• WITSEND
  • Loudish neighbour
  • Offline
  • Registered: 5 January 2011
  • Posts: 67

Topic: Will there be some good news after April 2011 ?

Many of us on here live in hope/s that a variety things will happen to our noisy neighbours and I'd like to put a thought in peoples minds in a similar position to myself.

The house next door to me is rented and the woman who works sixteen hours aweek is in receipt of Housing Benefit infact to the tune of £500.00 per month is being paid to keep a twenty one year old bar maid with two kids in a house that in any other universe she could not afford. Incidently I learnt this from a trusted neighbour who is a friend of the family.

BUT !

In April this year Housing Benefit is set to be capped £340.00 per month for a three bed semi (check your local councils websites) many are updating now, my point is will we see alot of these uncaring, unscrupulous landlords who rely on this part of the market being forced to sell their little nest eggs / nice little earners etc many landlords I know will simply adapt and look to other parts of the market but with so many in financial difficulties, unemployment etc I can't help but think that for some perhaps the game is over !
 
I REALLY HOPE SO !!!!!!!!!!!! big_smile  big_smile  big_smile

Last edited by WITSEND (5 January 2011 18:06)

Quote Post 1

  • Registered: 16 November 2010
  • Posts: 3,785

Re: Will there be some good news after April 2011 ?

I looked up Direct/gov website.   Its maximum £340.00 PER WEEK for 3 bed rented house. i can't beleive these figures....sure i did'nt mis read.....

Quote Post 2

  • Registered: 1 April 2010
  • Posts: 454

Re: Will there be some good news after April 2011 ?

I can understand why you're pleased, witsend, and it's appalling that this family are being helped to live in such spacious housing, but the problem is, where are people with genuinely low incomes meant to live?  My younger daughter was an assistant pub manager for a number of years, and a manager for a short time.  She often worked a 16 hour shift - or more, on hourly rates (she couldn't afford to go on a monthly salary!), and just managed to pay her rent and utilities for her tiny flat, plus petrol for the journey to work. The only reason she didn't starve was that her meals were included. When something went wrong with her car, she was forced to ask us for a loan. In the end, the stress caused poor health, and she physically couldn't cope anymore.  It took her 5 months to recover some of her health, and nearly a year to find another job in another, related, field.  It's easy to judge someone who's giving you problems, but think what devastating effect this will have on those who genuinely can't earn any more!

Quote Post 3

  • WITSEND
  • Loudish neighbour
  • Offline
  • Registered: 5 January 2011
  • Posts: 67

Re: Will there be some good news after April 2011 ?

Bearness I appreciate what you're saying to some extent however I do have to question the morality of a society that will happily pay £500.00 + per month for a twenty one year old with two kids to live in a house so far out her reach, simply because she works sixteen hours per week and has two children, to me it creates entirely the wrong impression on her about what the REAL world is actually like, false economy etc

The problem ofcourse is a lack of "Social housing" and the past Governments both Labour and Conservatives reluctance to deal with the problem, something they may very soon have to deal with, accept the need for.

Another problem I have with my particular neighbour and her children is their apparent lack of consideration for the property eg kicking footballs against walls, scrapping furniture across laminate floors, slamming doors etc and why not? its not their house therefore not their problem let Housing Benefit, the Council etc deal with it.

Last edited by WITSEND (7 January 2011 00:26)

Quote Post 4

  • Registered: 1 April 2010
  • Posts: 454

Re: Will there be some good news after April 2011 ?

As I said, witsend, I quite understand what you said about your young neighbour, and I quite agree. The laminate flooring issue and undisciplined kids is what brought me onto the forum in the first place.

We have a huge number of young un-partnered mums here, and I do wonder where they all live. Possibly still with their parents, but maybe they're getting benefits, too.  Social housing is a big issue, since most council houses were sold off. A lot of house building is going on here, as in all counties, left over from the previous government's insistance, but who's going to buy these houses now?  There are very few families who can afford to buy the smaller 'family house', and councils definitely can't. Not only is the IOW council having to cope with the government cuts that every other council has to deal with, but our council was heavily in debt anyway!  roll

Quote Post 5