Wealthy Council Tenants could lose homes

[TwilightAgain]

someone who is desperate for somewhere to live after nearly 3 years on the council list and getting no where, I had no option then to find a house to rent privately. I have lost my place on the list and won't be considered now but I had no alternative - I needed somewhere to live and eventually I found somewhere that would accept us due to the fact that we are claiming part housing benefit.

How come they won't consider you now?

 

[tina_h75]

someone who is desperate for somewhere to live after nearly 3 years on the council list and getting no where, I had no option then to find a house to rent privately. I have lost my place on the list and won't be considered now but I had no alternative - I needed somewhere to live and eventually I found somewhere that would accept us due to the fact that we are claiming part housing benefit.

How come they won't consider you now?

because we rent privately, before we were classed as overcrowded as we lived with my husbands mother and we still couldn't get anywhere - there are just not enough properties about.

 

[Pramaholic86]

Realistically, who wouldn't want to rent off the council or housing association for a much lower rate than rent private, or claim benefit to be able to be a SAHM?

Not me, as bad as it makes me sound being a sahm would drive me insane, I have the best of both worlds working part time and still spending time with LO and I wouldnt give that up for nothing

I'm on maternity leave at the mo but will be going back part time. I suppose what I should've said is have the option to be a SAHM, ideally I don't want to go back til she's a year old but I won't be entitled to benefits and the council wont pay my rent for me, with the council it's secure, as a council tenant you wont ever end up homeless or in big financial woes owing a private landlord if you fall on hard times.
I just can't afford to take 6 months unpaid and live solely off OH's wage.
So, if I had the option to get benefits in the meantime or have my rent paid for me and council tax waived, I'd be a mug not to!

 

[smokey]

someone who is desperate for somewhere to live after nearly 3 years on the council list and getting no where, I had no option then to find a house to rent privately. I have lost my place on the list and won't be considered now but I had no alternative - I needed somewhere to live and eventually I found somewhere that would accept us due to the fact that we are claiming part housing benefit.

I was on the waiting list 16 years, without the council id be homless because I cant get housing benafit so I kinda am in need of my council place

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

And thats fair enough. You want to do whats right by your child by providing a safe environment. Well he wants to do whats right by his and provide her with an education. And like I said before, you'll always put your own kid first than other peoples needs right

?

I think we will do what is best for our children within our means and within limitations I am at university but my parents are not paying for it because they can't afford too. They are comfortably off but they live in a private rented flat and they have to pay for that. I will pay my fees back when I am working. When Aidan is older if he wants to go to University I will help him if I can afford to. But he will be 18 when he goes to school and if it came between a choice of living in a council house and paying for him to go to uni or paying more rent/mortgage I will always choose paying more for a house. Why? Because I know excalty what it is like to live in a hostel where you can't go to sleep at night because you are petrified of someone coming in. Aidan will be an adult at that point not a vunrable child living in a disgusting, inappropriate and unsafe environment. I'm not saying what your dad is doing is a bad thing at all he is doing what he thinks is best. But I don't think they should be at the expense of other peoples lives and children's start in life xx

And thats fair enough to you if thats your attitude to life but Some people put their own family first even if it is selfish.

But some people when they struggle, they'll do anything not to be put back in that situation if you know what I mean. Say if someone struggled to get a roof over their childs head when they were young, eventually a few years down the line they managed to get things stable and started earning a decent income and there was a chance that they could afford something private. What if they move out of that stable, nicely built home for somewhere else and it doesn't work out? They would have left their home for nothing. So I imagine some people decide to stay because of the security because as you ladies all know, council housing can be hard to come by.

I totally see your point and completely understand why people would feel secure in their long standing home. However council housing isn't supposed to be a permanent solution in most cases. Like the people you described they got a council house because they needed it, the system served it's purpose. Protecting the vulnerable and poorer part of the population. But once they are in their feet and they can afford to live comfortably then the system has done it's job, it shouldn't then be abused. If they can afford to they should find somewhere new and let the house be given to people in the very same situation they were in. Yes when I move things may grow wrong and IF that happens I will be back where I started. But if I lived life in what if's I wouldn't step out of my front door.

I know but its not risking getting wet in the rain, should you take an umbrella or not. Giving up a stable home for somewhere with no security is a big step and a big risk. Not everyone is willing to make that risk.

I do completely see your side too though unfortunately either way, someone misses out.

I wouldnt take the risk at all. I need somewhere 100% Secure. Unless we got a mortgage, I wouldnt be moving ever.

 

[TwilightAgain]

someone who is desperate for somewhere to live after nearly 3 years on the council list and getting no where, I had no option then to find a house to rent privately. I have lost my place on the list and won't be considered now but I had no alternative - I needed somewhere to live and eventually I found somewhere that would accept us due to the fact that we are claiming part housing benefit.

How come they won't consider you now?

because we rent privately, before we were classed as overcrowded as we lived with my husbands mother and we still couldn't get anywhere - there are just not enough properties about.

Well i'm sorry to hear you're struggling. I hope you get things sorted very soon

 

[Laura2919]

I think its a good idea.. I see some of my friends really struggling with the rent in private renting and its annoying that there are people who have lots of money who dont need that home..
My friend has 4 kids, her and her partner in a 2 bedroom flat.. The council wont help her move because they dont have the space but I know a few people who live in a 3-4 bedroom house and their children have since moved out.. They could downsize, the cash incentive sounds a good idea!

 

[becstar]

I think incentives to have people downsize is a great idea but I don't think anyone should be forced to leave their home because they have extra rooms. Many of the elderly who live in larger homes have been there for all their adult lives. To just force them to move would be extremely traumatic for them.

I agree. My Nana was in her 3 bed until she turned 80ish... she had been there for 50 years and it was her home. I understand families need them too - it is a hard thing to juggle.

 

[xolily]

someone who is desperate for somewhere to live after nearly 3 years on the council list and getting no where, I had no option then to find a house to rent privately. I have lost my place on the list and won't be considered now but I had no alternative - I needed somewhere to live and eventually I found somewhere that would accept us due to the fact that we are claiming part housing benefit.

I was on the waiting list 16 years, without the council id be homless because I cant get housing benafit so I kinda am in need of my council place

if you couldn't afford your rent, you would be entitled to housing benefit. that's the way it works isn't it?

 

[indy and lara]

How do you become eligible for HB? I have no idea. I presumed it was if you had a low income/ received certain benefits but not sure.

 

[Tegans Mama]

How do you become eligible for HB? I have no idea. I presumed it was if you had a low income/ received certain benefits but not sure.

You do. It doesn't go on how high your rent is. Unless you are on a low income, you don't get HB.

 

[LankyDoodle]

Realistically, who wouldn't want to rent off the council or housing association for a much lower rate than rent private, or claim benefit to be able to be a SAHM?

Not me, as bad as it makes me sound being a sahm would drive me insane, I have the best of both worlds working part time and still spending time with LO and I wouldnt give that up for nothing

I'm on maternity leave at the mo but will be going back part time. I suppose what I should've said is have the option to be a SAHM, ideally I don't want to go back til she's a year old but I won't be entitled to benefits and the council wont pay my rent for me, with the council it's secure, as a council tenant you wont ever end up homeless or in big financial woes owing a private landlord if you fall on hard times.
I just can't afford to take 6 months unpaid and live solely off OH's wage.
So, if I had the option to get benefits in the meantime or have my rent paid for me and council tax waived, I'd be a mug not to!

I guess a lot of people aspire to more than that. You could settle for less, but most people strive for more even if it is the tougher road. Sorry, that is not me trying to disparage those who rent from the council, but you make it sound like people who rent from the council/become a sahm on benefits, do it because it's the easiest/softest route, when I don't for one minute believe that it is.

My mum became a single mum when I was 5 and went from owning a home with my dad, to living with my grandparents, to renting from the Housing Association. HA houses were quite nice really but my mum never wanted to stay in one - she saw it as a necessity at the time and not something she just opted for, for ease. She retrained as a teacher, rented privately then bought her own house and is now back to renting privately.

My husband and I often mull over what would happen if one or both of us lost our jobs; we'd not get much in the way of housing benefit because we own the house and they will only pay interest on a mortage not repayments. So we'd have to sell up eventually, and rent. But we'd never rent a council or HA property as they are there for people on the bones of their backsides who NEED a home etc, not for people who see it as an option.

 

[Wirral_Kitty]

I'm not even going to put my opinion here because it goes against everyone else saying that ppl on £100k should give up their homes! Their homes!

 

[Harveysmum369]

I'm not even going to put my opinion here because it goes against everyone else saying that ppl on £100k should give up their homes! Their homes!

But do you not think its slightly selfish of them knowing that they have enough money to private rent if not buy a house while some family with a newborn are having to sleep on someones sofa or in a hostel?x

 

[Lucy_lu_84]

I'm not even going to put my opinion here because it goes against everyone else saying that ppl on £100k should give up their homes! Their homes!

Their homes. Exactly.

My parents live in a council house and they are now retired so couldn't afford private rent anyway.however it is a 4 bedroom for them and my brother. But I don't believe for one second they should be turfed out of the house theyve lived in for 30years.

 

[indy and lara]

I have read all through the thread since I commented way back at the start and I think that there are a lot of different issues here. Anyone who is earning £100K is able to rent privately or afford a mortgage. Absolutely. Regardless of where they are in the UK. I still think this will on impact on a relatively small number of people and will not resolve the housing shortage.

A separate issue is people living in houses with more bedrooms than they need. I am all for incentives to encourage people to move but if they don't want to then I do not think that they should be toughed out on their ear regardless. Many people here have remarked on the elderly living in homes they could downsize from but if they have lived there all their lives then I do not agree with them being forced out. It is such a traumatic experience and is very similar to elderly people being forced into homes- they often never recover from the trauma.

I can see and do understand that there are issues of people with families living in hostels/ overcrowded but I don't believe that their rights override the rights of every other council tenant.

 

[Pramaholic86]

I get what youre saying lankydoodle but how many people really, genuinely are on the bones of their backsides..?
I know I'm probably alone in this but my opinion is formed based on my own experiences, not just generalisations made from reading the papers etc.
Once you're on the council, you're safe for life. No-one is going to decide to not renew your tenancy, increase your rent according to Market trends, allow you to pay only what you can afford, etc etc. So whilst it may not always be the easier option in some cases, it's certainly a safer one!

 

[Celesse]

If I was on £100k a year I'd be right-to-buying my house if I'd lived there long enough (5 years). And if I hadn't lived there for 5 years then its not that many memory's to loose by moving out and most definately not a home for life.

Right to buy is a bit of an issue in itself, but I don't get why anyone wouldn't buy thier home if they had that much funds. Surely the investement and equity gained would gain them a lot more cash that they could use to move to a bigger house/nicer area. Or they could have the mortgage paid off and have no rent and an investment for the future.

 

[xxembobxx]

This is a contentious issue!
I agree that people who earn over £100k a year shouldn't be living in a council house - if I earned that much I'd be buying a house for sure. But what if it's not an individual but a mum, dad and two grown-up sons who earn £100k between them? Should they be turfed out?
I think the best option is for the government to overhaul the private renting system. There should be longer tenancies (Europe tends to have 5 year tenancies) so private renters have more security. Too many landlords are lining their own pockets by holding private renters to ransom - perhaps there should be a high tax rate for those who rent out properties unless they show they are willing to house low income families?

 

[xxembobxx]

Once you're on the council, you're safe for life. No-one is going to decide to not renew your tenancy, increase your rent according to Market trends, allow you to pay only what you can afford, etc !

I live in a Housing Association property and I'm very grateful for the security I have as I can't foresee my tenancy being revoked unless I become an unsociable tenant or I don't pay my rent.
However I must point out that every year my rent and service charge increases. This year the combined increase was 10% on last years charge. As far as I am aware rents and service charge increases are limited by law and this applies to private rents too.
I would love it if the HA only charged what they thought I could afford but if that was the case I'd be paying a lot less!