risible and contemptible comment about migrants...

Let me explain some simple maths to you.

You have a housing pool X. And a population Y. If Y > X, that causes a rise in house prices (all other things being equal).

Oh dear. Thanks for setting up the tap in.

Use your search engine of choice to find out roughly how many empty houses there are in this country. You will find that the number of empty houses far exceeds the number of homeless people.

DoctorTwo you are so right. The problem with FlatPackHamster is the application of 'common sense' logic....we have x houses and y people. Seems superficially true, but it is not like that. We have empty houses. We have house building policies (or rather do not) - housing stock is never meant to be a static thing. And we have population movements - people going and and out. Common sense statements seem to make sense but they are so misplaced and usually the illogical way of argument of reactionary and fascist bigots.

DoctorTwoTurtleDoves

Oh dear. Thanks for setting up the tap in.

Use your search engine of choice to find out roughly how many empty houses there are in this country. You will find that the number of empty houses far exceeds the number of homeless people.

To the leftist mind the world is so simple, isn't it. We have all these houses and fewer homeless people, therefore there can't be a problem, just stick them in the empty houses.

The houses aren't where the people want to be. That's the inconvenient thing about people, they don't go where they ought to. So what you have are huge areas of the country with excess housing but the housing remains empty due to a shortage of jobs or an excess of dreadfulness.

90% of the immigrants arriving since 2001 have stayed in London and SE England. There is no massive pool of vacant properties in SE England just waiting to be filled. There is a huge shortage of properties and that drives up prices. And, as a consequence, rents.

Have you got a link to something that isn't the Heil (I have Kitten Block so can't see their site) to prove that 90% of immigrants since 2001 stay in London?

There's a shortage of properties because social housing was sold off cheap and not replaced. Yes, your fellow right wingers New Labour could've changed things but since their economic strategy was almost as patchy as the tories that was never going to be a runner.

It's always so simple for you lot on the right isn't it? Set the poor on those worse off than them and deflect the blame from where it really lies, the financial institutions and global corporate interests who shut down factories here and move them to where labour costs are least, leaving entire communities on the scrapheap.

I know this maybe a controversial view but the way I see it whether council houses had been sold or not we would still have the same amount of houses. I personally think it's the lack of investment in building more sh or houses in that's caused part of the problem.

As I've said before I really would vote for any party that would come up with a sensible solution to the housing crisis whether it be rental rates or capping the number of properties landlords have

Why neocon policies don't work.

Surely quite a lot of the rent arrears must have been caused by the introduction of bedroom tax and the caps on housing benefit over the past 12-18 months. Would that not have a great deal of impact on the rise in arrears rather than specious arguments about immigrants and Help to Buy?

Housebuilders have landbanks and would build more if there were demand. As the recession abates that will happen.

If we have loads of people in the SE who for generatios have never worked and don't want to work getting the £26k benefits cap (£34k before tax income equivalent) then I don't see why we cannot move 30,000 of them to empty houses in Liverpool the North East and Wales which would cost us a lot less.

I think a large part of the problem is the universal credit and its only going to get worse. I work in the social housing sector and we have seen a massive increase in arrears. A whole new department has had to be set up to deal with it.

They take away housing benefit and other benefits and instead give it to people in one lump sum. These people can barely make ends meet as it is and suddenly have a lot more in their account. When they need to feed their families and their kids need winter coats, something will give and it's often rent. Plus, there is no advice on dealing with budgeting etc.

That coupled with the rising rents, it's going to get a hell of a lot worse. In the whole scheme of bad government ideas, it really is special.

Horse - The vast majority of people who receive housing benefit have it paid direct to them and they (should) thenypay it onto the LL. Why will Universal Credit make it worse? (Genuine question - I'm not trying to argue you down.)

Disappointedhorse - thats not an excuse 1000s of people who have mortgages have to pay them or lose their homes. I would like to stop paying my mortgage and buy my DS a new coat etc but I prioritise having a roof over my head - so should people who rent.

There are plenty of charities to help with budgeting like step change - help is out there

Oi, why's the NE always mentioned as a place to send them? We don't want them thanks. We have barely affordable rents here as it is. You can keep them

Part of the problem is the HB cap and bedroom tax. I have been looking at private rented properties lately, I would be entitled towards some help with the rent, so have been looking for houses that charge below the LHA. There is not a single one. I'm not fussy, I'm looking at one of the most deprived areas in our town, the rent is still a good £20-£50 more pcm than the maximum amount of LHA for that size property. I work, so could afford this, but god knows how people on benefits are coping.

If we have loads of people in the SE who for generatios have never worked

Well Juliet, it would be lovely if you could find this mythical bunch of people, 'cos the DWP sure as fuck couldn't. They were made up by that Irritatingly Dumb Shithead.

Absolutely right, TurtleDoves.

Juliet - show us the evidence or stop spreading complete nonsense.