Panorama; Council Housing.

Wee_Willy_Harris

Cissi wrote: »

Seems like you almost certainly will, since they're aware of your planned holiday and have advised you to cancel it. If you go ahead anyway they may well refuse to rehome you. Not saying this is fair, just be careful!

This is simply incorrect. Please do not post your opinion as advice.

mattcanary

jackieb wrote: »

If the shoe was on your foot, and you were happily settled in a house you had lived in, and looked after, for many years, would you choose to leave and live in a smaller house, and pay more for the privilege? What if you lived near neighbours you had got on well with for years, and you all took a pride in your home - you have to leave just because your children had moved out, and in moves a tenant who doesn't work and doesn't care about cutting the grass, or being a good neighbour. The same happens to your neighbours once their children leave, and they are replaced with more tenants that no-one wants to live next door to. Some tenants might not think it's worth keeping their properties nice because no-one else does, and your once very nice council estate ends up as some kind of ghetto! The council needs good tenants. If people get moved around frequently, then they get no sense of belonging or community, and no pride in where they live. It's a shame.

Hear, Hear!! Absolutely agree with you!

mattcanary

Ali_UK wrote: »

What on earth does that mean?! I can't understand young people anymore

Those three 'kids' certainly looked old enough to be out working, even if it's only a job at Greggs at least it's not sitting doing sweet FA! I dare say they wouldn't have got out of bed for the kind of wages I earned when I left school but there's no way my parents would have let me skive. If anyone finds the pride that these people don't appear to have can you please post it to Jeremy Kyle so he can dish it out on his show?

I'm lucky enough to be in social housing because of my partner's job we get a really good deal on our little flat, but there are even people in the same circumstances who see fit to rent their places out making 200% profit. I'd love to dob them in but would be afraid they'd find out it was me....

What!! You get a discount because of your partner's jb!! And you have the nerve to critcie the people on this show!! Is it generally known that your employer offers dicounts to staff for their homes??!!

mattcanary

catkins wrote: »

This programme made me angry. If you are going to make a programme like this then at least find some people who genuinely need to be housed - I am sure there are quite a lot around!

The family of 9 - no sympathy whatsoever. You have a 3 bedroomed house which a lot of families would be grateful for - don't keep having children so that 3 bedroom become not enough. I take it neither her, her partner or her elder children worked?

The young couple expecting a baby - well first why did he not work? If there was a genuine reason why were we not told? Did she work before becoming pregnant? If you cannot afford the rent on the property you are living in you make damn sure you do not get pregnant. I bet they thought if she got pregnant they would get a council place.

I was amazed at the rent the policeman paid for a nice, roomy flat on the river in London - less than £100 a week!! Can you imagine what it would cost for a private rented flat there? I really think it is unfair that the difference in social housing rent and private rent is so large.

I just find the criteria for qualifying for social housing to be totally unfair. I have friends who both work and have 2 children. They rent a house which costs £900 a month (the going rate). They do get a bit of help with the rent but as they are both on minimum wage they are really struggling to make ends meet. They got on to the council and were told they stood no chance at all BECAUSE THEY BOTH WORK!!! So all the lazy so and so's get housed and hardworking honest people do not!

My husband has worked for a couple of housing associations in and around London and he said he could not understand how the majority of tenants had managed to get places. Most did not work, most had loads of kids and a large majority were immigrants who did not work, did not speak english and had been in the country very little time - then we are meant to believe people sit on lists for years and it is also done fairly!

The council were lying when they were told they both work and stand no chance!
Whether you work or not is irrelevant when it comes to the housing register. Everyone is entitled to be on the housing register (or waiting-list). I imagine the council were trying to make their figures look good. A large waiting-list does not look good with the regulatory bodies...



I would add I am amazed at how many people are commenting in a patronising, superior way about how the people in the program that are out of work should be in work - and at the same time areoffering no comment on scum like PC Holt fraudulently obtaining more than one council house and then subletting at vastly inflated odds to private tenants!!!

Having said that - on this forum I shouldn;t be surprised...

EmRayMarRhys

Once again, all those who advocate the complete dismantling of the welfare state and withdrawal of social housing, does it please you that the disabled and vulnerable would then be in cardboard boxes through no fault of their own? Do you get off on that?

t0rt0ise

westv wrote: »

The other people (who seem to be the main subject of the discussion in this thread) I took as merely being selected examples of people who have difficulty getting a council property for whatever reason.

Yes, they were very carefully selected examples chosen to rabble rouse and bring out the Daily Mail responses in people. It seems to have worked here.

So now all council and Housing Association tenants are tarred with the same brush. Many people here doing that and it's sickening. There are many people who have struggled for years just like those here tell us we should. I'm now a few years off 60 and I'm tired of struggling. I won't tell my story because I wouldn't want my life sullied by being read and passed off as nothing, but I've done my best.

cavework

I come across Social Housing tenants all the time in my line of work.
The majority are decent people who are over the moon to have a place to call their own. They take a huge pride in their homes and some streets are better kept than private residences
There are some (the minority) who appear to think that they should not lift a finger to improve the property offered and in fact think it is a right that they should not spend any money when they move in.
One thing that I noticed in the programme. The lady who's 'sister' was on holiday?
Was she asked for her permanent address?
They seemed to spend an awful lot of time trying to track down the legal tenant without even bothering about the person who is actually occupying the flat.

Jimmy_31

jackieb wrote: »

If the shoe was on your foot, and you were happily settled in a house you had lived in, and looked after, for many years, would you choose to leave and live in a smaller house, and pay more for the privilege? What if you lived near neighbours you had got on well with for years, and you all took a pride in your home - you have to leave just because your children had moved out, and in moves a tenant who doesn't work and doesn't care about cutting the grass, or being a good neighbour. The same happens to your neighbours once their children leave, and they are replaced with more tenants that no-one wants to live next door to. Some tenants might not think it's worth keeping their properties nice because no-one else does, and your once very nice council estate ends up as some kind of ghetto! The council needs good tenants. If people get moved around frequently, then they get no sense of belonging or community, and no pride in where they live. It's a shame.

Oh is that how it works, a home for life, not very fair though is it.

I think if a couple who live in a 3 bed house plan on staying in it after their children leave home then that couple dont really care about the area they live in, if they are quite happy to watch a couple who work hard to provide for their children to have to pay extra to be in a private rent then thats just wrong isnt it.

The area i live in has plenty of 3 bed houses with 1 or 2 people living in them, my area is what you would call a ghetto because hardly any of the residents look after their homes and gardens, so what do you suggest in this situation ?. i dont think doing a bit of gardening and decorating and the fact that mr and mrs smith from next door have become great friends should entitle you to a council house for life, i think the money spent on decorating would be better used by saving it towards a deposit for a house of their own so that when they move out of the council house into their new home a family who are paying over the odds in a private rent could move into it, this family who move into it would now be paying cheaper rent so could save up their own house deposit and carry on the process.

Its a shame isnt it.

jackieb

Jimmy_31 wrote: »

Oh is that how it works, a home for life, not very fair though is it.

I think if a couple who live in a 3 bed house plan on staying in it after their children leave home then that couple dont really care about the area they live in, if they are quite happy to watch a couple who work hard to provide for their children to have to pay extra to be in a private rent then thats just wrong isnt it.

The area i live in has plenty of 3 bed houses with 1 or 2 people living in them, my area is what you would call a ghetto because hardly any of the residents look after their homes and gardens, so what do you suggest in this situation ?. i dont think doing a bit of gardening and decorating and the fact that mr and mrs smith from next door have become great friends should entitle you to a council house for life, i think the money spent on decorating would be better used by saving it towards a deposit for a house of their own so that when they move out of the council house into their new home a family who are paying over the odds in a private rent could move into it, this family who move into it would now be paying cheaper rent so could save up their own house deposit and carry on the process.

Its a shame isnt it.

Well, it it were me, and I was living in a 'ghetto' I would be chomping at the bit to get out of it - I wouldn't care if I had to downsize.

People tend to be in council housing because they can't afford to buy a place of their own. Not wallpapering won't make a difference as to whether they get a mortgage or not.

Private landlords charge far too much rent. They know they can get away this because there is a lack of council housing, and oftentimes the rent will be subsidised by housing benefit anyway.

dorset_nurse

Jimmy is just pointing out that people that hold onto their houses when their needs change are also contributing to the housing problems.
I believe many people think council housing is a permanent solution instead of trying to help themselves.