Council selling flats

slopemaster

marliepanda wrote: »

Why should the council ask random people if they don't mind them selling property that belongs to the council?

Because
*Under Section 105 of the Housing Act 1985 the Council has a legal obligation to consult its secure tenants on ‘matters of housing management’ such as changes to the management,
maintenance, improvement or demolition of houses let by them, or changes in the provision of amenities*
and you could argue that selling some flats in the block will affect the management of the block, therefore the tenants should be consulted

slopemaster

I am frankly gobsmacked that some people find the very idea of consultation risible.
I mean, do you want to just be bossed around by those in "authority", with no opportunity to have an input or express an opinion?

Just to show that it is not some off-the-wall anarchist idea, here's a small extract from another council's strategy document

it is vital that our tenants and leaseholders are at the heart of everything we do, the decisions that we make and the plans we put in place for improving services. We want to work with tenants as part of our commitment to improve services and ensure that our housing estates are places where people choose to live now and in the future, as well as creating
confident communities. Our aim is to do this in partnership by speaking honestly, listening to each other’s views and enabling tenants to influence decisions about their homes and the services they receive.
To achieve this vision, the Council will Consult widely and listen to feedback

marliepanda

slopemaster wrote: »

Because
*Under Section 105 of the Housing Act 1985 the Council has a legal obligation to consult its secure tenants on ‘matters of housing management’ such as changes to the management,
maintenance, improvement or demolition of houses let by them, or changes in the provision of amenities*
and you could argue that selling some flats in the block will affect the management of the block, therefore the tenants should be consulted

The tenants of the flats in question are dead or no longer living there!!

The bit you quoted doesnt mean they have to consult everyone who lives in a council home, even if its in the same block. Its literally no different to them moving another tenant in (which they do not consult the tenants on, 'oh do you mind if Mr and Mrs Smith move into the flat next door??')

Nothing is going to change for the OP because a flat in their block is now private. It has nothing to do with them.

slopemaster

I would have thought it a possibility that the management of the block would be affected by the sale of some units in that block.

But, whether it does or not, the sale of that property is a matter of legitimate public interest for any resident/tenant/council taxpayer/voter of the borough in question. It is public property being sold, not Mr and Mrs Jones next door selling their house.
No one is saying it is necessarily wrong, but certainly not something which is 'nothing to do with' the people of the borough.

Crashy_Time

I guess if you bought ex-council for bubble prices the council doing Dime a Dozen deals might be slightly worrying?

lincroft1710

slopemaster wrote: »

I would have thought it a possibility that the management of the block would be affected by the sale of some units in that block.

But, whether it does or not, the sale of that property is a matter of legitimate public interest for any resident/tenant/council taxpayer/voter of the borough in question. It is public property being sold, not Mr and Mrs Jones next door selling their house.
No one is saying it is necessarily wrong, but certainly not something which is 'nothing to do with' the people of the borough.

If the majority of the tenants had exercised their right to buy and then subsequently sold their flats, the OP would be in the same situation. A friend (owner/occ) lives in a block where this has happened, out of 6 flats only 2 are occupied by council tenants, but the council very much retain control of the block. The block is in the borough though, unlike OP's. These flats are in a London Borough, worth about £400K each.

slopemaster

lincroft1710 wrote: »

If the majority of the tenants had exercised their right to buy and then subsequently sold their flats, the OP would be in the same situation..

Yes, that is quite true. But in that case the council are obliged to sell off their housing stock, whereas in this case they choose to. Possibly for good reasons, or possibly not - that we don't know.

Crashy_Time

lincroft1710 wrote: »

If the majority of the tenants had exercised their right to buy and then subsequently sold their flats, the OP would be in the same situation. A friend (owner/occ) lives in a block where this has happened, out of 6 flats only 2 are occupied by council tenants, but the council very much retain control of the block. The block is in the borough though, unlike OP's. These flats are in a London Borough, worth about £400K each.

The difference is though that the council are not emotionally/personally involved in the price they get?

lincroft1710

Crashy_Time wrote: »

The difference is though that the council are not emotionally/personally involved in the price they get?

My point was that the OP would be in a similar situation, surrounded by owner/occs or non-council tenants. The price quote was for information only

Somniac

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Any income from the sale will be part of that councils housing revenue account and can only be used for housing. Its possible they are being sold to fund properties in the London borough.

How far from London are they?

Thank you for this reply. They are 90 miles roughly and it is true that maintenance has been an ongoing problem but only lately. They have had the block since 1976. i was housed by them from the London Borough.