How many super rich rent?

Jowo_2

ivan_the_not-so-terrible wrote: »

Those on less have no choice but to claim HB ... but where are the private landlords who accept it? Daft thing is, HB is pretty much a gaurentee that you can pay your rent?

That might be the view of tenants but its not the view of many landlords who regard HB/LHA claimants as the most risky groups of tenants to let their properties to, who are more likely to go into arrears and who are perceived to be harder to evict (because local councils often tell the tenants to ignore notice served by the landlord and force them to go to court to regain possession).

The switch from HB to LHA means that the benefit is now mainly paid directly to tenants instead of landlords as in the past. There is a perception that this has led to an increase in LHA tenants getting into arrears by squandering their benefit on things other than the rent. It's then impossible for them to repay the arrears.

ivan_the_not-so-terrible

I see what you mean Jowo, but surely in this credit crunching time even those with high incomes are a risk?

If you (not you personally of course) lump all those who get HB into the category of money squandering lay-abouts, you are dealing the hard working, working classes an awfully poor hand! Why do LL's dismiss HB out of hand, rather than look case by case?

I can't help thinking that the gov were really stupid selling off their housing for short term gain. They must now be paying a fortune in HB to families they otherwise would have been recieving a small income from?

princeofpounds

This is going to sound really aggressive, and I don't mean it to be, but the truth of the matter is that you have had more kids than you can realistically afford. You didn't realise this at the time as you were in subsidised accomodation, but now the real situation has been revealed.

Most people on £15-20k do not have five kids and a partner who, by the sound of it, doesn't work. You are now very firmly in the benefits trap, at least on the housing front.

If you are facing being made homeless and can't find a private let, as stated above the council have a duty to help you so you will not be homeless. Your friends here are Shelter, who can advise you on everything for free.

As for the low pay, that's the economics of the situation telling you that there simply isn't enough demand for your job to pay you a good wage.

I could go into all sorts of economics-based discussions here on falling agricultural employment, rising costs of accomodation and declining birth rates that would help explain why we have arrived in this situation, but it's not really going to help you specifically.

I'm not trying to be critical, you sound like an honest enough person and I'm sure you are bringing your children up well. You just need to realise that if you are now reliant on the system you need to work with it or remove your reliance.

Fire_Fox

ivan_the_not-so-terrible wrote: »

Again no, she looks after the kids, and as unskilled, if she did go back to work, I doubt her wages would contribute much other than make the housing benefit claim more complicated than it already is (they really need to sort out how they deal with self employed ernings that fluctuate!)

Ivan

ivan_the_not-so-terrible wrote: »

Hermum, We got very near to what you describe when I lost the house and job 16 months ago. The local housing officer was bl:mad::mad:dy useless though! Couldn't offer us anything even when we were top priority. Apart from the fact it wouldn't have happened over my dead body, he said we'd have to be split into two groups (groups?) as the only sheltered accomodation they had available at the time were two seperate hostels with rooms for a max of four.

I'm not that desperate as I could virtually walk into another farm managers job with a house and good salary. However, the kids are all settled in schools ect here, and I am working ... We're just worried about this housing issue. Worst comes to worse, we will have to move

My question really was how do others on a working man's income, manage? As far as I can see, in this area there is NO affordable housing for those with larger families on anything less than around £30k Those on less have no choice but to claim HB ... but where are the private landlords who accept it? Daft thing is, HB is pretty much a gaurentee that you can pay your rent?

Other working class families either don't have five children or don't manage on one income, often both parents work even if that is in a minimum wage role. Go back one hundred years and all the children were sent out to work too. :eek: What is stopping your wife taking on some shift work which pays better than nine to five and could fit around your hours? What is stopping your wife getting some skills at college? This should be free as you are in receipt of means-tested benefits.

You have some decisions to make. Either your wife goes out to work, or you get a second job, or you take a better job and move out of expensive Sussex, or you need to wait to get evicted take the hostel places and bump yourselves to the top of the council list. My money would be on relocating up north to take on a farm managers role - more income, less outgoings, better quality of life. It's of no benefit to your children to raise them in an area where they probably cannot afford housing either.

Jowo_2

ivan_the_not-so-terrible wrote: »

I see what you mean Jowo, but surely in this credit crunching time even those with high incomes are a risk?

If you (not you personally of course) lump all those who get HB into the category of money squandering lay-abouts, you are dealing the hard working, working classes an awfully poor hand! Why do LL's dismiss HB out of hand, rather than look case by case?

I can't help thinking that the gov were really stupid selling off their housing for short term gain. They must now be paying a fortune in HB to families they otherwise would have been recieving a small income from?

I absolutely agree that the Right to Buy scheme and subsequent social housing shortage is one reason why many people now end up in a benefit trap and why it is frustrating to some that private landlords are unwilling to fill the vacuum.

You are absolutely right that a person in employment is no guarantee of being a better tenant than those on LHA but nevertheless benefit claimants, students, households with lots of kids, households with pets tend to be less popular than working tenants.

At the end of the day, and to be blunt, landlords are a business, not a branch of social services. Those that regard LHA claimants as risky tenants mitigate the risk by excluding all and don't have the inclination to select them on a case by case basis since LHA now goes to the tenant and it is nearly impossible to predict/screen who is going to pass on the rent and who will actually leave the property when served notice.

ninky_2

some inspiration for you......

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1250993/Single-mum-finds-mansion-net-gets-YOU-pay-7-000-month-rent.html

ninky_2

ivan_the_not-so-terrible wrote: »

Hi,

My question really was how do others on a working man's income, manage? As far as I can see, in this area there is NO affordable housing for those with larger families on anything less than around £30k Those on less have no choice but to claim HB ... but where are the private landlords who accept it? Daft thing is, HB is pretty much a gaurentee that you can pay your rent?

the answer is they don't have that many children. it is quite unusual to have more than a couple of children these days for precisely the reason that people can't afford it. or at least they can't afford to live anywhere decent a life with more than a couple of children. large families are the preserve of the mega rich or those on benefits.

SouthCoast

The demand for council and housing association rented homes in Sussex far exceeds the supply. We regret we are not able to help everybody who applies to us. Therefore we positively encourage you to consider other housing options, such as renting privately, low cost home ownership or mutual exchange. (See the tabs on the left for more about other housing options).

http://www.homemove.org.uk/

ivan_the_not-so-terrible

That's ok princeofpounds I might of said similar a couple of years ago.

But that's the point surely? If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone? Yes we have a big family, but it's a well cared for and loved one. As for me personally, well, I'm degree qualifed and farming was once a good and noble career ... will be again I'm sure. So sure, perhaps I might have been better going into law or banking all those years ago, but I didn't. Anyway, if we all went into careers that pay well, they soon wouldn't, and who'd do the meanial stuff like producing our food, or taking what's left away? Yes I do have a big family (naughty me) ... years ago many people did, but they didn't have to be high earners to afford it! I'm perfectly able to understand economics too, so you don't have to explain to me that the housing situation was created not just by population growth, but population demographics, short sighted government and financial trends. I'm not being aggressive, but I'm not patronising either.

And nobody has yet answered my question ... How do others in high cost areas maanage to rent when on low incomes? There are very many low income families around here who are in private accommodation. I just don't see how they've managed to get it??? :rotfl:

ivan_the_not-so-terrible

Blimey! Five posts while I was writing the answer to one!