Why buy – ever?

p00hsticks

mayonnaise wrote: »

And by the way, 'doing a little work here and there' while on JSA is illegal.

No it isn't , providing it's declared - you can work for up to 16 hours a week and still be eligible for JSA, although most of what you earn will be deducted from the amount of JSA you are paid.

pennystretcher

I rather own than rent - for me financial reason - I'd pay same in rent as the mortgage would be on this (used @3% over 20 years to keep it simple) so rather than renting for say 40 years, after 20 this place is mine. Add to that say another two years' payments on top to cover upkeep and maintenance...and no-one can tell me to move out unless I decide to have several no longer MFW -parties and get asbo issued

Sapphire

Mistermeaner wrote: »

An interesting debut.

Lucky he didn't see my 'kill the elderly' and 'dig holes' threads

Another gem from Mistermeaner. :T

martinsurrey

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

Surely not. The student would be a lodger, not an employee. It just so happens that part or all of the rent would be payment in kind, i.e. little jobs, keeping the pensioner company etc.

The way it works in the countries that do it is that the student is contracted to do 30 hours of socializing per month to get free rent.

That is an employment contract (you do this, I give you that). If they were lodgers they would have no obligation do actually see/speak/do anything with the old folks.

And by the way, payment in kind (barter transactions) need to be declared as earnings and taxed...

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/b26a9dfa-3666-11de-af40-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3r4SUnPJb

Either way, there is a huge amount of red tape involved.

Bogof_Babe

martinsurrey wrote: »

The way it works in the countries that do it is that the student is contracted to do 30 hours of socializing per month to get free rent.

That is an employment contract (you do this, I give you that). If they were lodgers they would have no obligation do actually see/speak/do anything with the old folks.

And by the way, payment in kind (barter transactions) need to be declared as earnings and taxed...

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/b26a9dfa-3666-11de-af40-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3r4SUnPJb

Either way, there is a huge amount of red tape involved.

But if the service provision is not by way of business or trade, then there is no requirement to declare such credits on a tax return.

^ From your link ^

I'd argue that the student/pensioner arrangement is exempt from being declared under these guidelines.

martinsurrey

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

^ From your link ^

I'd argue that the student/pensioner arrangement is exempt from being declared under these guidelines.

I'd missed that part, however it still opens cans of worms.

and it does say

"if this tutoring is going to continue for a long period, then the tutoring would be considered to be business income for you and therefore taxable." and we are talking about people living there!

The case in question was a care home offering rooms to students, so it was part of a trade for them, but it is very complex, if they didn't have to declare it as an income/employee, then the care home itsself would not be wholly and exclusively for the purpose of the trade, and so costs would be dissallowed for tax.

All very messy.

lisyloo

If governments do cut back on housing benefits then rents will fall back also into line.

I don't agree with your logic.
Rents on housing benefit accomodation may fall, but in London some of that accomodation is absolutely awful.
I am not a snob, but as a professional I'm not willing to live in some of the dumps in London, so the fact that infested insanitary accomodation falls in price has nothing to do with the professional end of the market.

There are multiple markets in London that are completely disconnected.
Of course there is a whole country out there, for but for me personally I don't see lowering of HB having any effect on the middle or higher markets in London.

Conrad

This idea reducing housing benefit will bring rents down is a nonsense. Letting agent in my office stopped taking HB a while back as have the other agents round here, because it's too much hassle.


My first ever tenant is on HB and last Friday I got another letter telling me his claim has been suspended. No one can get hold of him. The hassle and stress is just not worth it, never again will I let to a benefits claimant. One cannot guess in advance which claimants will forever reliable be in receipt of their claim. The problem stems from the fact they tend to pass off their own responsibilities onto the council / Govt, so when things go wrong they typically aren't onside in trying to get the rent paid ("take it up with the council" is the usual refrain)


Despite the whole town here not accepting HB, rents are rising.

ukcarper

lisyloo wrote: »

I don't agree with your logic.
Rents on housing benefit accomodation may fall, but in London some of that accomodation is absolutely awful.
I am not a snob, but as a professional I'm not willing to live in some of the dumps in London, so the fact that infested insanitary accomodation falls in price has nothing to do with the professional end of the market.

There are multiple markets in London that are completely disconnected.
Of course there is a whole country out there, for but for me personally I don't see lowering of HB having any effect on the middle or higher markets in London.

I tend to agree 2 bed LHA in my area is £765 the cheapest flat on rightmove is £825 the next is £850 and cheapest house £895. Landlords are getting these rates.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

TheCountofNowhere wrote: »

People like this demonstrate how disgusting this forum is. How dare you suggest that people who rent are less grown up?

There are pros and cons to both renting and buying. At some stage in many, if not most people's lives, the pros of buying outweigh other considerations (and usually correlate with having children and thinking about local schools).

There is an extreme minority online that like to sneer at each other's renting/buying choices to make themselves feel superior, but really, in everyday life, most people neither know nor care.