Homes in the UK still very cheap/affordable

westernpromise

hildosaver wrote: »

Yes you would get more money later in life selling off your overpriced London pad but is the 25-30 years of living in a small flat vs a big family house worth it? I'm not so sure.

That's a matter for individuals to decide on. My job does not really exist in the UK outside London. I like it and would do it in somewhere like Singapore or Hong Kong, but to do it in Birmingham or Manchester would be to join the second division.

What is clear, I hope, is that if I make that choice and stay in London, and others make that choice and stay in the sticks, they had better not later decide enviously that my house makes me rich, and so I should be taxed on its value. After all, as you have pointed out, I made a lot of sacrifices to get into that position. I see no reason why I should be penalised for having done so in order that people who made different choices they now regret can gain.

cells

CLAPTON wrote: »

garbage

many left with zero in their pockets as they were renting with no prospect of owning.
many left having sold a one bed flat but in depair at being able to start a family there

truely, you really do NOT know what the problem is


there ae 3-4 million foreigners in London: clearly they have an enormous impact on the availability and price of property.

The great majority of Londoners who own property that they bought years ago gain NOTHING from its value: instead they see their friends and family moving miles away from them because they can't afford to live there.
The fact that their children will inherit a lot of money when they reach 60-70 years old is a poor compensation for a life spent apart.

Are you a Londoner?

All the people I know who moved out did so willingly, one particular case that sticks in my mind was this family with three grown up children in dead end jobs. They moved to the midlands after selling their house in Hackney and purchased 4 homes no mortgage in its place. Also many moved in the days when London was not so expensive. Back in 2000 London was cheap so why were people moving out then? Don't blame everything on the migrants.

You are correct some renters were possibly moved out by high prices. But the social stock and owner stock was closer to 75% so only 1/4th of Londoners privately rented in the 2000s and a good number of them were students and transients.

CLAPTON

cells wrote: »

Are you a Londoner?

All the people I know who moved out did so willingly, one particular case that sticks in my mind was this family with three grown up children in dead end jobs. They moved to the midlands after selling their house in Hackney and purchased 4 homes no mortgage in its place. Also many moved in the days when London was not so expensive. Back in 2000 London was cheap so why were people moving out then? Don't blame everything on the migrants.

You are correct some renters were possibly moved out by high prices. But the social stock and owner stock was closer to 75% so only 1/4th of Londoners privately rented in the 2000s and a good number of them were students and transients.

In view of the information about that one family, I've completely changed my mind and now believe that there is no shortage of housing in London and that any 30 year that wants to start a family in London has absolutely no problem finding suitable family accommodation. In additionI will communicate this info to all my friends who have young offspring living in shared flats in London that they simply aren't trying enough.

cells

CLAPTON wrote: »

In view of the information about that one family, I've completely changed my mind and now believe that there is no shortage of housing in London and that any 30 year that wants to start a family in London has absolutely no problem finding suitable family accommodation. In additionI will communicate this info to all my friends who have young offspring living in shared flats in London that they simply aren't trying enough.

The no children because I cant afford to buy a million pound house is also a red herring. Children per women has been decreasing in all regions its not house price dependent

Also if they are poor and are renting, having children enables them to claim benefits at a level to live fine.

Not to mention even in the 1950s/1960s/1970s/1980s/1990s there were plenty of renters in London how did they manage?

CLAPTON

cells wrote: »

The no children because I cant afford to buy a million pound house is also a red herring. Children per women has been decreasing in all regions its not house price dependent

Also if they are poor and are renting, having children enables them to claim benefits at a level to live fine.

Not to mention even in the 1950s/1960s/1970s/1980s/1990s there were plenty of renters in London how did they manage?

I now understand that because not every women in stoke on trent wants to have a family, that means that no-one in London wants to have a family. But if they did there are loads of family sized homes that are sadly empty due to lack of demand.
I understand now.

MARTYM8`

cells wrote: »

Not to mention even in the 1950s/1960s/1970s/1980s/1990s there were plenty of renters in London how did they manage?

Big difference.

Pre 1989 you had regulated tenancies – since then (1988 Housing act) you have assured shorthold tenancies.

The former gave you lots of rights – controlled rents and much more security of tenure. The latter gives you very little rights, no limits bar market forces on rent rises and no security of tenure after your tenancy agreement ends – many Londoners these days are literally two months away from being made homeless.

This change also facilitated buy to let - and massive house price inflation on traditional first time buyer properties.

MobileSaver

CLAPTON wrote: »

If there were less than 3-4 million foreigners in London the demand would be less and the price less too.

Well yes but I'm not sure what your point is? If there were less Britons in London the demand would be less and the price less too.

Should we kick out a section of our society so the rest of us can aspire to a higher standard of housing? Why "foreigners"? Why not start with the 250,000 gays instead? Or the 1 million over-65s? Or the 3 million Labour supporters?

CLAPTON

MobileSaver wrote: »

Well yes but I'm not sure what your point is? If there were less Britons in London the demand would be less and the price less too.

Should we kick out a section of our society so the rest of us can aspire to a higher standard of housing? Why "foreigners"? Why not start with the 250,000 gays instead? Or the 1 million over-65s? Or the 3 million Labour supporters?

Indeed that is so

Yes one can take the view that all 8 billion people of the world should be treated equally by the UK state; and they should all be welcomed, given housing, jobs, health care etc.
I consider this impractical and so believe that we need to control access to the UK.
I think that we should, in practice, treat people who are UK citizens differently from the other 7,940,000,000 people of the world.

don't you agree?

gfplux

While the South East remains the magnet it is it will continue to draw people from Britain in to that little corner.
Successive Governments have done little but talk about about "Northern Powerhouses"
A decision (after a lifetime) about an additional runway at Heathrow this coming week will either reconfirmed the South East Power House or give the rest of the UK a chance.
If any politician is REALLY serious about this issue then the Airports in the Midlands and North should be expanded with the help of Government money. Also additional money needs pouring into the infrastructure of the UK between London and the rest of the Country.

On recent visits to the U.K. One using public transport and another by car I was dismayed at the high cost of public transport (I assume no subsidys) and how crowded it was. I was also frustrated by how poor the road connections are around the country and how for much of the time motorways are slow moving car parks.
Britain has learnt nothing from 40 years membership of the EU. Leaving hopefully will focus the minds of British Politiciens and they will address these issues.

CLAPTON

gfplux wrote: »

While the South East remains the magnet it is it will continue to draw people from Britain in to that little corner.
Successive Governments have done little but talk about about "Northern Powerhouses"
A decision (after a lifetime) about an additional runway at Heathrow this coming week will either reconfirmed the South East Power House or give the rest of the UK a chance.
If any politician is REALLY serious about this issue then the Airports in the Midlands and North should be expanded with the help of Government money. Also additional money needs pouring into the infrastructure of the UK between London and the rest of the Country.

On recent visits to the U.K. One using public transport and another by car I was dismayed at the high cost of public transport (I assume no subsidys) and how crowded it was. I was also frustrated by how poor the road connections are around the country and how for much of the time motorways are slow moving car parks.
Britain has learnt nothing from 40 years membership of the EU. Leaving hopefully will focus the minds of British Politiciens and they will address these issues.

I agree and we should stop all immigration until your ideas have been implemented.