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.

Just make it clear I'm not hating. As I said my own mother lives in a council home and has her whole adult life, I love my mother but she DOES moan about stupid stuff like when the rent goes up (it is still less than half of what the same flat would be on Rightmove)

People paying loads on their mortgage/rent tend to find that frustrating it doesn't mean they hate anyone

But you choose to get a mortgage. Not saying you shouldn't some people don't have that choice . They can only private rent which it extremely expensive. Private renting is very difficult as well due to the expense and people on lower income who need help with the rent often can't private rent because they need a guarantor which they don't have.

Some people can only rent via social housing because they would not be accepted for private rent or mortgage.

Crabs in a bucket mentality I'm afraid.

I'm worried about my future housing, so everyone else should be as well.

All it does is encourage the govt to make things less secure for people.

If there were more social housing, easier to obtain, in better condition then house builders and banks and house prices would reflect reality more than now.

Yeah, I’m not saying it isn’t the case for everyone. It is a strain yes. I really don’t like people viewing me as privileged — I feel like the invisible middle and that I’m not entitled to feelings of stress. Somehow I’ve got it good and I should put up and shut up.

Anyway, interesting comments on the thread.

This is what I mean. Thank you @Frateletheboss
I don’t think that makes me a bad person.

I am also not hating on people in social housing, I really wish to make that clear. I’m just being critical of the system as a whole. I agree with PP that more social housing should be available and then that would bring down the cost of housing for all.

I don't think there is anything wrong with people living in a council house forever with a decent wage.
What is wrong is people who are renting that are stuck. We pay more than a mortgage and unable to save so are stuck renting forever. Council won't help as we are in an accomodation that we are managing to pay for. It's a vicious cycle.
I think more council house needs to be made available. Even if I paid half the rent I pay, it's more than a council house of the same spec in our area. It's bloody awful.

Yes, I feel for you a lot!! X

I was in your position ... interest rates were 16%. I had a child and worked full time after taking full maternity leave ... it was that or have a poor lifestyle.

Oh here we go… here come the comparisons from someone where the houses were dirt cheap. Please don’t compare my situation to yours. The houses nowadays are like 4X the price and our salaries are no where near in line.

I won’t be able to afford full maternity leave. I’ll likely be able to afford 6 months before I’ll need to work again. If that.

Remove the right to buy and build more social housing.

Growing up, everyone I knew lived in council houses. There were maybe 3 or 4 people in my year at school who lived in a "bought house". When you got to 16 you put your name on the council list and would have a reasonably nice one bedroom flat by the time you were 20. No means testing, just a waiting list. Not so easy to then swap up to 2 or 3 bedroom but you had a good start.

If you wanted to relocate you private rented or bought. Security for those who wanted/needed it and choice for those who wanted something different.

And then everyone was buying their council houses for peanuts and we are where we are now.

Yes. Right to buy. The killing of the goose that laid golden eggs.

No government will ever have such a generous policy again on social housing

Personally, I think that council house rents should be priced at market rates, but obviously with housing benefit support. Then those on low wages will still be heavily subsidised (as they would be in private rental) by HB, but those on high wages won't have a financial benefit to staying in and blocking a social home. And the extra money raised by the higher rent take from high earners could then be ploughed into providing more social housing. Effectively I'd like more emphasis on providing more secure housing, but not necessarily cheaper housing - as the cost of housing should be dealt with via HB, and I don't think a two tier system of cheap social housing v expensive private housing is fair.

I do think stability and security are important, and I do think that if there was a max earning cap that we could end up accidentally ghettoising social housing estates.

Who are they giving them to?

But the private renters you feel for. Could lose their home . If and landlord wants the house back. They may not be able to get another private rent. They will then be in social housing. Then you will feel they have it easy its not fair. ?

Different Councils, have different criteria. Look up your own Council online.

I think council rents should be nearer to the market rents. Then council tax could be lower for all.

I'm in private rental in my 40s and I feel powerless because if you have to private rent you are screwed in this system. I'm constantly having to deal with a landlord that doesn't even reply to emails let alone act on repairs. The system is wrong for housing, but I don't really think people should be forced into private rental where you are not secure.

But then my rent would be around 2500. Paid my UC people would hate that to.

One big downside of people moving around all the time is it really damages social cohesion. A lot of areas barely have a "local community" anymore, just an everchanging flux of people who don't know each other. Security for social housing tenants is a good way to counter that.

Perhaps there are tweaks to be made, e.g. linking rent more strongly to income.

Privileged few? Who are these privileged few, exactly?

Where I live they do
they have succession where the person can be a family member and be passed on the tenancy providing they have lived there to 12 months

and where you add a person to a tenancy providing you didn’t succeed the tennancy in the first place

my nephew who lives with his nan has been added to her tenancy
when she passes away he will get the tenancy of a beautiful 2/3 bed Victorian Terrace for the sum of 490 a month

I'm one of the privileged few.

All I had to do was be in an abusive relationship, get pregnant and beaten up, move hundreds of miles away with my kids into a refuge for 10 months and BOOM, council house.

They will not be in social housing. The waiting list is years. It would be a lot harder to get one than to find another private rent or they will just live in a homeless shelter.

Its already a thing? I had a lifetime tenancy but got enough together for a mortgage and moved out and purchased my own home.

They will always have to pay rent. The house will never be theirs. I feel in a much better position now paying a mortgage. Even though the interest rates have increased.