Living near Affordable Housing - Whats it really like?

Building_Surveyor

do people not understand what affordable schemes are???

everybody on these schemes has to be working for a start off to qualify, - normal hardworking people. secondly most own their house and pay a mortgage just like everyone else, some may have even previously owned property -

I think people need to do their research and distinguish between 'social housing' and 'affordable housing' before they start quoting everyone in the same bracket.

And to be honest, I've previously lived next door to some vile owners, they owned the house. Doesnt have to be a council tenant to be the neighbour from hell. In fact its harder to escape them if they own the house, atleast with council there is some hope that they can be evicted (no matter how little hope that may be). How would you force a vile owner to sell.

MrParsons

Well another development in this is that there could be a large tree very close to the house, at least that's how it looks on the plans. I've asked about it and they invited me on site with the foreman to be shown the plot.

Anyone know what the rules are own houses near trees? Isn't it against building regulations to be within so many metres of trees because of the possibility of roots disturbing foundations? I'm sure it's fine but would like to go in armed with information

MrParsons

Building_Surveyor wrote: »

do people not understand what affordable schemes are???

everybody on these schemes has to be working for a start off to qualify, - normal hardworking people. secondly most own their house and pay a mortgage just like everyone else, some may have even previously owned property -

I think people need to do their research and distinguish between 'social housing' and 'affordable housing' before they start quoting everyone in the same bracket.

And to be honest, I've previously lived next door to some vile owners, they owned the house. Doesnt have to be a council tenant to be the neighbour from hell. In fact its harder to escape them if they own the house, atleast with council there is some hope that they can be evicted (no matter how little hope that may be). How would you force a vile owner to sell.

They both come under the affordable housing umbrella. It's development has 3 shared equity plots with the rest being social affordable rent.... So can easily be people who don't work and live off benefits.

MrParsons

geoffky wrote: »

Anyone else thinking what i am thinking? I really hope it happens...

What? Are you trying to be funny?

bclark

MrParsons wrote: »

Well another development in this is that there could be a large tree very close to the house, at least that's how it looks on the plans. I've asked about it and they invited me on site with the foreman to be shown the plot.

Anyone know what the rules are own houses near trees? Isn't it against building regulations to be within so many metres of trees because of the possibility of roots disturbing foundations? I'm sure it's fine but would like to go in armed with information

It totally depends on the type of tree, it tends to be very old and very large trees that have roots which can cause damage.

I really wouldn't worry, enjoy the tree.

Building_Surveyor

MrParsons wrote: »

They both come under the affordable housing umbrella. It's development has 3 shared equity plots with the rest being social affordable rent.... So can easily be people who don't work and live off benefits.

again like i said, you are confusing the two!

the social affordable rent is classed as social housing. The allocations are exactly the same as social housing and is done by a social housing provider. there are two rents that the provider can charge, either social rent or affordable rent. The social housing concept is still the same. The bidding process and waiting list for the properties are still the same. The only key difference is the length of the tenancy and the fact they are paying 80% market rent instead. So again its still social housing. The scheme may be marked on the plan as affordable but the builder will not know what the council or HA have acquired it for, that's not for them to decide. The council can choose to allocate the properties to whatever scheme they want. But as stated above 'affordable rent' is social housing still.

I work for a Housing Association so know exactly what i am talking about.

MrParsons

So your saying that every family allocated to the houses will be working? I don't quite get the bidding process but am happy to learn.

I called the housing association in relation to this and they didn't mention anything about this.
The person I spoke to said you can call it council housing as its similar to how it used to work in the 80s. However this bidding part has me confused and she did mention the term bidding.

Can you tell me about it? Are you saying I'm less likely to have problem families around the area because they all work?

All help appreciated.

LittleMax

Building_Surveyor wrote: »

I work for a Housing Association so know exactly what i am talking about.

Well you don't sound like you understand what you are talking about to me.

I also worked for a housing association until August.

Affordable rents is a government scheme allowing housing associations to charge higher rents (up to 80% of market rent) rather then the target social rent. The additional rent money to be invested in building schemes. Basically a huge fudge which some HA's went with and some ignored.

The fact that the government called these schemes affordable rent is a red herring and is not linked in any way shape or form to the term 'affordable housing' used by planners, which as I and others have already explained on here is a blanket term to cover social housing rentals at target rent or affordable rent, intermediate rents (where tenants rent for a while then have the opportunity to part own), or shared ownership schemes.

People who rent social housing from a housing association qualify for housing benefit up to 100% of the rent whether they are on target rent or affordable rent.

So the simple answer MrParsons is yes these rental properties could be rented to people who claim full housing benefit including people who, for whatever reason (disability, unemployment, single parents...) do not work.

LittleMax

MrParsons wrote: »

I don't quite get the bidding process but am happy to learn.

I called the housing association in relation to this and they didn't mention anything about this.
The person I spoke to said you can call it council housing as its similar to how it used to work in the 80s. However this bidding part has me confused and she did mention the term bidding.

Can you tell me about it? Are you saying I'm less likely to have problem families around the area because they all work?

All help appreciated.

You may be familiar in the 80's with people having housing points allocated to them according to their need and the more points they had the higher up the waiting list they were. When a house became available housing officers at the Council chose the most appropriate people for the house who had the most points.

What happens now is people on the list have been given an element of choice. Rather than points people are put into a banding, with those who are most in need and homeless being in a band 1 and people who are adequately housed being in band 3a if they have links to an area or 3b if they don't. Houses that come up for rent are advertised on the internet and in local housing offices with photos and descriptions a bit like an estate agents. People who are on the housing list who would like to rent the property put in a 'bid', basically they register their interest. Bidding lasts for week and at the end of the bidding cycle housing associations look at who has bid on each property and invite the person most in need - bands 1 or 2 to view the property. After viewing they say whether or not they want it and if so sign the tenancy and if not it is offered to the next person on the list.

Properties such as these new builds will receive a lot of bids, some properties in less desirable areas may not get many people wanting them, so may go to people lower down the bandings.

The housing association may add in extra requirements for police checking, and no anti social behaviour complaints, but other than that they will go to the person in the highest band who has been waiting the longest.

People are only able to bid for properties suited in size to them so single people cannot bid on 3 bedroomed properties.

I hope that helps.

Building_Surveyor

LittleMax wrote: »

Well you don't sound like you understand what you are talking about to me.

I also worked for a housing association until August.

Affordable rents is a government scheme allowing housing associations to charge higher rents (up to 80% of market rent) rather then the target social rent. The additional rent money to be invested in building schemes. Basically a huge fudge which some HA's went with and some ignored.

The fact that the government called these schemes affordable rent is a red herring and is not linked in any way shape or form to the term 'affordable housing' used by planners, which as I and others have already explained on here is a blanket term to cover social housing rentals at target rent or affordable rent, intermediate rents (where tenants rent for a while then have the opportunity to part own), or shared ownership schemes.

People who rent social housing from a housing association qualify for housing benefit up to 100% of the rent whether they are on target rent or affordable rent.

So the simple answer MrParsons is yes these rental properties could be rented to people who claim full housing benefit including people who, for whatever reason (disability, unemployment, single parents...) do not work.

where in my post did i state that people in affordable rent are working???? i think you will find i didnt and i think you will find that in my post i stated that affordable rent falls under social housing, so yes includes people who may be on benefits, something entirely different to schemes such as help to buy, firstbuy, newbuy to which you have to be working, qualify for a mortgage etc.

please read my post carefully before quoting i am wrong.

THANKS