How would you redesign social housing allocation and tenancy?

[Kendodd]

Thread about a number of threads I'm afraid.

Well, how would you manage them?

I think some radical thinking is needed, everything from just giving tenants their houses in very run down, low demand, areas, to treating LA property the same as private rentals, nobody get preference, high rent, no pets, children or DSS.

The obvious solution to me would be to just build more houses although in the SE I don't know where the land would come from.

Provide massive incentives for employers to move their operations to areas with serious levels of unemployment (funnily enough the same areas that have cheap property prices) - jobs arrive in the area, housing is already there, employment/unemployment levels start to average out more evenly across the country. Pressure to build more residential property commutable from London/in the South East reduced, traffic/travel congestion reduced in those areas, pressure on NHS and schools reduced in those areas.

Yes, some of this has already been done, BBC, Met Office, Ofsted. Perhaps the government should lead the way, all government deptments, plus Bank of England etc. that can be moved up north should.

Timbertot for president. And all without any landlord-bashing either.

so obvious. So why not?

Yes to reviewing tenancies regularly.
Incentives for downsizing and more 1/2 bed properties build/converted/bought.
Adapted homes not to be subjected to bedroom tax /reviewing until a set period after the person has moved on/died. Shorter time for moving out rather than death (6/12 months?).

Why should tenancies be renewed? Do people reach a stage in their lives where they magically stop needing a roof over their heads?

Just build more of the damn things. It's an investment that pays for itself.

And allow house prices to fall rather than keeping their value artificially high with billions of govt £££s. Spend the money on building more public housing instead. High house prices are bad for the economy anyway.

*Reviewed, not renewed.

Build more 1/2 bedroom houses/flats

Review council tenancies every 5 years, if bedrooms are surplus to requirements offer incentives to downsize.

Review the outdated points system in place with a lot of HAs.

Well, while you all rejig the LA housing situation, I'm clinging on to the bit of paper that grants me the right to live here for the rest of my life. DD1 has SN. It's likely she'll live with us as an adult. She won't get rights to succession, so we need to keep our tenancy here to provide her with security.