I find this shocking

AG47

Many people can describe the problem but few offer empowering solutions. The solution is to remove yourself from the system. Be content with the basics until the coming perfect economic storm has passed. How can we get the basics if we don't have any currency? The basics are food, shelter and optionally transportation. Shelter poses a particularly interesting problem at the moment. It is still very much overpriced, with many people paying mortgages and rents that they can no longer afford while numerous properties stand vacant. The solution, of course, is to cut your losses and stop paying. But then you might soon have to relocate. That is OK, because there is no shortage of vacant properties around. Finding a good place to live will become less and less of a problem as people stop paying their rents and mortgages and get foreclosed or evicted, because the number of vacant properties will only increase. The best course of action is to become a property caretaker, legitimately occupying a vacant property rent-free, and keeping an eye on things for the owner. What if you can't find a position as a property caretaker? Well, then you might have to become a squatter, maintain a list of other vacant properties that you can go to next, and keep your camping gear handy just in case. Our normal family car has a sleeper roof box which is useful storage plus can be used for sleeping in, and some sleeping in the car. For short times while looking for your next squat it can be perfectly reasonable to have your car as emergency accommodation until the collapse is behind us. If you do get tossed out of a squat chances are, the people who tossed you out will then think about hiring a property caretaker, to keep the squatters out. And what do you do if you become property caretaker? Well, you take care of the property, but you also look out for all the squatters, because they are the reason you have a legitimate place to live. A squatter in hand is worth three absentee landlords in the bush. The absentee landlord might eventually cut his losses and go away, but your squatter friends will remain as your neighbours. Having some neighbours is so much better than living in a ghost town.
We rent in London where the government has pushed up rents by paying families rents for them. It all goes to the banks in the end. If the rent subsidy stops then rents will have to fall back to normal. If rents don't fall in to line then many tenants will become squatters.
I see this being very likely in the near future. London has been similar to many cities being over supplied with new properties. There is the largest over development of new properties being added to supply than at any time in living memory. Far more properties being added to the already oversupply than people who can afford them are moving to the city.
At present the authorities are able to just about keep on top of evicting squatters and those in serious default. But when the numbers get above a certain level they can take a long time to evict people. Those evicted are forced into another unoccupied property and the vicious circle continues. There are huge numbers of vacant properties in London, all requiring expensive security firms to try to protect against squatters. But there are literally thousands of new build properties being added to the existing over supply every year. These are being bought by wealthy overseas investors who leave them empty. Drive past in the evening, you only see one or two lights on out of hundreds of apartments. And to make matters worse before the property bubble bursts there are thousands more empty blocks of flats being built and added to the existing over supply.

So while the government is still paying my rent to prop the market up I am not a squatter. But I do see a time when I will be if the government cut back or stop subsidising rents. My landlord could risk trying to kick me out and risk trying to get someone else who could afford to rent it out of their own pocket, but not many can afford these rents without government subsidies. I'm not the type to smash the place up before I leave but most people forcibly evicted do smash the windows and walls before they leave. Landlords have been known to offer large amounts of cash for tenants to leave their property undamaged.

missbiggles1

ruperts wrote: »

I don't believe the first statement is correct. A couple of decades ago it was common for FTB's on average salaries to be able to afford decent detached and semi-detached houses in good areas, while the worst terraces were bought by the lowest paid. Now, FTB's on average salaries struggle to buy even the lowest quality homes and the lowest paid can't afford to buy anything.

The distance from Merthyr to Cardiff may only be 23 miles but after decades of chronic underinvestment in transport infrastructure that commute takes well over an hour on a good day, often longer. The story is the same in other less wealthy areas across the UK where successive governments have failed to provide adequate infrastructure to less wealthy areas. On the rare occasion that a road or railway is improved and commute times fall to a more sensible level the prices of houses in the catchment are for that improvement immediately rocket, making them unaffordable once again.

Not my experience, I'm afraid - much less the idea that the lowest earners could afford to buy anything at all in many areas.

ukcarper

Pobby wrote: »

Shortage of supply in areas where people want to live is certainly a problem. My wife and her sister own a property in Reading. When valued 3 years ago it was £260,000, a similar house has just sold in the road for nearly £500,00. The town, being close to London, a 30 minute commute, is teaming with people. Many have arrived over the past few years. How they live or where they live beats me. I would think many are in multi occupational homes as the rents are very high.

I understand that Londoners are moving to Reading. Very near the train station there are huge high rise flats being built. Assuming 40 or 50 thousand pound a year income makes these flats affordable.

In contrast. Plymouth, where we are, a different story. Being miles away from the next city, Exeter, it pretty much depends on its own economy. A decent terrace is 130k upward. It does have a lot of over seas visitors many of them students as we have many further education facilities. However there is much student accommodation. Prices have barely changed since 2008, after the slight fall.

As any where, even London, there are poorly paid jobs but still prices are much more affordable for a decent city.

Hasn't cross rail had a large effect in Reading where I live in Surrey prices have not increased that much.

What do you think the solution is for Reading there has already been a lot of development in and around Reading and the traffic at busy times is very bad.

theoretica

One of the things which has changed over the last century is how much space per-person people expect to have, which really adds to the pressure on housing to have a single person or couple where once a family would have lived, and indeed smaller families in large houses. Personally, I feel there is a lack of well designed bedsits and tiny properties for people who want them in convenient places. There may be more in other areas of the country, but around here people mostly need to arrange their own flat shares, which works better for renting than buying.

Pobby

Cross link must be the reason for the extraordinary rise in Reading house prices. As you say, the traffic is awful. Then again, reading is known for its traffic congestion. I can see this getting worse.

As for a solution. can`t really see one.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Pobby wrote: »

As for a solution. can`t really see one.

Maybe we could try the obvious solution to a shortage of housing....

Build more houses?

I know - shocking idea....:o

ukcarper

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Maybe we could try the obvious solution to a shortage of housing....

Build more houses?

I know - shocking idea....:o

You obviously don't know Reading and surrounding area. I know you live in Scotland but the solution to the London and the South East housing problem it not just throwing houses up willy nilly. Admittadly a lot more housing needs to be built but transport links and infrastructure which is already at breaking point in some areas needs to be improved.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

ukcarper wrote: »

I know you live in Scotland but the solution to the London and the South East housing problem it not just throwing houses up willy nilly. Admittadly a lot more housing needs to be built but transport links and infrastructure which is already at breaking point in some areas needs to be improved.

A quick look at the staggeringly enormous size of the green noose strangling the south east does seem to show a lot of areas where we could build that housing and infrastructure....

ukcarper

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

A quick look at the staggeringly enormous size of the green noose strangling the south east does seem to show a lot of areas where we could build that housing and infrastructure....

Not all of that green is actually green. The trains and roads into Londan are at bursting point now so and my point now what will happen if nothing is done to improve things when all that green is built on.

Thrugelmir

Pobby wrote: »

Not a grotty little flat but a 3 bed semi. Don`t see a lot of that these days.

Many have been extended. This is influencing prices around here. As better build quality than the new modern shoe boxes.