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.

Exactly. 10+ years in a bed and breakfast with the children. That's what you need to do to get a council home these days.
As I tried explaining to a pp who said ops situation was her own fault and she should of just "chose" to get herself a council house, as if it's that easy.

That comment is deleted now but it also included the recommendation of only getting with a man rich enough to support the whole household as if men like that are super common and don't have built in gold digger detectors 😂

I am not even necessarily thinking about those on 100k, I am also thinking about people who earn under this but still a considerable chunk and they’re taking away the chance from someone truly in need…

I am gobsmacked by the absolute ignorance that belies posts like this. You are describing Eutopia. There isn't a country in the world with an economy comparable to ours that has got close to achieving this.

Let me guess you would fund all of this with a wealth tax?

Now this is the kind of critical thinking I absolutely love ❤️

I agree that the comments about baking yourself a ruch husband is not on.

But then your also making comments towards people with children in temporary accommodation. Life can happen evictions by landlords. People such children who also have a mortgage that they can no longer afford due to life changes.

Again, you're simply not understanding the housing market and the impacts it has.

Young people have no option but to relocate if there is no secure future for them. Communities just fall apart if everyone is in insecure housing.

What we need is more social housing, not to keep re-allocating an ever-dwindling number of properties.

Yep, so my two options are:

• Put my name down for social housing when I likely won’t qualify and I’m taking away from someone truly in need.
• Divorce my husband, and find a rich man.

OK, sure, like it’s that easy.

Both lacking in morals too. Absolutely bonkers thinking.

Except it doesn't work like that. A high proportion of children raised in poverty, will go on to be dependant on benefits, and then have children in poverty themselves. There are obviously exception but on the whole raising children in poverty leads to a long term drain on society.

I understand that, but that is when social housing is needed - for situations like that.

I don’t think you’ve a right to buy it in that circumstance, as horrible and unfortunate as that is. And I say that, even putting myself in those shoes, because the same thing could happen to me!

Agree with PP, attacking the wrong people and jealous of the wrong people. Why is rent/mortgage so expensive for people like you, it’s a much bigger issue if you dig deeper as well as the benefits issue.

This is actually true… unfortunately… it usually is a cycle of dependency on benefits.

So no child brought up in social housing goes on to get qualifications and a well paid job? None? You’re just stereotyping I’m afraid. Plus poverty? The argument is that better off people are living in social housing and it’s not fair. You can’t have it both ways 🤷‍♀️

But you have been arguing that some people earn too much to be in social housing and now you’re talking about generations on benefits! Make your mind up!

Access to Housing association/council
Housing should be available to all - with options & caveats. Even though my parents bought the house under a right to buy, the lower rent meant they were able to save a deposit. I don’t agree with a right to buy.

I find hard is as an example my Nanna had a lovely 4 bedroom house, the rent was covered. She lived with my Grandad the house was under occupied for a good 20 years. Eventually she began to struggle with maintaining it and the large garden. She put in a request for a 2 bedroom bungalow - there wasn’t enough. They offered her multiple 1 bedroom flats which wouldn’t work for my Grandads equipment that was needed. So for 5 years she waited for one to come up & eventually freed up her house. Though a lot of her friends on the estate didn’t want to move as it was (rightfully) their home but it meant blocking 3/4 bedroom houses with just couples or single people in.

The council/housing should have been building a mixture of housing stock (it seems just social housing flats here mixed with where they building private 2/3/4 houses).

I’m not sure I completely agree with life time tenancy, I do feel even though it may feel to people a home we shouldn’t have people under occupation a house BUT there needs to be the right property to be available to move into.

I never claimed benefits when I was in my HA home. Paid full rent and council tax.

I think taking away lifetime tenancies will incentivise people to stay poor. In London where I live a 2 bed housing trust flat rents for about £600 a month. An average private rental is well over £2000. People simply cannot afford that. There is no right to buy for these sorts of properties.

The tenancy can only be passed on once, normally to the partner, not willed to an adult child living elsewhere (they do check).

Most people would prefer to buy, but in London at least it is outside the reach of people on average wages.
I just googled and the cheapest 2 bed flat in my postcode is £400k. Shared ownership is also not an option for many people as the service charges are extortionate.

Social housing is hardly Shangri la. The ones in my street are poorly maintained and have mould and other structural related issues.

No as I said there are exceptions. It is just statistics - I'm sorry you don't understand that.

I believe that you are wilfully misunderstanding me so that you can feel victimised. It is not advocating for having children with someone purely for money to say that you shouldn’t have a baby with someone if they can’t afford for you to have the bare minimum of time with your baby. If my husband couldn’t afford to support a family, I wouldn’t leave him, but I would hold off on getting pregnant until and unless we as a household could support the increased expense. And I wouldn’t be complaining about people in more affordable and secure accommodation - I would be shouting from the rooftops that this should be available for the majority and that the government needs to take radical action.

And @Frateletheboss , I was not suggesting or implying that she should have done any such thing. I was directly saying that she has overextended her finances to buy the house she’s in if every month is such an extreme struggle to pay the bills. That’s unfortunate, but there were alternatives to making that choice, mainly relocating or getting a smaller property. I also think most people can see there is a big gap between “wealthy” and “able to mostly support his household for six months while his partner receives SMP”. A person doesn’t need to be rich to pull that off, especially not with a planned pregnancy. They can both save to fund a more comfortable maternity leave, as I believe is common for people to do if they both work. They have to have some spare money or they wouldn’t have been able to get a mortgage.

How do you know she overextended herself? I don't see where she mentioned the size or location of her house. For all you know it's already as small and in a cheap location as possible.
You seem to imply the op could of easily just made a cheaper decision around her house as has been pointed out on this thread it's not easy to just "choose" to live in a council house the waiting list is years even for people in bed and breakfasts. Private renting is just as expensive as a mortgage Y'all seemed to be implying the op just overextended herself and could easily of made another decision.

Most men these days can't support a household single handedly, clearly op isn't the only one in this situation seeing as there's so much in the news recently about people not having children anymore. Either your husband is on a really good wage or you have extra money from paying cheaper rent (which good for you genuinely, as I said I don't hate or resent people in council homes my own mother has lived in hers her whole life) but the ops situation isn't unusual.

Do you seriously believe that only a rich person could, with 1-2 years notice, support their household for six months while their child’s mother didn’t have an income? It might take some cutting back and lots of saving, but this is not an unobtainable goal.

Please enlighten me as to the vast riches (in yearly salary) that you think a man would need to fully support his household for an extended period of time as my husband does, including buying a semi-detached house in the SE, running a vehicle and the occasional holiday. Then I will tell you how much my husband earns.

@RowsOfFlowers YABVVVU.

The vast majority of people who qualify/qualified for social housing will never be 'rich' or on £100K a year or more. And most will need (and deserve!) the security of a lifetime tenancy.

Do you really think loads of people who get a social housing property/tenancy, (and are on less than £30K a year when they get the property,) are on £80K/£90K/£100K a year plus, a few years later?! Get real! This would not be the case for - as I said - the vast majority of people!

Seriously, I am sick to DEATH of this 2-3 times monthly social housing tenant bashing. It's soooooooo old now! 🙄

Why do some people deeply resent people having a secure, affordable, rented home? Jealousy? Anger? Bitterness? All of the above? 🤔

.

Not necessarily rich but better off than most, clearly op is far from the only one as birth rates are so low, it's hard to save when you have a mortgage to pay like I said if your home is owned by the council and your rent is less than half of what its worth like my mother's is then it's most likely a lot easier to save.

That aside the op clearly loves her husband and it sounds like hes a reliable man working an ordinary job is it really so bad for her to want a family with him? It's not like he's an unemployed heroin addict.

Also it's been implied by plenty of posters on here that op is wealthy/fortunate/punching down etc to have a mortgage. But sometimes it really is the only option when council waiting lists are 10+ years and private landlords are evicting people left right and centre. Personally it was the only option for me after the last landlord eviction yes you do need a bit of money for a deposit my house is shared ownership so the deposit wasn't much. You don't actually know whether ops house is shared ownership or it could be really small so a small deposit.

Please make up your mind is she a rich snob with a massive mortgage looking down on renters or a foolish woman married to an unusually impoverished man?

Well hun, why are you not shouting from the rooftops about raising statutory maternity pay then?

Why are my husband and I paying so much in taxes, council tax, bills and mortgage that I can’t afford longer than that?

Why do those in subsidised council homes get to have multiple children, while it’s a struggle for working women such as myself? How is that fair?

Why you targeting my husband? Why are you blaming me?

Why are you not advocating for women and people in our situation? Seems you only care about certain populations.

And for the record, I cannot wait any longer due to my age and the fact that I do have a window. Not that you care because you just want to attack me on my own thread. My personal circumstances are quite frankly none of your business anyway, nor do I care about yours. This thread is a discussion on lifetime social housing tenancy!

Maybe there is justification for anger…?! I know a lot of friends and family members agree that the system is not fair!

this… 100%

you’re right, birth rates are declining… it’s for economical reasons outside of my control! Yet I’m being told to wait… save… find a rich husband. Why not tell that to the hundreds of women in social housing or temporary accommodation then? @batt3nb3rg