Council house debate

Wee_Willy_Harris

Jimmy_31 wrote: »

And i remember saying to you that we were talking about the parasites who dont pay rent because they are on benefits because they cant be ar5ed to get a job getting a free house for life, whilst hard working people have to private rent.

I know plenty of parasites on my estate who were given a free house years ago and they will never ever pay a penny for it in their lives.

Whats the problem you ask, are you serious or just not all there.

Your employment status isn't a bar to qualifying for social housing.

casualwalks

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

A good point. Rather than reducing the rights of social housing tenants, how about INCREASING the security of tenure for private tenants. Remove the right for a no grounds (S21) eviction. This would give tenants security of tenure AND reduce the number of accidental or short term landlords as well as offering the tenant the opportunity to enforce the LLs obligations without the fear of eviction. Rented housing standards would improve, the security of tenure would reduce demand on social housing and force house prices down as reluctant/accidental landlords sell up whatever the price.

Absolutely! This would make a whole lot of sense.

Jimmy_31

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

Your employment status isn't a bar to qualifying for social housing.

How many years do you think people should be allowed to have a free house if they choose not to work.

Wee_Willy_Harris

Jimmy_31 wrote: »

How many years do you think people should be allowed to have a free house if they choose not to work.

It is better for the taxpayer if those who fund their housing with benefits occupy the cheapest available properties. For those who CHOOSE not to work, the DWP should be doing their job and ensuring that they are given every available support and encouragement to do so. But that isn't a housing issue.

Jimmy_31

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

It is better for the taxpayer if those who fund their housing with benefits occupy the cheapest available properties. For those who CHOOSE not to work, the DWP should be doing their job and ensuring that they are given every available support and encouragement to do so. But that isn't a housing issue.

Thats the problem, it should be a housing issue.

Lots of the people i went to school with have still not done a days work in their life, so if they choose not to work they should not be given a house.

There is no point in saying its the dwps fault as that is just passing the buck, the system as a whole is a complete mess and should be ended and started again from scratch so that parasites dont get everything handed to them on a plate.

CRH71

Tippytoes wrote: »

I'm sorry, but I get very annoyed when people blame housing shortages on Thatcher selling off council houses - as though that's the only reason. I don't know exact figures, but I'll assume that your 2 million homes quote is correct. How many millions of immigrants have come to the UK in the same period of time? Take 2 million and multiply it God knows how many times. They require (a great many DEMAND) housing and I can state as fact: they DO take priority over the indigenous.

It's all down to politics and if you don't believe me, take a stroll through any council estate. Keep your eyes and ears open....summer evenings are perfect.....then wonder why your son/daughter has been on the council waiting list twice as long as many have been in the country. Sorry if this offends, but I swear it's true.

I, too, was going to just follow this thread and keep schtum, but I can't any longer.

I'm not going to rant - after all, everyone's got their own opinion, based either on facts or perceived facts and it's your right to express that opinion on a public forum.

However, let me tell you my tale and see what you make of it:

Like some on here, I owned a house many years ago but a divorce put paid to that one - it was pretty much in neg. eq. anyway but then Her Ladyship decided that, because she had the children (one from the marriage) (and her solicitor agreed with her) she SHOULD have the house - I was by then a "single man" and could go and doss on a mate's sofa, or go and private rent because I work.

So, private rent it was for many, many years - over a decade in fact - different houses, mostly the same area, but never anywhere really that I could call "home" as the tenancies were always the typical 6-month assured shorthold. Long term rent? Yes, no problem, as long as you'll accept a 6-month AST, end of.

The I met my current wife who, following an equally-acrimonious divorce herself was then living at home with her parents in a pretty nice place, it has to be said.

Of course, like any other couple "starting out" we wanted our own front door but very quickly realised that owning said front door was completely out of our league, so back to private rent it was.

Fast forwards just about half a decade and we find ourselves, through a very unfortunate incident, having to move back to her parent's place again - this time into a static caravan on their land - hardly "ideal" with an autistic son and a younger child in the family. Oh, and one other small point I've missed thus far - my wife is physically disabled and has mobility issues, so working for her is out of the question - completely. I have always been the sole breadwinner.

Two years, and two of the harshest winters I can remember, later we decided that the water and gas had frozen for the very last time (trust me, washing and keeping warm under those circumstances gets tricky, and darned expensive in electricity as a standby!) and the next winter would be in bricks and mortar, so back onto the private rent treadmill we go.

From day one it was clear this landlord had some significant problems. To cut 18 months of a difficult situation short we were evicted from that house with less than two week's notice by the mortgage company when the LL suddenly decided that he preferred the look of my monthly rent in his back pocket each month rather than being paid over to the mortgage company - yes, we were homeless.

I want to make it very clear at this point - I have always worked and always paid my rent, on time, every month (with one exception - I was a week late once, but kept my then LL in the picture and delivered when I promised).

We'd previously gone on the "HomeChoice" scheme as there had been a threatened repossession around 9 months earlier, at our Local Council's recommendation. As soon as the repo got lifted, we were classed once more as adequately housed and informed that we would have a significant wait for any form of LA/Council property, but to keep "bidding" anyway.

So, here I am, disabled wife, son with learning difficulties and a young child, plus of course the ubiquitous pets and, literally, nowhere to go. The situation with her (by now) parent had deteriorated significantly and going back there was not an option, I have no family, save for an uncle that's 35-40 miles from me and who could, at a pinch accommodate us but what about the children's schooling? To avoid disruption and upset, specially for the autistic child, it was important to keep them at the schools they were at. To top it all, 15 minutes before the bailiffs arrive, the Council phone me to tell me they've accepted us as homeless, but can't find us anywhere to stay tonight - could I make some arrangements?

They did, eventually, find us temporary housing for a couple of weeks, then we struck lucky - a council house in our area had recently become empty, it had adaptations already for a physically-disabled person but wouldn't be "ready" for a few weeks - would we like it?

When you're homeless, one of the rules of the LA assisting you is that you do not have a choice in your final home - you get what you are given. If you refuse the offer then the LA are under no legal obligation to offer you further assistance or house you.

So we got a council house. Not a bad area now, but one with a lousy reputation from the past that seems to haunt it. My rent now is just under £100 a week with no HB available - my previous private rent was £750 a month (£167 a week) with HB of around £55 so my net rent was around £112.

So, I AM paying "near market rent" for my property.

My neighbours, over the last few months have slowly been changing - as always on a council estate people seem to be constantly moving in and out and most of those newer residents, it would be very fair to say, are not English Nationals by birth.

Do I find this shocking? Can I find anything shocking after the way the previous administration in this country opened the borders and made my taxes a free-for-all? Yes, I can, and I do. I know of many people on the council list who would love one of those houses, but these people come to our shores with a sob story, get classified as "homeless" and jump the queue. That's unfair, and morally wrong.

We should look after the people that put the "Great" into Britain - our own people - first and foremost.

Sorry for the long-windedness!

Wee_Willy_Harris

Jimmy_31 wrote: »

Thats the problem, it should be a housing issue.

Lots of the people i went to school with have still not done a days work in their life, so if they choose not to work they should not be given a house.

There is no point in saying its the dwps fault as that is just passing the buck, the system as a whole is a complete mess and should be ended and started again from scratch so that parasites dont get everything handed to them on a plate.

Pensioners dying in the gutter while property values fall through the floor. You aspire to that?

Jimmy_31

Some people think immigrants in britain dont exist and dont get free furniture and its my lying eyes and ears making me see things that are not really there.

wrightk

this forum brings out the absolute worst in people. because of a small minority who 'abuse' the system. suddenly everyone who lives in a council house is a layabout scumbag.......

Jimmy_31

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

Pensioners dying in the gutter while property values fall through the floor. You aspire to that?

Here we go again lets make jimmy look evil, well i will save you the trouble and do it myself.

If somebody leaves school and decides to claim benefits and get a free house and never ever does a single days work in their lives all through their own choice, then i couldnt care less what age they are because i would gladly see them in the gutter.