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Time to get tough on unoccupied and second homes...

245

Comments

  • CLAPTON
    CLAPTON Posts: 41,865 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    in areas with significant holiday/second homes, the major problem is that of unemployment or very poorly paying jobs.
    it's not clear that gettting rid of second homes will increase employment opportunities

    many empty properties occur in areas with surplus housing or are of poor housing stock (see yesterday's news of a council 'selling' houses for £1 each)

    there's a large 4 bed house with large garden near me.
    the old lady that owns it is currently in a care home; she doesn't want to sell it because she thinks she will be able to return there when her health improves.
    I'm sure you would be happy to tell her she is totally deluded and help seize her house.


    however, there is a real case for large increases in council tax so that local costs are paid directly by the people in the local area rather than the general taxpayer.

    this would have the useful side effect of encouraging people to use their property, sell it or downsize
  • HAMISH_MCTAVISH
    HAMISH_MCTAVISH Posts: 28,592 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Zero_Sum wrote: »
    I've seen reports that put that figure around the 900,00 mark

    Those reports were exaggerated.

    Latest data here....

    http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/ehs201011householdreport
    “The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived, and dishonest – but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.

    Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”
    -- President John F. Kennedy”
  • purch
    purch Posts: 9,865 Forumite
    Time to get tough on unoccupied and second homes...

    No.

    If there was ever a time to get tough, that time has long gone.
    'In nature, there are neither rewards nor punishments - there are Consequences.'
  • 20400keith
    20400keith Posts: 260 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    withabix wrote: »
    How about banning the homeless from smoking, drinking, gambling or taking drugs and pay their benefits in specific vouchers for rent, bills, bus tickets to the job centre and food?

    Ridiculous suggestion???


    So is yours.

    Hmm - so I guess you haven't read that from April 2013 all Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans will cease being paid by DWP. Instead a reduced amount of money will be managed by Local Councils under local welfare and they are indeed exploring paying with vouchers and supporting people via food banks and second hand white goods rather than cash.
  • hillcats
    hillcats Posts: 899 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Photogenic
    I've read some cr4p on the Internet but this thread goes above and beyond!
    ORIGINAL MORTGAGE AMOUNT £106,454.00 (Started Sept 2007)
    NOV 2021 O/S AMOUNT £1,694.41 OUR DEBT REDUCED BY £104,759.59 by std regular, over-payments & off-setting.
    BofE +0.19% Tracker Repayment Offset Mortgage Discounted Sept 07-10 then increased to BofE +0.62% until 2027
  • Loughton_Monkey
    Loughton_Monkey Posts: 8,913 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Hung up my suit!
    HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »
    There are around 330,000 empty houses in the UK.....
    HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »
    Those reports were exaggerated.

    Latest data here....

    http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/ehs201011householdreport

    !!!!!?????
    There were approximately 940,000 empty homes in England in 2010-11. It was estimated that the vast majority of these were privately owned (83%), whilst the remaining 17% were in the social rented sector.

    Above from Page 36 of the downloaded report.

    Report is on England.

    I think Wales is part of UK, and believe they have at least a handful of holiday homes empty - those that have escaped the arson attacks.

    I suspect there may be some in Scotland as well, but I forgive you for that, since I'm sure your Government tells you that you've already left the United Kingdom.
  • Loughton_Monkey
    Loughton_Monkey Posts: 8,913 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Hung up my suit!
    20400keith wrote: »
    Any unoccupied home should be charged at 10 times assessed Council Tax rate......

    Unworkable!

    Net curtains. Couple of blow-up dummies propped up behind, holding a glass of wine.

    Sorted!
  • Loughton_Monkey
    Loughton_Monkey Posts: 8,913 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Hung up my suit!
    hillcats wrote: »
    I've read some cr4p on the Internet but this thread goes above and beyond!

    You ain't seen nothing yet. Plenty more where that came from.

    As Generali said (above),
    Generali wrote: »
    ........ It is much more likely to be the indirect result of mental illness.
  • wymondham
    wymondham Posts: 6,356 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Mortgage-free Glee!
    Generali wrote: »
    Homelessness is rarely caused by the lack of a home directly. It is much more likely to be the indirect result of mental illness.

    so do you think the problem is caused, or partly caused by the care arrangements in recent years - care in the community only there is no community?
  • ruggedtoast
    ruggedtoast Posts: 9,819 Forumite
    HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »
    You can buy a house for $10 in Detroit.

    There are over 100,000 empty houses in Detroit.

    Detroit has over 20,000 homeless people....

    The OP is therefore pointless....

    On top of your ten dollars you also have to pay all the city taxes owing on the property, which can be thousands of dollars.

    So your house for $10 anecdote, is very misleading.
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