Crackdown On Rich Council House Tenants

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  • tim59tim59 Posts: 47,188
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    donovan5 wrote: »
    Never said it would.I just believe it's wrong for these people to be in council houses paying such low rents.
    I don't believe social housing should be for life either your rights to it should change as your circumstances do.I'm left leaning in politics but there is nothing left about wealthy people clinging on to low rent homes when struggling families need them.

    Of cause social housing is meant for life, why do you think RTB was brought in. All this policy will do is make more homes being sold at big discounts. The maximum discount is £77,900 across England, except in London boroughs where it’s £103,900( And just to be clear i am against RTB)
  • Jenny_SawyerJenny_Sawyer Posts: 12,858
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    If you are in private housing then you won't be considered in a priority need.

    You'll only get that if your private accommodation affects your health.

    I was in council housing and still needed to move as it was affecting my health being in flats rather than in a bungalow.

    And I still had 3 years of problems in the bungalow thanks to another neighbour who moved into the street a year after I moved in.

    My accommodation does affect my health, but nobody in authority is prepared to acknowledge that.
  • tim59tim59 Posts: 47,188
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    My accommodation does affect my health, but nobody in authority is prepared to acknowledge that.

    My i ask in what way your accommodation is affecting your health, and if you can get medical evidence to back this claim up as this would help out alot.
  • tellywatcher73tellywatcher73 Posts: 4,181
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    donovan5 wrote: »
    Never said it would.I just believe it's wrong for these people to be in council houses paying such low rents.
    I don't believe social housing should be for life either your rights to it should change as your circumstances do.I'm left leaning in politics but there is nothing left about wealthy people clinging on to low rent homes when struggling families need them.

    The problem with this is that there are too many grey areas. My OH is self employed so maybe one year, he has a particularly good year and is slightly above the threshold for a council house. We get booted out so a struggling family can get it. The next year he has a bad year and we're the struggling family. Many people's incomes are very fluid so a one size fits all policy would never work.
  • bobcarbobcar Posts: 19,424
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    donovan5 wrote: »
    We're already divided when someone can be earning £50000 + yet pay less rent for a 3 bed house than someone earning £15000 living in a 1 one bed flat.

    It won't help with that at all but then this is not about that. This is the classic (and successful) right wing tactic of divide and conquer where you pit those at the bottom against each other.
  • koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    How come those who think the bedroom tax isn't a tax, believe that low council rents are subdsidised?

    There is no money coming from tax payers to the people who pay low council rents.

    People are being asked to pay MORE, not pay back anything.

    So this IS a TAX on high earners for living in a council house.
  • Delicious11Delicious11 Posts: 1,406
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    donovan5 wrote: »
    We're already divided when someone can be earning £50000 + yet pay less rent for a 3 bed house than someone earning £15000 living in a 1 one bed flat.



    I think this is highly unfair. I moved into my flat as a vulnerable teenager, initially on Housing Benefit and income support. When I signed my housing contract there was no caveat in it that stated that I would be obligated to give up my home should I become better off. The tenancy was a life time one.

    I would then go on to educate myself further and ended up with a better paying job. Of course I am now benefit free I have been paying the full rent my Social Landlord asked for as well as full Council tax and I am also a respectable income tax payer. Are you suggesting that people like me give up my council home which I have maintained for several years because I decided to better myself and be forced into Private Housing?

    Also bear in mind, my 'full rent' when I started paying it was in line with all the other private housing in the area. Because of gentrification, private rents went up but council ones didn't. With this in mind I didn't even realize that my rent was subsidised.
  • Pumping IronPumping Iron Posts: 29,891
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    I think this is highly unfair. I moved into my flat as a vulnerable teenager, initially on Housing Benefit and income support. When I signed my housing contract there was no caveat in it that stated that I would be obligated to give up my home should I become better off. The tenancy was a life time one.

    I would then go on to educate myself further and ended up with a better paying job. Of course I am now benefit free I have been paying the full rent my Social Landlord asked for as well as full Council tax and I am also a respectable income tax payer. Are you suggesting that people like me give up my council home which I have maintained for several years because I decided to better myself and be forced into Private Housing?

    Also bear in mind, my 'full rent' when I started paying it was in line with all the other private housing in the area. Because of gentrification, private rents went up but council ones didn't. With this in mind I didn't even realize that my rent was subsidised.

    Why wouldn't you want to give another vulnerable teenager the same chance to better themselves in the same way that you did?
  • tim59tim59 Posts: 47,188
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    Why wouldn't you want to give another vulnerable teenager the same chance to better themselves in the same way that you did?

    I think you better yourself if you can buy a home, moving into the private sector i dont count as bettering yourself moving into the private sector rental
  • koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    Why wouldn't you want to give another vulnerable teenager the same chance to better themselves in the same way that you did?

    They probably do want to give someone else the chance.

    By building more council houses, rather than by being forced to move in to private rented accommodation.

    But of course that is what this rent increase to market rates is all about.
  • koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    tim59 wrote: »
    I think you better yourself if you can buy a home, moving into the private sector i dont count as bettering yourself moving into the private sector rental

    Personally I don't think you better yourself by owning things. I think you better yourself by getting knowledge and by helping society more away from material need.
  • Pumping IronPumping Iron Posts: 29,891
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    tim59 wrote: »
    I think you better yourself if you can buy a home, moving into the private sector i dont count as bettering yourself moving into the private sector rental

    I used the posters own words.
  • Pumping IronPumping Iron Posts: 29,891
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    They probably do want to give someone else the chance.

    By building more council houses, rather than by being forced to move in to private rented accommodation.

    But of course that is what this rent increase to market rates is all about.

    I'm sure the poster can answer the question themselves.

    However I agree that more council housing needs to be built, but with the current situation the lesser of 2 evils is for that vulnerable teenager to have the same opportunity that they were given. Those in most need should take priority. We must protect the vulnerable.
  • Pumping IronPumping Iron Posts: 29,891
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    Personally I don't think you better yourself by owning things. I think you better yourself by getting knowledge and by helping society more away from material need.

    I wouldn't class a home as a material need. It's rather essential.
  • koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    I'm sure the poster can answer the question themselves.

    However I agree that more council housing needs to be built, but with the current situation the lesser of 2 evils is for that vulnerable teenager to have the same opportunity that they were given. Those in most need should take priority. We must protect the vulnerable.

    LOL Poor excuse.

    We must protect the vulnerable by making them more vulnerable?

    This isn't about protecting anyone other than the rich from having to pay tax.
  • koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    I wouldn't class a home as a material need. It's rather essential.

    Owning a home isn't a need.

    Everyone could have a home if we built enough council houses for everyone and limited the UK population.

    You are just a materialist.
  • Pumping IronPumping Iron Posts: 29,891
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    LOL Poor excuse.

    We must protect the vulnerable by making them more vulnerable?

    This isn't about protecting anyone other than the rich from having to pay tax.

    Some people are more vulnerable than others. Don't you agree?
  • Pumping IronPumping Iron Posts: 29,891
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    Owning a home isn't a need.

    Everyone could have a home if we built enough council houses for everyone and limited the UK population.

    You are just a materialist.

    Yes everyone could, but that isn't the current situation. I wouldn't currently qualify for a council house and private rent would be twice my mortgage. If not wanting to pay stupid amounts in rent makes me a materialist in your eyes, so be it.

    I could call you a materialist with all your gadgets such as your 3D TV. Now that is a unnecessary material good!
  • tim59tim59 Posts: 47,188
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    I'm sure the poster can answer the question themselves.

    However I agree that more council housing needs to be built, but with the current situation the lesser of 2 evils is for that vulnerable teenager to have the same opportunity that they were given. Those in most need should take priority. We must protect the vulnerable.
    I agree we must protect the vulnerable, but because there is no kind of securirty in renting in the private sector it makes anyone renting in that sector vulnerable as people can be given 2 months notice to leave, and the landlord does not have to give a reason why. In social housing you can only be evicted for doing something wrong, in the private sector you dont have to have done anything wrong.
  • koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    Some people are more vulnerable than others. Don't you agree?

    Not really the problem.

    People wouldn't be vulnerable in terms of housing, if council homes were built.

    People are being made vulnerable by the lack of council housing.
  • koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    tim59 wrote: »
    I agree we must protect the vulnerable, but because there is no kind of securirty in renting in the private sector it makes anyone renting in that sector vulnerable as people can be given 2 months notice to leave, and the landlord does not have to give a reason why. In social housing you can only be evicted for doing something wrong, in the private sector you dont have to have done anything wrong.

    There is definitely very little security in renting in the private sector. I'd feel more vulnerable having to live in private rented accommodation than in council housing.
  • Pumping IronPumping Iron Posts: 29,891
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    Not really the problem.

    People wouldn't be vulnerable in terms of housing, if council homes were built.

    People are being made vulnerable by the lack of council housing.

    Just to clarify, you do think that some are more vulnerable than others?
  • Delicious11Delicious11 Posts: 1,406
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    Why wouldn't you want to give another vulnerable teenager the same chance to better themselves in the same way that you did?

    Maybe if that were in my initial tenancy agreement I would consider it but it wasn't. It was given to me for life. I chose on my own accord to better myself. There was no caveat in my tenancy agreement that stated that I had to give up my home if my circumstances became better.

    I was only told that if I got a job all income support and housing benefit would stop and that I would be fully responsible for all rent and council tax on the property. And this I have adhered to.

    I still maintain that my rent is not subsidized as there is nothing in my tenancy agreement which states that it is. When I was on HB, my rent was £2.50 a week and the full rent was always stated with my rebate from HB, Now I pay the full rent sans rebate. The only thing subsidized in my council tax however which contains a single person allowance but that also applies to all other single people in private rented accommodation as well.

    What next...penalise all people who have a high equity in their properties and low mortgage interest rates as it is unfair to those who have the opposite?
  • Pumping IronPumping Iron Posts: 29,891
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    tim59 wrote: »
    I agree we must protect the vulnerable, but because there is no kind of securirty in renting in the private sector it makes anyone renting in that sector vulnerable as people can be given 2 months notice to leave, and the landlord does not have to give a reason why. In social housing you can only be evicted for doing something wrong, in the private sector you dont have to have done anything wrong.

    I agree with this. It's wrong that there isn't enough social housing. However because it is so limited, those in most need should come first.
  • Pumping IronPumping Iron Posts: 29,891
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    Maybe if that were in my initial tenancy agreement I would consider it but it wasn't. It was given to me for life. I chose on my own accord to better myself. There was no caveat in my tenancy agreement that stated that I had to give up my home if my circumstances became better.

    I was only told that if I got a job all income support and housing benefit would stop and that I would be fully responsible for all rent and council tax on the property. And this I have adhered to.

    I still maintain that my rent is not subsidized as there is nothing in my tenancy agreement which states that it is. When I was on HB, my rent was £2.50 a week and the full rent was always stated with my rebate from HB, Now I pay the full rent sans rebate. The only thing subsidized in my council tax however which contains a single person allowance but that also applies to all other single people in private rented accommodation as well.

    What next...penalise all people who have a high equity in their properties and low mortgage interest rates as it is unfair to those who have the opposite?

    Thanks for the reply. I can understand your POV and that in your position I'd be reluctant to move also. Glad to hear that you've done well for yourself though :)
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