Relativity...

zagfles

CLAPTON wrote: »

In general our housing situation is the result of
-the increase in population (In London largely immigration)
-an increase in peoples wishes for housing and willingness to spend a high proportion of their income on it.
-a restriction of planning permission.

I see it as being a reasonable expectation to be able to live in decent spacious accommodation and not a luxury and so we should be able to meet the reasonable wishes of the citizens.

Virtually everyone has a decent roof over their heads already: the issue is the size and suitability.

Why waste govt money on "help to buy" schemes and such like, when instead they could solve the problem by reducing demand, and with the added advantage that the taxpayer benefits instead of losing.

CLAPTON

zagfles wrote: »

Why waste govt money on "help to buy" schemes and such like, when instead they could solve the problem by reducing demand, and with the added advantage that the taxpayer benefits instead of losing.

help to buy does indeed increase the price (as it doesn't increase supply sufficiently)
and it also skews who can buy the properties available.

the problem is the shortage of houses especially for the under 40s in London and parts of the SE : the price is the effect and not the cause.

zagfles

CLAPTON wrote: »

help to buy does indeed increase the price (as it doesn't increase supply sufficiently)
and it also skews who can buy the properties available.

the problem is the shortage of houses especially for the under 40s in London and parts of the SE : the price is the effect and not the cause.

Caused in part by lots of foreigners buying houses they don't even live in, or only live in for the occasional holiday, or even criminals laundering money.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/luxury-homes/11746408/These-are-the-foreigners-ruining-our-country.html

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/25/london-housing-market-launder-offshore-tax-havens

CLAPTON

zagfles wrote: »

Caused in part by lots of foreigners buying houses they don't even live in, or only live in for the occasional holiday, or even criminals laundering money.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/luxury-homes/11746408/These-are-the-foreigners-ruining-our-country.html

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/25/london-housing-market-launder-offshore-tax-havens

Ok I agree that it is undesirable
Out of the 3-4 million (guess) dwellings in London, how many empty foreign owned properties are there?

Personally I think the 3 million foreign born people in London have a larger effect on housing demand and so on prices.

antrobus

CLAPTON wrote: »

Ok I agree that it is undesirable
Out of the 3-4 million (guess) dwellings in London, how many empty foreign owned properties are there?

Personally I think the 3 million foreign born people in London have a larger effect on housing demand and so on prices.

Very likely.

On the whole, London has a much lower percentage of empty properties (irrespective of the ownership) than the rest of the country.

zagfles

antrobus wrote: »

Very likely.

On the whole, London has a much lower percentage of empty properties (irrespective of the ownership) than the rest of the country.

Yes but it obviously has a bigger impact in areas of higher demand. Besides, what does "empty" mean - I doubt it includes those occupied for a few weeks a year as a holiday home, or those part-time occupied because the owners have a second home.

antrobus

zagfles wrote: »

Yes but it obviously has a bigger impact in areas of higher demand. Besides, what does "empty" mean - I doubt it includes those occupied for a few weeks a year as a holiday home, or those part-time occupied because the owners have a second home.

Empty homes data is sourced from Council Tax records; broadly speaking empty means 'unoccupied and substantially unfurnished'

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/357791/140923-CTIL_on_EHP.pdf

Second homes data would be something else, see http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/oct/22/second-homes-england-wales-detailed#data

On the whole, I'd guess that second homes in London tend to be working rather than holiday homes.

westernpromise

CLAPTON wrote: »

In general our housing situation is the result of
-the increase in population (In London largely immigration)
-an increase in peoples wishes for housing and willingness to spend a high proportion of their income on it.
-a restriction of planning permission.

I see it as being a reasonable expectation to be able to live in decent spacious accommodation and not a luxury and so we should be able to meet the reasonable wishes of the citizens.

Virtually everyone has a decent roof over their heads already: the issue is the size and suitability.

So you feel entitled and your solution is to tax other people you envy.

Imagine if everyone thought like that.

mwpt

CLAPTON wrote: »

In general our housing situation is the result of
-the increase in population (In London largely immigration)
-an increase in peoples wishes for housing and willingness to spend a high proportion of their income on it.
-a restriction of planning permission.

You omitted cheap credit. Rates at 6% and we'd see prices much lower.

CLAPTON

westernpromise wrote: »

So you feel entitled and your solution is to tax other people you envy.

Imagine if everyone thought like that.

bizarrre

did you reply to the wrong post by accident?