the wife just began boring me with another one of her gossip tales,. she told me that some bird she sees at the gym has just moved into a new 3 storey, 4 bedroom, detatched house. blah blah blah.

 

the continued to inform me that this 300k new redrow build was provided to this family as a fuckin council house!!!!

 

is this common practice in our government today???

 

is it right that this has really pissed me off or am i being a twat?

Edited June 6, 200917 yr by HomerJay

Well, if I'd paid 300k next door I'd want my money back from Redrow, so maybe I'm a twat n'all!

the wife just began boring me with another one of her gossip tales,. she told me that some bird she sees at the gym has just moved into a new 3 storey, 4 bedroom, detatched house. blah blah blah.

 

the continued to inform me that this 300k new redrow build was provided to this family as a fuckin council house!!!!

 

is this common practice in our government today???

 

is it right that this has really pissed me off or am i being a twat?

Yes, you are.

 

Don't you know that by law and moral equity, everyone hould be entitled to a nice home, holiday, plasma TV etc etc regardless of whether they have earned it, or who pays for it.

Edited June 6, 200917 yr by boltondiver

If only that wasn't tongue firmly in cheek BD.

 

Problem is, it doesn't surprise me one bit. Let me guess; she has about half-a-dozen kids so that her argument to the council was that her family is too large for a semi-detached regular council house. Well how about the Council workforce go and knock some doors in adjoining council houses on, say, Monks Lane and let them have two houses for the price of one!

Edited June 6, 200917 yr by MickyD

the wife just began boring me with another one of her gossip tales,. she told me that some bird she sees at the gym has just moved into a new 3 storey, 4 bedroom, detatched house. blah blah blah.

 

the continued to inform me that this 300k new redrow build was provided to this family as a fuckin council house!!!!

 

is this common practice in our government today???

 

is it right that this has really pissed me off or am i being a twat?

 

plenty of councils accross the country have bought up left over stock off developers at a reduced rate and are using them as council houses.

 

Developers make money and councils get houses to fill a depleted stock on the cheap.

 

The houses will only go to those with a good tennency record so there'll be no delinquents and crims moving in same with any new build council properties

The houses will only go to those with a good tennency record so there'll be no delinquents and crims moving in same with any new build council properties

 

But those of us who work & buy a house pay 300k for something, sorry Frank but even if that were true, it's still not right.

the wife just began boring me with another one of her gossip tales,. she told me that some bird she sees at the gym has just moved into a new 3 storey, 4 bedroom, detatched house. blah blah blah.

 

the continued to inform me that this 300k new redrow build was provided to this family as a fuckin council house!!!!

 

is this common practice in our government today???

 

is it right that this has really pissed me off or am i being a twat?

For a start off it's gossip. Most gossip is bollocks. For some reason people like to be outraged. These sort of tales play on that.

 

Even if it is true, as Frank Spencer points out, it makes sense in the current climate for councils to buy new build properties at knock down prices, rather than say, buy a wreck and renovate it.

 

Lastly, who made the decision to force councils to sell their housing stock at rock bottom prices? Not particularly wanting to get into a political debate, but it wasn't the current government.

Lastly, who made the decision to force councils to sell their housing stock at rock bottom prices? Not particularly wanting to get into a political debate, but it wasn't the current government.

Valid point BUT a 300k house on a new estate where people have put their hard earned into it? This is not 'low cost housing'. If this be true, then really I feel the other folk on the estate with mortgages have a right to be disgruntled.

Valid point BUT a 300k house on a new estate where people have put their hard earned into it? This is not 'low cost housing'. If this be true, then really I feel the other folk on the estate with mortgages have a right to be disgruntled.

 

why should they be disgusted?

 

they now own a house, those in the council properties don't

 

gotta love middle class predjudices

why should they be disgusted?

 

they now own a house, those in the council properties don't

 

gotta love middle class predjudices

I said disgruntled. Prejudice? I missed that bit of my post. As I said, it's not low cost housing if the 300k price is correct.

I missed that bit of my post.

 

Well, if I'd paid 300k next door I'd want my money back from Redrow

 

why would you want your money back?

 

I very much doubt the council will have paid full price for it, they'll have bought a batch at a reduced rate so redrow can get rid of the houses that are increasingly hard to sell in the current climate thus helping businesses to keep employing people and provide housing for those unable to afford a mortgage

..

Edited June 6, 200917 yr by SergeantSlaught

Valid point BUT a 300k house on a new estate where people have put their hard earned into it? This is not 'low cost housing'. If this be true, then really I feel the other folk on the estate with mortgages have a right to be disgruntled.

If you've paid top dollar for a property and the council install a set of chav scrotes who lower the tone then you've got a right to be miffed. If they're law abiding folks who pay their rent and behave, then why bother? You probably wouldn't even know. You got the house you wanted for a price you were prepared to pay. That hasn't changed.

 

I do understand where you're coming from. You've scrimped and saved and probably gone into substantial debt, to own something that's seemingly just been given to someone else. But councils are being beaten up for dealing with the consequences of short term polices that were enacted decades ago.

why would you want your money back?

 

I very much doubt the council will have paid full price for it, they'll have bought a batch at a reduced rate so redrow can get rid of the houses that are increasingly hard to sell in the current climate thus helping businesses to keep employing people and provide housing for those unable to afford a mortgage

So, you want to sell it in future and it's known that a few houses on the estate aren't privately owned, that is bound to reduce the market value. The private residents are entitled to compensation if that happens.

I understand what Thunter's saying, but as I keep saying in my posts, if it was 300k house it isn't low cost housing. If that makes me a middle class bigot in your eyes, then fair enough, I stand by my views.

only fcking labour

Yes, you are.

 

Don't you know that by law and moral equity, everyone hould be entitled to a nice home, holiday, plasma TV etc etc regardless of whether they have earned it, or who pays for it.

 

And don't for get the gym membership

Lastly, who made the decision to force councils to sell their housing stock at rock bottom prices? Not particularly wanting to get into a political debate, but it wasn't the current government.

 

It was our old friend Mrs T's Government. The idea was to get as many people as possible to be tied to a mortgage by which the roof over their head was attached. This, in turn, made strikes and walk-outs of the 1970s almost a thing of the past because those buying a house would think twice about the reprocussions of defaulting on their mortgages.

 

Sounds like a good plan to me!

why would you want your money back?

 

I very much doubt the council will have paid full price for it, they'll have bought a batch at a reduced rate so redrow can get rid of the houses that are increasingly hard to sell in the current climate thus helping businesses to keep employing people and provide housing for those unable to afford a mortgage

 

if i were a betting man, id be laying very short odds on a fcuking councillor, council officer or mp buying said house at some point in the future

Lastly, who made the decision to force councils to sell their housing stock at rock bottom prices? Not particularly wanting to get into a political debate, but it wasn't the current government.

It was our old friend Mrs T's Government. The idea was to get as many people as possible to be tied to a mortgage by which the roof over their head was attached. This, in turn, made strikes and walk-outs of the 1970s almost a thing of the past because those buying a house would think twice about the reprocussions of defaulting on their mortgages.

 

Sounds like a good plan to me!

A naive view.

 

Three million unemployed, the destruction of the manufacturing industry and draconian legislation had more to do with the lack of strikes and walk outs than an increase in property ownership.

 

However, getting back to the point:

 

The main consequence of flogging council houses off cheap was that councils stopped building council houses, leading to situations like the one described in the opening post of this thread. Aye, good plan.

if i were a betting man, id be laying very short odds on a fcuking councillor, council officer or mp buying said house at some point in the future

No doubt. Jim Sherrington, (ex) Labour councillor pulled a similar stunt. Allan Duncan, Tory MP, also made a wad of cash after buying a council house.

if i were a betting man, id be laying very short odds on a fcuking councillor, council officer or mp buying said house at some point in the future

and I bet there was a 'funny' handshake when the purchase deal was going through

The main consequence of flogging council houses off cheap was that councils stopped building council houses, leading to situations like the one described in the opening post of this thread. Aye, good plan.

It is if you're one of the lucky tenants!

It is if you're one of the lucky tenants!

 

 

These council tenants, will they have the 'right to buy' in a few years time?

Council tennants 'right to buy' scheme.....giving ordinary working folk the chance to buy their home for a reduced rate whilst removing the long term maintenance liability from the Councils coffers (though I'm not linking the two together, just naming a couple of benefits).

 

The longer they have rented the better deal they get. Dont see a problem with that. Every person should have the chance to own their own home. So now we have over a million ordinary working folk who have a decent amount of collateral behind them who otherwise would have tipped that up to the Council.

 

Aye, Thatcher was a right bitch on that one.

 

Now this Redrow thing, horseshit. Councils dont buy new houses, they are taken over by Housing Associations and are part of the social housing 'planning gift' provided by the developer. Some are purchased, some are subsidised, some are free of charge. The HA's then let (or provide part ownership) them out to whoever they see fit. In the last year or so some developers have offloaded unsold stock to HA's which has created a bit of a stink with their customers. Quite right too. You dont pay ?300k to run the risk of living next door to a family of smackrats.

 

Anyway, I think it was the Egan Report from maybe 15 years back that encouraged social integration on new developments; illiminating ghettos through long term development planning and the like, the thought being that the generally decent behavior of honest clean working folk would rub off on those who carry their couch into the front garden when the sun shines.

 

However, its not as simple as that. Drive onto a new estate built in the last 10 years and the houses with the tatty gardens and rusty BBQ's on the drive next to wheel-less bikes, a pile of 15 assorted shoes, and plywood over at least one window.......they're usually the housing association ones.

 

You could put a pig in the best hotel in the world and it will be rolling in its own shit within a week.

 

Now, there are many many good people in council houses and HA property, there are also lots of shithouses which is why social housing on expensive new developments causes problems.

 

Next time you go into a sales office, ask them where the social housing is......I bet they're not exactly falling over themselves to tell you.

another reason for never buying a new build