Council House tenants ?

fendi said:
There is one guy at my work who has had a housing association flat for 10+ years. Earns around £24k a year. He got it originally when he was earning a lot less and "kicked out of home" by his parents.

He is 38 now. Just got married and had a child. The wife was earning £17k so he said. I asked if they were going to look for a larger place because it is a 1 bed (pays £80 rent per week), he said that he is going to apply to the housing association for a larger place as there isn't enough room.

He also said he could just about afford to rent privately but what for, he then wouldn't have any spending money for his toys and holidays. On top of that the council will repair everything that goes wrong with his current place.

He has no savings and is a true leech on society even though he earns an OK wage. He said he is entitled to the flat AND more, he wanted to had his first born born before the 1st of August 2010 before the "new evil government" took away some £100 allowance the previous government were handing out. He was also bragging about how his wife got a load of hand me downs for their daughter to wear saving him a load of ££, and a guy from work brought him in a load of clothes too. It's just shocking how tight he is on anyone but himself.

I always hear him moaning about not having any money, yet he still goes out a couplle of times a week to drink, and eats takeaways most days, concerts/gigs once a month too and never shuts up about his ps3.

/rant :D
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housing associations are completely seperate from the goverment? what are you talking about?

http://www.placesforpeople.co.uk/ they own 2.9 billion worth of property a lot of it is affordable housing they are nothing to do with the goverment? they must make a profit?

people are confusing husing associations with the council now?
 
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but I was under the impression that local councils/housing associations periodically get awarded/allotted a certain amount of cash to help improve/regenerate the area/housing & have a certain amount of time to use up all the cash awarded. Hence you have every council house in a given area having new kitchens, gas fires with nice mantle pieces, windows, block paved (no less) driveways
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Uhh no. Yes council housing as to be of a minimum level of subsistence so that might include getting gas central heating put in by the council.
 
rayer said:
Touched a nerve, how much do you pay for your council house :D
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No at all I finished paying my mortgage years ago and pay no rent or mortgage. ;)

rayer said:
The majority of people "pay the full rate of council tax, income tax, NI, and vat". We also have to pay commerical rates for rent/mortgages.
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Been there and done that in both social and commercial rates.

rayer said:
Meanwhile, there are genuine people in desperate need for proper help and need housing, yet they cant because of a house shortage. ( And then we come full circle to people sponging the system living in the council houses on good pay, living a life of luxury )
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There is only a housing shortage due to Government mismanagement of social housing stock, ie they didn't build new stock to replace right to buy, demolishment and increased demand. A lot of the increase of demand came from Government immigration policy.

Social housing was envisioned to house the working population, some where alone the line it fell foul of the as per need agenda.
 
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arknor said:
housing associations are completely seperate from the goverment? what are you talking about?

http://www.placesforpeople.co.uk/ they own 2.9 billion worth of property a lot of it is affordable housing they are nothing to do with the goverment? they must make a profit?

people are confusing husing associations with the council now?
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I think government has a hand in housing association but they seem to be much more discreet in their housing distribution. I think they tell the basket cases where to go.
 
I find the whole benefits system bizarre, quite unfair that the people who pay the most into it get the least out of it and that people who contribute the least get the most.

There's a clear problem with the system when people are better off not working.
 
I_M_Weasel said:
I find the whole benefits system bizarre, quite unfair that the people who pay the most into it get the least out of it and that people who contribute the least get the most.

There's a clear problem with the system when people are better off not working.
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Thats is not what the OP is saying, he is saying that someone is getting more, who is paying in more. Due to being better payed than he was when he got a helping hand.
 
I live in a council house.

I pay full rent and full council tax. And yes i doi get repairs done for free, just as id expect to if i was in a private landlord house. Its thier house so if the heating breaks they fix it. On the other hand if i put my fist thru a door or smash a window by throwing a hammer at it then id expect to be charged for the repair.
 
Telescopi said:
Rant indeed, you do any any private landlord does the same?
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You say the say what?
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:D
 
CD32 said:
It probably does but, & I'm shady in this area so might not be fully correct but I was under the impression that local councils/housing associations periodically get awarded/allotted a certain amount of cash to help improve/regenerate the area/housing & have a certain amount of time to use up all the cash awarded.Hence you have every council house in a given area having new kitchens, gas fires with nice mantle pieces, windows, block paved (no less) driveways. All in in the same time period. I know it's happened locally around here. I have to say I also have nothing against those less fortunate having life made a little more comfortable. Altho it's probably going off the original topic sayin that.
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IIRC Labour introduced a policy to upgrade social housing whereby one room would be renovated which would be a kitchen or bathroom (although not every home as my mothers flat did not have this). They also installed new boilers, which in the case of the area where my mother lives meant that the fireplaces were removed (less repair costs in future?). If the council has chosen to do this then it can't held against the tenants and on the point of repairs, there is a list of what is the tenants have to take responsibility for and what the council must repair.
 
MeatLoaf said:
I live in a council house.

I pay full rent and full council tax. And yes i doi get repairs done for free, just as id expect to if i was in a private landlord house. Its thier house so if the heating breaks they fix it. On the other hand if i put my fist thru a door or smash a window by throwing a hammer at it then id expect to be charged for the repair.
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+1

But mine is a one bed place.
 
MeatLoaf said:
I live in a council house.

I pay full rent and full council tax. And yes i doi get repairs done for free, just as id expect to if i was in a private landlord house. Its thier house so if the heating breaks they fix it. On the other hand if i put my fist thru a door or smash a window by throwing a hammer at it then id expect to be charged for the repair.
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You pay market rate rent for your house size and area? Really?
 
Our neighbours are council tenants who were initially given their house due to bad times (homeless single mother, etc).

Since then, she started a rather successful at-home business and her full-time employed partner moved in. They earn more a month than we do as a professional couple, but still remained on subsidised rent etc, free kitchen and bathroom upgrades when available yadda yadda.

Now, they've been moved to a larger council property, still subsidised, because of their family expanding beyond the capacity of the previous house. They have more money to wipe their ***** with than we, as homeowners, could ever dream of...yet they sure as hell don't need the social assistance they're receiving anymore.

We do consider them friends, but still it's irksome to know. If the system was fair, people in their situation would be financially investigated and passed on to a relevant private landlord.
 
I_M_Weasel said:
I find the whole benefits system bizarre, quite unfair that the people who pay the most into it get the least out of it and that people who contribute the least get the most.

There's a clear problem with the system when people are better off not working.
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Welcome to the Labour / Lib Dem policy of trying to make everything "fair" in life, when it isn't and never will be.
 
I think people need to take a step back and realize that people working and living in council houses is the lesser of two evils. They can either work, pay rent (It might not be market rent for similar properties in the private sector, but it is rent), council tax, income tax, etc, or of course they could jack in their jobs and go on the dole 100%. I know which one I prefer.

In the case of my mother who is a low paid worker in council accommodation we would be able to survive anywhere even remotely local to our places of work without the subsidised rent of our property, even with both of our combined incomes. I think the rent she pays here in more or less exactly the same amount I'd expect to pay for a single room in this sort of area.

It's a bit of a rut. We'd love to go private and get a bigger property (for many, many reasons. Despite what it sounds like council accommodation isn't a bed of roses) but right now it isn't viable.
 
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