Family wants me to give up my social house and I'm not - wwyd?

[spicy2001]

I currently rent a three bedroom social housing property and I live on my own. Most of the rent is paid for by universal credit and I have to pay 25% bedroom tax which is very affordable to me which is for two rooms and a shortfall of £30.55p.

I did speak to a housing officer and they said I am legally allowed to occupy it, and as long as I pay the rent on time, tax and shortfall, then everything is fine. I don't feel guilty for occupying this three bedroom house, it's been my home since I was born.

Recently, I noticed that my family were talking a lot about me downsizing. I asked why are they talking about me downsizing? They said because I don't need this property and have to downsize.

I explained I'm legally allowed to stay here, this is my property and not yours. I get that I don't need this property but I'm staying here because I'm allowed too. I found out that they actually joined a site called "home swapper" and a site called "glass bob" my sibling set up an account using her email address to advertise my property. If I'm correct, I've never joined these so I don't know 100% but they're platforms where you can do mutual exchange and advertise your property.

I phoned my housing association and explained the situation, they've started an investigation and they are speaking to various departments to see if they can do it from the end to see if they can do anything as they approved it but they don't know if they can disapprove it.

The other day a tenant from another part of my cul-de-sac came round and told me she knows I'm downsizing and she has a friend whose currently living in a one bedroom flat with his wife and they've got a one year old daughter and another baby on the way. I explained to this person my family have been trying to get me to downsize to a one bedroom flat and I'm not actually looking to downsize so I won't swap with them but told her I do sympathize with their situation.

She told all my neighbours about her friend and now all the neighbours are peed off at me because I'm not downsizing. My family are also peed of that I'm not downsizing. As far as I'm concerned I don't care as I have the legal right to stay here for as long as I like or want.

I just wanted to know though what would you do if you was in my situation?

You are right worst person is strong! However the system is so broken I know a women in her 50s children grown up strolling around in a 3 bed bungalow absolutely zero health issues or disabilities. Why can the council not swap her with someone else who needs the shower and pack of stairs/ I fully get that it's not individuals fault but the system really do need to start just swapping people out of there homes as you don't own it's social housing tax payers pay for it.

i don't even think I deserve the house with a garden just because I have children but watching my neighbours who one is a nurse one is a railway Engineer and they can't afford rent or a mortgage with 4 kids and they all live in a one bed flat don't they deserve the space. My children are still young. They have a 4year old and 8year old slapping in the same room as two baby's and the parents. They need space somewhere to have school friends too.

i fully know my view on this could change however they have right to buy for this reason! The rules do need to change and people need to change their own morals there just isn't housing.

in Bristol its a 3 year wait for a 2 bed and no longer any bidding for 3 beds you just get given a direct offer and up to a 5 year wait
.

why should some single adult get to hold on to a house they not longer meet the requirements for?

Single people on Mumsnet are not allowed more than s bedsit OP - you won't get much sympathy on this thread, unfortunately.

Tell your family to do one.

They could have a 10 bed house if they paid for it. The issue is there is no social housing and it should go to people who need each property not wants.

Single people are allowed a studio apartment or a one bedroom flat, I'm not bothered about the sympathy, I only asked people what they would do in my situation.

Don't give up your home OP, you are young, you may well have a family in the future and need those rooms. The private rental market is an absolute nightmare.

I don't know what your families motivations are but they need a stern talking to, hopefully the HA investigation will scare some sense into them because they are comitting fraud. I would stop telling them anything about your life from here on.

Hmm, I don't think this is about people being 'jealous'. I think it's absolutely understandable that people are upset and angry that OP chosing to over-occupy a house that is desperately needed by other families.

Look at the views most have (very understandably) with the Philip Schofield scandal- hasn't done anything illegal, but it's certainly morally questionable. So yes OP might not be breaking the law (clearly different council and Local Authorities have different rules), but it is morally wrong. So naturally some people will feel very uncomfortable seeing someone willing to block those with much more need when most would at least recognise what they'rechasing to do was wrong.

Can you honestly expect those fleeing DV (like a PP), or facing homelessness with their children, to be ok with this? Or other hard-workers on low wages, struggling in a house share? And yes it IS their business- Social Housing is everyone's business. And if we all took the p*ss, the system would eventually crumble.

Agree with a PP- it's the regulations in OP's area that allow this that are shocking really. And a change can't come soon enough.

Why the hell are you hogging a 3-bedroom house? Selfish much? "I've lived here since I was born" indeed. Ridiculous.

Agreed.

I say fair play to you, OP. Stick to your guns. You live there fair and square, and your stupid siblings should wind their necks back and stop trying to run your life. You must not give in. So should all the keyboard warriors on Mumsnet preaching to you about 'morality'.

She literally asked for our comments. If she didn't want to hear them she could have kept schtumm. Anyway, you sound like a sock puppet.

I say fair play to you, OP. Stick to your guns. You live there fair and square, and your stupid siblings should wind their necks back and stop trying to run your life. You must not give in. So should all the keyboard warriors on Mumsnet preaching to you about 'morality'.

Yep.

Hello again OP 😄

Social housing is people's business only because universal credit pay quite of social housing rents but there's many people/family who have social housing who don't need universal credit to pay for their rent and do it themselves.

I'm a tax payer, I pay nearly £300.00 so I never said it's not not people's business, it's completely their business.

I do find MN an interesting place sometimes.

It seems to be perfectly acceptable to judge those on their 'morals' and moral conduct in some cases, whereas in other's (this is the most extreme example), people are fully endorsing incredibly selfish behaviour.

In this case, OPs choices and behaviour has a direct impact on the most vulnerable in society and adds more pressure to an already stretched system.

"Sock puppet" sounds like something someone would say in a school playground, best insult you can come with? I literally don't care if I'm over occupying, peoples' feelings don't affect me.

Legally you are in the right.
Morally you are in the wrong.

Succint and to the point.

Morally, you should downsize. Legally, you don’t have to. But you’ve been given the luxury of social housing in a property that you don’t actually NEED anymore. You just WANT it. If everyone took what they wanted, not what they needed, we’d all be fucked.
Let a low income family or single parent family who NEED a bigger house have it and move to a flat. You sound unbelievably selfish.

No they pay most of the 1 bed allowance the op pays the bedroom tax for the remaining rooms. Read the op again.

The amount you pay is very small compared to the amount you receive in subsidies.

Argument fail.

Exactly this!

I was meant to say £300.00 a month

I do completely understand people when they say it's morally wrong. Yes I know its morally wrong but I don't feel guilty about it.

Er, I'm not really sure where we go from here OP. It's quite strange to have such a lack of empathy/care for what's right or wrong. Have you ever spoken to anyone about that?

Personally, I'd probably downsize, but you are not me, and you are obviously comfortable and settled in a home that you have lived in for decades, are legally entitled to, and THIS IS YOUR RIGHT. You do not have to justify staying there, or apologise.

If your interfering family hadn't stuck their oar in and advertised your home, then your neighbours wouldn't have been blaming you for living there. They have no right to interfere with your living arrangements. None of their business.

That’s still not proving that poster to be incorrect.