council housing

[marty21]

I wasn't very impressed with the council charging us rent for the 3 weeks it was unoccupied after his death while we were clearing out his belongings, but them's the breaks.

that is standard practice i'm afraid, we do that as well for our flats

 

[bluestreak]

It's a cobblers post blue, ignore it.

No-one's given me the chance to be abusive to them yet today

 

[marty21]

that is standard practice i'm afraid, we do that as well for our flats

although tbh, if the rent isn't paid, it's owed by the dead person's estate, and i doubt very much would be chased up

 

[mrsfran]

As the executor of his estate, I paid up straight away. Shoud've let it slide, eh?

 

[izz]

A very Utilitarian approach, Chy, and it can be a good arguement in the abstract.
However the OP is talking about the effects for his Mother, and is proberably more concerned with a more individual, humanistic view.

thanks Fifi but ...... *sneaky check* ....... HER mother, HERS !!!

 

[izz]

my mum has lived in the same council house for forty years - why don't you just get her to exercise her right to buy and help her out with the costs - that way they can't shift her.......

fair point well made Cobbles, but the sweet darling that she is doesn't want to buy on the grounds that when she (and i hope its decades away) dies, my bruv and me won't be able to sell it cos no idiot would buy it.

 

[geminisnake]

Do you have any idea what discount you get on RTB's now?

Dunno what you get down south but I'd get over 50% discount. It has gone down from what it was but that's still pretty attractive I'm afraid

I can see why izz's mum doesn't want to move. I waited 13 yrs for a house and I'm sorry but I'm not leaving now.

 

[scifisam]

Dunno what you get down south but I'd get over 50% discount. It has gone down from what it was but that's still pretty attractive I'm afraid

I can see why izz's mum doesn't want to move. I waited 13 yrs for a house and I'm sorry but I'm not leaving now.

If she got it 40 years ago, chances are she didn't have to wait anything like that long, if at all.

I have a friend who has three kids who are all boys. They have a two-bedroom flat with tiny rooms. That sort of thing is why people think that tenants in overoccupied homes should move out. I agree that the more important problem is the lack of newbuilds and the loss of housing to RTB, but even if those problems were completely solved, I couldn't see us ever getting to a stage where there was nobody waiting to get into a 3-bedroomed property because they're overcrowded where they are.

I still stand by my earlier agreement with longdog's post, though. However much I may think it's right for izz's Mum to move on, it's also right that moving on should be by her free choice alone.

FWIW, the RTB discount's nothing like that in London, IIRC, and doesn't increase year-on-year like it used to. It's still a help of course, but not by much. Are there really regional differences?

 

[geminisnake]

FWIW, the RTB discount's nothing like that in London, IIRC, and doesn't increase year-on-year like it used to. It's still a help of course, but not by much. Are there really regional differences?

I live in Scotland where there are a number of legal differences from England/Wales so maybe this is just another one of them?? I'll ask a pal who works for Aberdeen council if it's the same up there.

I don't think new tenants still get the RTB with housing associations, but dunno about council.
I also know Holyrood is looking to change RTB up here. Not sure to what though or whether they will be able to take the RTB off of 'old' tenants.

 

[Maidmarian]

my mum has lived in the same council house for forty years - why don't you just get her to exercise her right to buy and help her out with the costs - that way they can't shift her.......

They can't shift her ANYWAY !!!!!!

 

[FiFi]

thanks Fifi but ...... *sneaky check* ....... HER mother, HERS !!!

I'm so sorry!

Sometimes I find it hard to tell IRL let alone online!

 

[guinnessdrinker]

on the issue of large properties occupied by elderly couples whose kids have long left home, I understand that there can be a lot of bullying by some councils (souhtwark isn't one of them). it can be possible to have one extra bedroom above your official need whan you move if you can provide a reasonable excuse, such as having a carer that need to stay overnight once or twice a week.