Social housing after the budget

jinxyjane

maisie06 wrote: »

nSeriously thinking of buying my council propery. I have been here for 20 years and we earn just over the 30k, neither of us have very highly paid jobs but we put in the hours so we can have a decent living standard. Where we live there is a real mix of people, some working some not, the couple down the road both work in the NHS and will move back north when the change comes in as they, like us would find the full market value in south east England just too much of a stretch. We would literally have nothing left once bills paid. If I can buy my home I will get a hefty discount. The right to buy has never sat right with me as it removes much needed housing, but from a selfish point of view if I am faced with paying £900 per month rent or £300 pm morgage it's a no brainer and another social property will be lost.

I have no problem with paying my way but the south east is notorious for very very expensive living, I may decide to move north too. I would like to see rent bands so people under 30k would pay x amount 30k - 40k would be more and so on and once over 60k I think you should no longer be entitled and have to move into the private sector.

As the move is currently I can see people losing aspiration to work harder and earn more as they will be worse off than when staying on less hours/money. Beleive me if my circumstances were different I would never have moved into a council house at all and having struggled for most of my working life I am at last managing to get my debts paid off, but many will be forced to go bankrupt or become homeless as a result, I can also see some giving up work as a result.

Well said. I couldn't agree more with you ;-)

bloolagoon

maisie06 wrote: »

nSeriously thinking of buying my council propery. I have been here for 20 years and we earn just over the 30k, neither of us have very highly paid jobs but we put in the hours so we can have a decent living standard. Where we live there is a real mix of people, some working some not, the couple down the road both work in the NHS and will move back north when the change comes in as they, like us would find the full market value in south east England just too much of a stretch. We would literally have nothing left once bills paid. If I can buy my home I will get a hefty discount. The right to buy has never sat right with me as it removes much needed housing, but from a selfish point of view if I am faced with paying £900 per month rent or £300 pm morgage it's a no brainer and another social property will be lost.

I have no problem with paying my way but the south east is notorious for very very expensive living, I may decide to move north too. I would like to see rent bands so people under 30k would pay x amount 30k - 40k would be more and so on and once over 60k I think you should no longer be entitled and have to move into the private sector.

As the move is currently I can see people losing aspiration to work harder and earn more as they will be worse off than when staying on less hours/money. Beleive me if my circumstances were different I would never have moved into a council house at all and having struggled for most of my working life I am at last managing to get my debts paid off, but many will be forced to go bankrupt or become homeless as a result, I can also see some giving up work as a result.

Buy move whatever what is is what is. I moved North and recommend it. Please ask for advice on relocation if you want.

GirlFromMars_2

Slightly concerned about the number of people who don't think they should pay extra, but think people on a slightly higher wage should obviously pay extra.

Social housing should be for everyone, profits in the social housing sector go into providing more social housing, they are charities. Profits in the private sector go to gold plating the lives of already rich buy to let landlords.

maisie06

GirlFromMars wrote: »

Slightly concerned about the number of people who don't think they should pay extra, but think people on a slightly higher wage should obviously pay extra.

Social housing should be for everyone, profits in the social housing sector go into providing more social housing, they are charities. Profits in the private sector go to gold plating the lives of already rich buy to let landlords.

I agree, I have no problem paying a fair rent linked to income as I said before if the rents were in bands...this would still encourage people to move onwards and better themselves, but the proposals will not work as people will just give up, you cannot double someone's rent overnight and expect them to be able to pay it, this will force many people into bad situations and provide no aspirations for others to move up. I am proud to be able to pay my way but I could not afford private sector rent in the south east. Moving north is looking more and more attractive, plus I like the people!!

mejaa

I agree Maisie, we don't mind paying our way but would like to see increment levels and other factors eg number of dependants taken into consideration.
How could they compare mr & Mrs x with no kids earning £40k between them and paying full market rate to Mr and Mrs y earning £35k but with 3 kids.
I really hope more clarification comes to light in the next few days. I feel sick thinking about it

Sweetpea53

jinxyjane wrote: »

Well said. I couldn't agree more with you ;-)

maisie06 wrote: »

I agree, I have no problem paying a fair rent linked to income as I said before if the rents were in bands...this would still encourage people to move onwards and better themselves, but the proposals will not work as people will just give up, you cannot double someone's rent overnight and expect them to be able to pay it, this will force many people into bad situations and provide no aspirations for others to move up. I am proud to be able to pay my way but I could not afford private sector rent in the south east. Moving north is looking more and more attractive, plus I like the people!!

Whilst I have lived in the north of England previously (North Yorkshire to be exact), and know there are some lovely places to live there, why should anyone feel they have little other option but to uproot their families and move 100+ miles away from their home, family and friends because they suddenly can't afford to live where they currently do? Market rent on a three bedroom family home in the Home Counties could easily be double the market rent on a similar property in the north, so a family earning just over the £30,000 threshold living in a three bedroom home in the south, could have virtually none of their income left after paying rent, bills and other household expenses, but a family in the same situation but living in the north could have a few hundred+ pounds disposable income. For some people, it would actually benefit them to cut their hours at work so their household income drops below £30,000 and they don't need to pay market rent. As others have said, this policy is flawed as it doesn't encourage people to earn more if they are going to face huge rent increases.

tony1976

Two other things come to mind. If you private rent an pay full market rate you have the choice where you want to live. In social housing you have what your given and if of your put in a rough area you are pretty much stuck there. Private tenants can move. So if a social housing tenant had to pay full market value do they get a choice to move too?

Secondly won't the existing contract current tenants have in social housing protect then from any changes? For example my contract contains restrictions on rent increases. Ie inflation + 2% plus £5 a week is the max per year written in my contract. This is why the changes a while ago to social housing tenants only applied to new tenants with new contracts.

GirlFromMars_2

maisie06 wrote: »

I agree, I have no problem paying a fair rent linked to income as I said before if the rents were in bands...this would still encourage people to move onwards and better themselves, but the proposals will not work as people will just give up, you cannot double someone's rent overnight and expect them to be able to pay it, this will force many people into bad situations and provide no aspirations for others to move up. I am proud to be able to pay my way but I could not afford private sector rent in the south east. Moving north is looking more and more attractive, plus I like the people!!

Err, you really don't agree with me. Just a few posts back you were advocating kicking households with an income of £60K out of their social housing.

Personally I think social housing should be for everyone. If it is not then the rich will buy up the attractive homes with a hefty discount under Right to Buy, or move out of the less attractive ones contributing to the creation of sink estates.

Personally I think social housing is social housing no matter what your income. There should be more of it, not less, and the government should be encouraging more social housing not more buy to let.

jinxyjane

tony1976 wrote: »

Two other things come to mind. If you private rent an pay full market rate you have the choice where you want to live. In social housing you have what your given and if of your put in a rough area you are pretty much stuck there. Private tenants can move. So if a social housing tenant had to pay full market value do they get a choice to move too?

Secondly won't the existing contract current tenants have in social housing protect then from any changes? For example my contract contains restrictions on rent increases. Ie inflation + 2% plus £5 a week is the max per year written in my contract. This is why the changes a while ago to social housing tenants only applied to new tenants with new contracts.

This is a point I thought about earlier as I too have this sort of tenancy contract, and for this reason they have had to keep to the cap by only increasing the rent alongside the rate of inflation (I think that's the way it works) just not sure that will give protection if a government decide otherwise? hence the reason I felt the need to join this forum and talk about this issue, like yourself, I just want some clarity on the situation like thousands who watched the budget, expected the cuts and now just want to know where they stand.


And yes we are those sorts of tenants you talk about, we live on a run down estate, had no choice but to take the house when we got the opportunity many years ago, we do pay cheaper rent than the private sector but the housing association let us live in a house which is covered in mould, so bad it ruins the curtains and carpets, tell us its because we have people breathing in the house! and refuse to sort it out.


The windows let in wind and water and the walls are so thin I can hear next door fart and that's no lie, so yes cheaper rent but we have to be grateful, and we are because at least we have a home when many don't.


if I could afford to private rent believe me I would have moved out years ago, or used my right to buy which I have and always have had since I signed the tenancy agreement, but we can afford neither.

The real issue is that many in the same situations and far worse want to know where they stand from all the changes, it may go someway to easing the worry for thousands

Governments past, present and future will always make changes which often affect the people who cant bare the brunt, I expected bad news now I need to know all the details so I can plan ahead for my family.

mejaa

From the cab website....


When renting accommodation from a local authority, housing association or other social landlord, they must not discriminate against you because of your disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. This means that they are not allowed to:

rent a property to you on worse terms than other tenants
treat you differently from other tenants in the way you are allowed to use facilities such as a laundry or a garden
evict or harass you because of discrimination
charge you higher rent than other tenants
refuse to re-house you because of discrimination
refuse to carry out repairs to your home because of disrimination
refuse to make reasonable changes to a property or a term in the tenancy agreement which would allow a disabled person to live there.


Surely charging people more rent as they earn more is classed as discrimination ???