New House Misery

lionelator

This is the sort of post that will obviously stir up strong emotions and not so much clear thinking, mainly because people living in a not so great area will be keen to tell everyone how fantastic it is and that there is no difference from the better areas.
I think if people for a moment give it some thought, they will see the OP is fairly justified in her post and worries, if you spend a lot of money expecting to be living in an area without HA tenants, its a bit of a shock when you find that isnt the case.
Also, regardless of what some posters on here would have you believe, when it comes time to sell your house, people looking at buying would generally be far more prepared to pay a higher price for areas that are not council estates, regardless of arguments as to how nice some of them may be.
The most poignant point was made earlier in the thread, when someone said only 5% of HA tenants may cause problems, but they cause 95% of the problems.
If people thought a bit more with their heads and less with their hearts, particularly based on their own personal circumstances, Im not sure who wouldnt see the OPs point.
Ive lived in both sorts of areas, and Im far more comfortable leaving my car out on the road and things in my garden where Im living now than I would have had I been living in some of the other areas Ive stayed in, even if the problem was only with a small percentage of people in the neighbourhood. Generalisations as a whole obviously have exceptions, but fairly often also have some amount of truth behind them as well.

Curious_Moose

amcluesent wrote: »

Hmm, reckon I'll add myself to the list then! Maybe get placed near the OP. My sound-system goes up to 11!

Spinal Tap!?

pulliptears

Incyder wrote: »

Well it isnt true in my area. The local housing assc is www.westlea.co.uk
They asses the needs of applicants for housing and then award you a status depending on how desparate they consider you to be. You are then given a status. When houses come up you can bid to get it, the platinum banders will be given priority.

heres a bit from the site

What happens when I send in my application form?
Your application will be assessed on your current circumstances and placed in a band. The bands are: Platinum, Gold Plus, Gold, Silver, and Bronze.
You will receive a letter confirming your band and giving you a reference number. When you receive this you will be able to bid for homes.

http://www.westlea.co.uk/housing/allocations.htm

From March 2009, Wiltshire Council has launched its new choice-based lettings service called Homes 4 Wiltshire. Adverts will be available every Thursday on the Homes 4 Wiltshire website and will be displayed at local information points throughout the county such as doctors surgeries and parish notice boards. If you have any questions about your application you can contact the Homes 4 Wiltshire team

Maybe copy and pasting all of it rather than cherry picking bits from the article would have been better. I have also highlighted the relevant sentence in your quote. Westlea, like every other HA and LA operate the choice based letting scheme.

ILW

In my experience, if you are a working couple, the council will give you a list of private landlords and send you on your way. If you are earning an average income and do not have any medical issues (this includes drink or drug addiction) you will always lose out to those with a higher priority.

Incyder

pulliptears wrote: »

http://www.westlea.co.uk/housing/allocations.htm
Westlea, like every other HA and LA operate the choice based letting scheme.

Anyone can bid for any house, but you will be chosen for your circumstances.
If a bronze person and a gold person were the only 2 that want a particular house, the gold gets it as their need and status has already been judged greater.
A pointless phrase such as choice based is irrelevant.
The choices come down to the HA, not who applies first.

pulliptears

Incyder wrote: »

Anyone can bid for any house, but you will be chosen for your circumstances.
If a bronze person and a gold person were the only 2 that want a particular house, the gold gets it as their need and status has already been judged greater.
A pointless phrase such as choice based is irrelevant.
The choices come down to the HA, not who applies first.

Of course its a choice. On the old list based system you were given the property at the top of the list and no choice, the new system gives you the opportunity to decide whether you want to apply for a property without being bumped back down the list if you dont.

As for the needs, those who have made themselves homeless (i.e sold a property to come into social housing), those who have history of owing rent etc will be given a much lower status than others, as it should be, but being pregnant and single will no more guarantee you the home than being in a low income working family.

My OH works for a HA, within choice based letting. What you are trying to tell me is wrong is his job, a job which he is held in high regard for doing and has been doing for a considerable number of years from the days of housing list to the new choice scheme. He sees this in practice from the ground up day in day out which is why he will tell you with complete honesty that it is a choice and an infinitely fairer system which will not favour those trying to play the system.

seven-day-weekend

zaksmum wrote: »

How many cats do you have? Where do they toilet?

I don't have any now, but up till 2004 I had at least one, sometimes as many as four. My son has two. His house has a decent size garden so they can dig that up if they wish.

Incyder

pulliptears wrote: »

As for the needs, those who have made themselves homeless (i.e sold a property to come into social housing), those who have history of owing rent etc will be given a much lower status than others, as it should be, but being pregnant and single will no more guarantee you the home than being in a low income working family.

Yes, they will be lower down the sale, lets say bronze for instance.

Earlier you said, The criteria for the winning applicant is no more than whoever applies first.
That is just not true, because of the banding you are given, you cannot beat someone higher banded if they wish to have the house.

The first come first served basis would only come into play if two people of equal banding went for the same house and they were the only 2 applicants for it.

This is typical labour spin, there is no choice, except for the HA to choose which band you go into.

A person in the bronze banding has the CHOICE to bid for every house, but probably zero chance of winning, so its pointless. The system only favours the platinum banded people who will win every time one of them decides to bid.

This system is just as unfair as the one it replaced, worse in some ways, as at least in the old days you would get to the top of the list eventually. Not anymore, if you are bronze you are stuffed.

pulliptears

Incyder wrote: »

Yes, they will be lower down the sale, lets say bronze for instance.

Earlier you said, The criteria for the winning applicant is no more than whoever applies first.
That is just not true, because of the banding you are given, you cannot beat someone higher banded if they wish to have the house.

The first come first served basis would only come into play if two people of equal banding went for the same house and they were the only 2 applicants for it.

This is typical labour spin, there is no choice, except for the HA to choose which band you go into.

This is true. Someone who is single and pregnant will be in the same banding as someone who is employed and married. Fact. The banding is not that specific. Fact. Unless you have no eligibility for social housing in the first place of course, then you are always going to see it as someone getting preference.
Personally, I'm more willing to believe the man I have been married to for 15 years who has been doing this job day in day out for over 20 years.

Or perhaps I should go back and tell OH he doesn't know his job, because his bosses will be amazed...

Incyder

pulliptears wrote: »

The banding is not that specific.

Are you taking the mick now ?

Of course the banding is that specific, that is why westlea have 5 bands, each band is specific to the group of people in it.

I think using your husbands job as proof you know how it all works has not helped you.

Thank god he isn't a brain surgeon or else you'd be on a site telling everyone else you know how to do it because hubby told you.