Panorama; Council Housing.

jackieb

emiai wrote: »

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They didn't cover the huge number of houses where dependants have gone and rooms lie empty when working couples could more than afford a mortgage but stay paying the lower rent rates, I expected to see this.

I would assume that before one's children had left the house, the tenants would be too old to get a long enough mortgage that would enable them to buy a house.

Cissi

missusd wrote: »

Thanks for the advice,

I just hope not, we already work all the hours we can and saving for 10 days in a 2 star hotel is our only family time we have.

Que sera, sera

I'm afraid that argument probably won't carry any weight as many of those who pay the full value of their housing themselves (with no outside help) also work all hours and can't afford any family time at all... These are tough times!

jackieb

Cissi wrote: »

I'm afraid that argument probably won't carry any weight as many of those who pay the full value of their housing themselves (with no outside help) also work all hours and can't afford any family time at all... These are tough times!

I think missusd does pay the full value of her housing (correct me if i'm wrong), and they both work. She'll lose all her money if she cancels. It would be stupid to cancel. She'd end up no better off and have no holiday. I think she deserves a holiday as much as anyone. The holiday was already booked before she knew about the landlord possibly losing the house.

missusd

Cissi wrote: »

I'm afraid that argument probably won't carry any weight as many of those who pay the full value of their housing themselves (with no outside help) also work all hours and can't afford any family time at all... These are tough times!

Thanks for the reply,

That was us until two years ago! Not so distant memory.

Either way we will sort something out because we have to.

Just makes me sick seeing these people who play the system and get it handed on a plate whilst the honest Joe gets sweet FA.

Always the way though!

missusd

jackieb wrote: »

I think missusd does pay the full value of her housing (correct me if i'm wrong), and they both work. She'll lose all her money if she cancels. It would be stupid to cancel. She'd end up no better off and have no holiday. I think she deserves a holiday as much as anyone. The holiday was already booked before she knew about the landlord possibly losing the house.

Correct...we don't get a penny in benefits and no help towards anything.
We paid the holiday off as well as the blasted MOT that fell the same day (how is that for bad luck) then started saving for our spending money.
2 weeks later we opened a letter addressed to someone who isnt even the person we know as the landlord and turns out it is the owner and they have arrears and the mortgage company is commencing legal proceedings.
To cancel 4 weeks before the holiday, when we have saved and paid for it and would lose every penny bar the spending money would be lunacy....but after today there is an undercurrent of guilt...wondering if we are doing the right thing.

emiai

jackieb wrote: »

I would assume that before one's children had left the house, the tenants would be too old to get a long enough mortgage that would enable them to buy a house.

Even without the mortgage then maybe my point should have been related to private rental. Ie was trying to simply suggest there is no incentive for some to leave social housing.

Cissi

jackieb wrote: »

I think missusd does pay the full value of her housing (correct me if i'm wrong), and they both work. She'll lose all her money if she cancels. It would be stupid to cancel. She'd end up no better off and have no holiday. I think she deserves a holiday as much as anyone. The holiday was already booked before she knew about the landlord possibly losing the house.

Of course she deserves a holiday as much as anyone - I was responding to her comment about being told to use the savings which she'd earmarked for the holiday. Yes, it would seem terribly unfair to lose the money already paid for the holiday and it's all incredibly bad luck, but the fact remains that the council are aware of these savings, and if she chooses to spend them on the holiday she'll most likely be on her own for housing when she returns. Sounds as if she's pretty switched on though and I hope she'll be able to get a deposit together on her own, without waiting for council accomodation (which she probably won't get).

I think you've misunderstood my point though: I also understand that missusd is currently paying the full value of her housing, but she was hoping that the council would help her family out in the current crisis. So no, in this case she wouldn't be standing on their own legs anymore. The point is that if she wants the help of tax money then she'll have to make sacrifices. Sounds as if she'd rather go it alone though, and good for her - I wish her the best of luck, and an enjoyable holiday (BTW I don't blame her for not being prepared to write off the holiday, I just don't think she'll be entitled to council housing afterwards).

ViolaLass

missusd wrote: »

Correct...we don't get a penny in benefits and no help towards anything.
We paid the holiday off as well as the blasted MOT that fell the same day (how is that for bad luck) then started saving for our spending money.
2 weeks later we opened a letter addressed to someone who isnt even the person we know as the landlord and turns out it is the owner and they have arrears and the mortgage company is commencing legal proceedings.
To cancel 4 weeks before the holiday, when we have saved and paid for it and would lose every penny bar the spending money would be lunacy....but after today there is an undercurrent of guilt...wondering if we are doing the right thing.

While I understand why you want to go on the holiday (both financial and emotional reasons), there is an argument that you should have saved an emergency fund before spending money on non-essentials so that when something went wrong, you would have money spare to deal with it. Why should the council foot the bill because you decided a holiday was more important than having savings?

jackieb

emiai wrote: »

Even without the mortgage then maybe my point should have been related to private rental. Ie was trying to simply suggest there is no incentive for some to leave social housing.

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.

Mankysteve

jackieb wrote: »

A genuine question - when did being a council house tenant start being a bad thing? I was brought up in a council house, as were most of my friends. We lived in lovely, well kept houses with tidy gardens. We had like-minded neighbours. Went to Sunday school. Dad worked. Mum stayed at home. When I got married we lived in a council house for 8 years, until we bought our first house in 1995. I didn't feel like a chav (not that i'd have known what one was). My husband worked but wasn't paid enough to be able to buy anywhere. There are plenty of decent people who live in council housing, yet I don't think i'd ever want to go back to one now. Not that i'm a snob (because I know where I started out and i'm not ashamed of it), but because of the reputation that seems to come with living in a council house nowadays.

As much as dislike the conservatives its was a labour governess fault. Can't remember the exact date but they removed the requirement for council tenets to prove they can be decent tenets before they moved in.

The current point system is a failure as well.

Some kids are just born without a chance in the world. Alot of the idiots on these type of programs are victims of equally bad parenting. They pass that parenting who pass it onto there kids so and so and due to right winger complaining about the "Nanny state" the government isn't given the powers to sort these families out.