Lifetime Social Housing Tenancies

[RowsOfFlowers]

Am I wrong or being unreasonable to think that this new policy that Labour are bringing in is very unfair?

I come from a poor-ish background (as in no one in my wider family has any money). However, my mum and Dad did fairly okay and managed to move up the property ladder (through sheer hard work and sacrifice). My dad died a few years ago and so now it’s just my mom. We never received any benefits - and now my DH and I live in a house and pay a high interest rate (thanks Truss) and I don’t know if we will ever pay off our house (if I am to have children and go part time), so we will need to downsize. We don’t qualify for any benefits either but we are in the squashed middle, so we really feel it when anything rises in cost and don’t get any help.

I feel really cross that someone can benefit from social housing for a lifetime, no matter how much they go on to earn, and then if they pass away, they can pass it down as an asset.

I have a friend who’s parents came to this country, got given social housing, their children paid it off (40% discount) and now they all get to keep a £650k house in London. It doesn’t seem fair to me at all. I feel really disillusioned living in the UK.

It’s worth pointing out that the average wait for council housing in the U.K is nearly three years.

I would have been an idiot not to take advantage of RTB
other people’s problems with housing is not my problem and when I got mine it was plentiful

sad as it is I look out for myself and my family no one else will
a lot of people feel the same they just won’t say it out aloud

pretty much everyone in my family had social housing and eventually bought it under the RTB most of us with the exception of death still live in it

same for my husband and his family

Years ago maybe around 25 -30 years ago the council and HA would give people money if they moved out and got a mortgage

I have several friends who were given between 10-20k to hand back there tenancies and take a mortgage
I don’t think it ever took off or was that popular though as they stopped doing it after a few years

Wow

That's because the ridiculous waits in the SE are skewing the figures. Take London and the SE off, and the average wait is probably closer to 1-2 years.

I waited 2 weeks for my HA property from joining the list to getting the keys.

Its much more than that

As I said

luck & being able to take advantage of such luck

Most of the houses that were bought under RTB by my family and friends mine included would easily sale for 300 -350’k if put on the market today

Some especially the Victorian terrace ones 400k for sure as they are in a very popular area that’s in recent years has become very trendy and popular with family’s and people from London

some are Victorian style terraces some are newer ( like mine a 3 storey type town house but built when they were a lot bigger than the ones that are built now )

a few are the big typical estate style red brick council house with big gardens those would go for around 325 350 as they are popular because of the size and they are all semi detached style with big front and back gardens

and some you wouldn’t even know they are council owned as the council bought up a lot of private houses years ago where I live mainly Victorian or 1930. -1960 style house so you would have no idea it’s a ex council house

@Frostiesflakes I am happy for you, but please don’t rub it in!

But that figure is a bit misleading because it suggests that someone who wants social housing on average waits three years. It doesn't take into account the thousands of people who can't even get on the list nowadays. The fewer people they allow to go on the list, the better the figures look.

The luck and no hard work required is equally true of people handed huge house deposits by their parents. But you don’t seem to be angry at the fact that housing is a for-profit business when it shouldn’t be, and we’d all be able to access affordable housing if it wasn’t?

Shhh thats not fitting the narrative

A lifetime tenancy is only secure if you keep up your rent and abide to (reasonable) rules - same as a mortgage is secure if you keep up repayments. Private rent is the obvious worst option but hopefully will be fairer soon. RTB was a terrible idea which has been overhauled now so the discounts are a lot less generous.

I am angry at that too — it should be secure and a right to all, but it isn’t.

Wow what area? In the borough I brought my family up in (south) there’s no social housing left and no list you can join! Frightening prospect for those in need.

That’s shocking

There are lots of things people would be an idiot not to do. We saved about £0.8m in capital gains tax when we sold a business using entrepreneurs relief. Something can be within the rules, you'd be an idiot not to do it, but others might not agree it is right. We could have afforded to pay the tax obviously but the government gives the reward for founding business.

I understand why people won't give up lifetime tenancies with discounted rates but that is why the system needs to change.

Ok. And where would the people go?

The system does need to change. Its needs more social housing and it needs to stop selling it off. Not kicking people out because they're a bit better off than they were originally. Fgs.

I live close to Teesside. The housing register is run via Tees Valley Partnership, a group of HAs that work together. I have no idea how long the waiting lists are in the wider Teesside/Tyneside area.

I've told you already. I would have reallocations every 5 or 10 years or so. People would still have a home but it would change to suit their need.

But as I mentioned earlier, renters can get help from the government with some of their rent if they lose some or all of their income. The mortgage payers get no support.

And I don’t know why you said private rent will hopefully be better soon. Nobody is putting any pressure on landlords to reduce rents.

A mortgage has got to be the most secure though hasn't it? As long as you pay the monthly amounts you can pretty much do what you want and at the end you own the house with no obligations to anyone.

That's not correct.

https://www.gov.uk/support-for-mortgage-interest/what-youll-get

Of course, the government won't actually buy your asset worth hundreds of thousands of pounds for you, but they will support you to stay in your home until you find a job, so pretty much the same deal a renter gets if they lose their job.

You haven't told me at all.

So you agree. More social housing is needed.

I'd build more flats funded by applying a means tested rent between the current charity rate and normal market rate depending on income. The under occupied houses would then be freed up by transferring occupants to the smaller properties ensuring that the larger ones are then available for families. I would put ten year reviews on tenancies to ensure that they correctly match the needs of the family.

Vote Lioncub for Housing Minister!

er, this only applies if:

• you’re getting Pension Credit
• you started claiming another qualifying benefitbefore January 2009 and you were below State Pension age at that time