Should we bother putting our names on the council list?

ruggedtoast

cheltenhamgirl wrote: »

Apart from Lavendyr am I the only person who sees anything worng with this! Why should I have to pay taxes so that the OP can live in a council house because she doesn't feel like paying rent? I

am all for council housing, for people who NEED it, not just people who don't fancy paying rent. I don't fancy it much either, but until I save up the money for a good deposit on a house of my own, that's the only answer. I wouldn't dream of asking the council to provide me with a house - I scrimp and save so that I can rent and save for my deposit.

Council houses are being taken up by people like the OP when 'Mumoftwins' over on debt free wannabe board can't get anywhere to bring up her kids and looks like she might be about to be made homeless. Am I the only person who sees this as wrong?

It depends what you think council housing is for. Unless theyre on benefits council tenants do pay rent to the council, as they work they also pay tax like everyone else. In return they get a place they can afford to bring up their families, and actually offer their kids some kind of family life rather than an empty house and a note on the microwave saying how long to heat that nights meal for as mum is working two jobs to pay off someone elses BTL mortgage.

In return society gets a normal functioning working class that isnt characterised by having become a dumping ground of glue sniffing yobs, no go sink estates filled with crack houses, gang crime and prostitution, unassimilatable immigrants, and schools where the kids neither enter or leave school with any expectation of being able to read.

mariagti

Lavendyr wrote: »

Rubbish. A) You are paying for a service. You cannot afford to buy, so you don't have a lot of choice.

Personally, as someone who rents privately for the same reasons you do (cannot afford to buy) I think you should just rent a place privately and be done with it. From what you've said, you clearly can afford to rent privately, you just don't want to because you perceive it as a waste of money. But if you take up a council house - if you could even get one in the first place - you are potentially taking away that place from someone who really needs it because they can't even afford to rent privately, let alone get a mortgage - not to mention that tax-payers like me will be subsidising your living.

Excuse me! Lavendyr and cheltenhamgirl I knew there would have to be someone like you two say something like that. I too pay tax thank you very much!

Im trying to do things the right way here! Someone that gets pregnant on purpose to get a flat is someone taking away a place from someone esle who needs it. Im working trying to save up but as we all know first time buyers cant afford to get on the ladder anymore.I could understand you getting angry if me and OH were on jobseekers too lazy to do anything so take, take , take off government but i dont!

Yes council places charge rent but not like the prices of private flats which we cant afford! If we could afford £600 a month we would get a mortage! hence why i said we're on a low income. We would much rather live in a nice house anywhere we wanted. I dont want to live in a council flat in a dodgy estate. But what esle can we afford?!

Private renting is expensive, too expensive for us after you've added on the mantaince and ground rent on top of the bills.

Thank you so much to everyone esle for giving me advice and helping by finding links!:D

jillie1974

isnt the whole point of council or association housing for those who cant afford mortgages??
when we moved in to a housing assoc flat, yes we could have afforded a mortgage but wanted to live together first.... without haveing a mortgage as well

cheltenhamgirl

jillie1974 wrote: »

isnt the whole point of council or association housing for those who cant afford mortgages??
when we moved in to a housing assoc flat, yes we could have afforded a mortgage but wanted to live together first.... without haveing a mortgage as well

I can't afford a mortgage... Does that mean that I'm entitled to live in a council house? I see council houses as for people who literally can't live anywhere else, not for people who just want an easy life.

misscomickat

If there was more regulation of private accommodation in terms of standards/prices, then the OP probably wouldn't consider council properties.

ANYONE is entitled to a council home, but there is a shortage in many areas.

I rent privately but I don't feel secure at all, it's not like a proper home.

poppy10_2

Give the OP a break, she can't afford market rent and therefore fits the bill for council housing. At least she's working and paying taxes.

Turnbull2000

poppy10 wrote: »

Give the OP a break, she can't afford market rent and therefore fits the bill for council housing. At least she's working and paying taxes.

Yet...

We dont want to rent as we see it as money going down the drain or paying someone esles mortage off!

It was only after another poster commented on this that the OP stated they could not afford private rent either.

The OP should state their earnings and location to clear the air. If they have a combined income of say 20K, £500 p/m rent on a 1-2 bedroom flat is quite affordable.

mariagti

Turnbull2000 wrote: »

Yet...



It was only after another poster commented on this that the OP stated they could not afford private rent either.

The OP should state their earnings and location to clear the air. If they have a combined income of say 20K, £500 p/m rent on a 1-2 bedroom flat is quite affordable.

Ok so perhaps i shouldnt have put it like that, it isnt money going down the drain when you rent because as said i would be paying for a roof over my head.
But when renting is the same cost as a mortage per month it makes so much more sense to buy for security. But obviously we're not in the position to do that yet. We have looked at 1 bed flats to rent in our area which are £550-£600 per month but with the maintance and service charge its too much.

Im not going to post our yearly income but i can confirm its less than 20k combined.

Anyway its not for us to decide who gets a council place its the council. I will never get enough points to get a place as i have a roof over my head so theres no need to worry i wont get one!

beingjdc

mariagti wrote: »

We have looked at 1 bed flats to rent in our area which are £550-£600 per month but with the maintance and service charge its too much.

You've said this twice now, but in my experience one of the big advantages of renting over owning is that the landlord is responsible for the maintenance and service charge.

I think the answer is going to be, unfortunately, that one or both of you needs a new job paying over £10k a year...

tweetyshells

I am a little confused too why you would need to pay maintenace and service charge too, if any its normally in with the rent price.