The Shame of Britain. Young shredded in inter-generational economic meat grinder

wotsthat

Graham_Devon wrote: »

And you only have to visit the buying and renting board to get an overview of the sheer amount of problems out there.

A board designed to help people with problems buying or renting hardly indicates the scale of any problem.

Councils have tenancy relation officers - the number of complaints they receive and the upwards or downwards trend would be more enlightening.

Try your local council - the number of complaints they deal with should be available.

ruggedtoast

wotsthat wrote: »

A board designed to help people with problems buying or renting hardly indicates the scale of any problem.

Councils have tenancy relation officers - the number of complaints they receive and the upwards or downwards trend would be more enlightening.

Try your local council - the number of complaints they deal with should be available.

You have evidently never rented. The council will help a minority of private tenants. Most of whom will have been section 21d before the ink on the council officer's complaint form has dried.

JencParker

vivatifosi wrote: »

I posted on a different board the other day a 1 bedroom flat in London for £120k. Not only is it cheap, it has Thames views. For sure, it is pig ugly (looks a bit like a prison), but it goes to show that it is possible if people want to get a foot on the ladder.

If landlords are making out like bandits, they should be reported.

You posted ONE (and probably the only) example of a property (that looks like a prison) to illustrate your point that that there is no problem for a whole generation?

JencParker

vivatifosi wrote: »

They could always commute into London if they can't afford to live there, as I did when I was their age.

And I reiterate. If landlords are rogue landlords, then they should be reported. The rules against them are far stricter than they used to be: protected deposits, better building regs, HMO legislation and so forth. Use the tools in your armoury.

What a load of rubbish - which world do you live in. The rules are heavily stacked in the Landlords favour. The things you mention are mainly irrelevant compared to security of tenure and affordable rent. And even when these pathetic regulations are broken by landlords few tenants can afford to take their landlords to court so they get away with hit.

wotsthat

ruggedtoast wrote: »

You have evidently never rented. The council will help a minority of private tenants. Most of whom will have been section 21d before the ink on the council officer's complaint form has dried.

It was just a thought that this data might add, or otherwise, to your argument.

I'll just continue taking your word for it instead.

moneyinmypocket

I tell the yoof this - you disrespect us boomers because you can't handle the pressure. We will win at any event to settle this once and for all. Arm wrestle, boxing match or even a game of Scrable - we will win and walk proud

Graham_Devon

wotsthat wrote: »

A board designed to help people with problems buying or renting hardly indicates the scale of any problem.

Ok.

So lets look at the stats then from BBC watchdog?

In the UK around 60% of lettings agents are already registered with the Property Ombudsman, which regulates the housing market.

It received more than 8,000 complaints about letting agents in 2012. A rise of 123% over five years.

And Watchdog has learnt that even with the new laws, there are still unhappy tenants out there.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mg74/features/residential-lettings-regulation

vivatifosi

JencParker wrote: »

What a load of rubbish - which world do you live in. The rules are heavily stacked in the Landlords favour. The things you mention are mainly irrelevant compared to security of tenure and affordable rent. And even when these pathetic regulations are broken by landlords few tenants can afford to take their landlords to court so they get away with hit.

I live in the real world.

Yes, there are very real problems with the London market overheating and have been for some time, but that degree of acuteness is not suffered to that extent by the rest of the country. I do not like that there is a shortage of housing any more than you do, and - like you I suspect - would also like to see more building, both in London and the rest of the country.

However, the regulations are better than they used to be. There's also room for them to get better: for example letting agency regulation as Graham pointed out. If you feel otherwise, please feel free to prove me wrong and show how the regulations are now worse.

Say, as rugged asserts, everything was rosy in the past, and the current generation of young workers really was the only one that had ever been affected. Were that the case, then you wouldn't have heard of Rachman in the fifties and sixties, or had programmes like Rising Damp made in the 70s. Shorthold tenancies of one form or another have been the norm in private renting for a very long time (late 80s?). Large scale council house building finished before the vast majority of boomers reached maturity. It is good that people - all people of all ages - have increased rights.

I maintain though that people are right to fight their landlords if there is a problem. They shouldn't roll over and give in. I have helped some people that I know with issues with theirs. In one case the heating to the house didn't work, in the other a roof leak went unrepaired. Both were sorted out with a bit of pushing but without going as far as a letter before action. I don't know what the stats are, if you have them I would be interested to know, but I would imagine that the vast majority of people get problems sorted before resorting to court. Tenants want good landlords, but equally landlords want good tenants and they don't want to give up on good regular payers and risk voids. Again, if you feel that this is wrong and that a whole generation is suffering, please feel free to prove it.

A whole generation is one heck of an emotive statement, and I would imagine, quite wrong.

ruggedtoast

vivatifosi wrote: »

I live in the real world.

Yes, there are very real problems with the London market overheating and have been for some time, but that degree of acuteness is not suffered to that extent by the rest of the country. I do not like that there is a shortage of housing any more than you do, and - like you I suspect - would also like to see more building, both in London and the rest of the country.

However, the regulations are better than they used to be. There's also room for them to get better: for example letting agency regulation as Graham pointed out. If you feel otherwise, please feel free to prove me wrong and show how the regulations are now worse.

Say, as rugged asserts, everything was rosy in the past, and the current generation of young workers really was the only one that had ever been affected. Were that the case, then you wouldn't have heard of Rachman in the fifties and sixties, or had programmes like Rising Damp made in the 70s. Shorthold tenancies of one form or another have been the norm in private renting for a very long time (late 80s?). Large scale council house building finished before the vast majority of boomers reached maturity. It is good that people - all people of all ages - have increased rights.

I maintain though that people are right to fight their landlords if there is a problem. They shouldn't roll over and give in. I have helped some people that I know with issues with theirs. In one case the heating to the house didn't work, in the other a roof leak went unrepaired. Both were sorted out with a bit of pushing but without going as far as a letter before action. I don't know what the stats are, if you have them I would be interested to know, but I would imagine that the vast majority of people get problems sorted before resorting to court. Tenants want good landlords, but equally landlords want good tenants and they don't want to give up on good regular payers and risk voids. Again, if you feel that this is wrong and that a whole generation is suffering, please feel free to prove it.

A whole generation is one heck of an emotive statement, and I would imagine, quite wrong.

I would invite you to try living as a private tenant for a few years if you think it's so pleasant.

No?

Didn't think so.

Now bear in mind that that living arrangement that you (sensibly) would not go near with a barge pole is all many young people are expecting for the rest of their lives.

resilie

vivatifosi wrote: »

They could always commute into London if they can't afford to live there, as I did when I was their age.

I commute into London for £5400/y without any help from government(eg tax relief like in some European countries) or employer. I get an appaling service for that amount of money. Pretty much negates any savings of living outside the Big Smoke.
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