Why are house prices still so high?

James_Green_1982

GreatApe wrote: »

It is what it is, some 500,000 properties are 'let' for free I assume mostly to friends and family

Maybe some landlords would want to risk letting out a house on a ''cash only'' basis - to avoid tax.
It would be a risk though - especially if the relationship with the tenants turned bad. So many records with council tax, utility bills, Land Registry etc. Not an easy thing to try and hide.

AG47

James_Green_1982 wrote: »

Maybe some landlords would want to risk letting out a house on a ''cash only'' basis - to avoid tax.
It would be a risk though - especially if the relationship with the tenants turned bad. So many records with council tax, utility bills, Land Registry etc. Not an easy thing to try and hide.

Yet more and more properties are rented out on a cash basis. Usual,y to family or friends, ax to pay.
I wouldn’t ever recommend it, asking for trouble. Look at those trash daytime tv programs nightmare landlords and tenants from hell

James_Green_1982

AG47 wrote: »

Yet more and more properties are rented out on a cash basis. Usual,y to family or friends, ax to pay.
I wouldn’t ever recommend it, asking for trouble. Look at those trash daytime tv programs nightmare landlords and tenants from hell

I'm not sure it's increasing, but you could be right.
If a LL lets out a house without ticking all the right boxes, the tenant has the advantage of being able to report the LL if a dispute develops.

AG47

James_Green_1982 wrote: »

I'm not sure it's increasing, but you could be right.
If a LL lets out a house without ticking all the right boxes, the tenant has the advantage of being able to report the LL if a dispute develops.

Hen again lots of tenants like the cheaper rents if it’s off the book

Goldman2020

[FONT=&quot]What are your views on more homes being built which young people could afford to buy (pre-fabricated type buildings)? This may not only help the young but in turn may help the high street and to some degree the economy because the people buying these starter homes would also be buying white goods,furnishing and other associated items for their new homes. [/FONT]

Malthusian

It's great news for young people who want to get on the housing ladder and are happy for their first home to be a pre-fab located in a new development.

It's bad news for young people who think they should be able to buy a three-bed semi in walking distance of the city centre with a single person median income, which is the cause of the housing crisis (one of them), as they will consider a pre-fab beneath them.

phillw

Malthusian wrote: »

It's bad news for young people who think they should be able to buy a three-bed semi in walking distance of the city centre with a single person median income, which is the cause of the housing crisis (one of them), as they will consider a pre-fab beneath them.

You're saying a property crash won't allow us to all live in Kensington on housing benefit?

Why not? It's so unfair.

lisyloo

Goldman2020 wrote: »

[FONT=&quot]What are your views on more homes being built which young people could afford to buy (pre-fabricated type buildings)? This may not only help the young but in turn may help the high street and to some degree the economy because the people buying these starter homes would also be buying white goods,furnishing and other associated items for their new homes. [/FONT]

Good idea, but would need to give the builders some incentive to build them as private builders will make more money from luxury flats.

Also they won’t be on prime land (for example you aren’t going to get prefabs in city centres) so the buyers will have to compromise on location.

I think planning could be an issue for land.

Malthusian

lisyloo wrote: »

Good idea, but would need to give the builders some incentive to build them as private builders will make more money from luxury flats.

Why? Do we need to give Vauxhall incentives to make mid-range cars because they would make more money from selling Lamborghini-esque vehicles?

The market will accomodate all budgets for which there is demand without needing subsidy. If all builders built nothing but luxury flats the price would collapse. Meanwhile the first builder to spot that there were a lot of people living in tents who would quite happily pay less than the cost price of a luxury flat for mid-range accommodation would clean up - until the rest followed his lead.

Also they won’t be on prime land (for example you aren’t going to get prefabs in city centres) so the buyers will have to compromise on location.

You say compromise on location, I say get a nicer house in exchange for doing a bit more driving or cycling. Exactly the same reality, only I get to feel happier in it for free.

People have different priorities, that's why we aren't all housed in a 10-mile high arcology in the city centre.

GreatApe

AG47 wrote: »

Yes the AI is coming along with the aliens on this flat earth

The physicists I know all accept it is an inevitability and almost all see it happening this century

No species lasts forever and we will see the end of humans this century even if you disagree with software AI we will certainly have advanced genetic engineering this century which will change us more than the last 1 million years did