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Mass Homelessness Soon?

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south yorkshire social housing has suddenly started reviewing/auditing it's stock using various excuses to come into houses, count rooms, taking photographs etc

 

suspect this is related to an expected increase in homelessness soon as the banks move in on defaults 

 

anybody else had experiences ?

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2 hours ago, bitudylu said:

south yorkshire social housing has suddenly started reviewing/auditing it's stock using various excuses to come into houses, count rooms, taking photographs etc

 

suspect this is related to an expected increase in homelessness soon as the banks move in on defaults 

 

anybody else had experiences ?

Well have noticed a lot of properties coming on the market for sale in recent weeks, others being reduced in price. As far as I know in general house sales season ends around now, so I wonder if the flux is people trying to sell before they lose their jobs?

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4 hours ago, bitudylu said:

south yorkshire social housing has suddenly started reviewing/auditing it's stock using various excuses to come into houses, count rooms, taking photographs etc

 

suspect this is related to an expected increase in homelessness soon as the banks move in on defaults 

 

anybody else had experiences ?

Social landlords’ tenancy agreements usually only allow entry by invitation or pre determined H&S conditions. Social landlords periodically carry out stock condition surveys to inform improvement programmes but tenants are pre contacted and fully informed as to the purpose. Local councils have a duty under Homeless legislation to provide advice and information to all persons presenting as homeless and to provide temporary accommodation to those meeting specific criteria whilst their case is being investigated. Sheffield Council has both their own en block and sub contracted Housing Association temporary accommodation so it doesn’t seem feasible they would be reviewing individual properties for this purpose. When you say SY social housing are you referring to SCC or Housing Associations? Any tenant should have an agreed appointment and entitlement to a full explanation for the purpose of any visit and can refuse access and make a complaint if they feel their landlord is making “an excuse “ to gain access. I think you might be barking up the wrong tree here

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trouble started when SCC /housing decided to lower council housing stock in the 80s /90s saying there was a trend to own and not rent,at the same time it was surveyed by many that bungalows ,would be needed in the future as council tennents got older,but didnt want a flat ,due to never knowing who would be in the block,one bad apple comes to mind,so theres lots of OAPS living in housing stock that would move,but want bungalows not flats,thus leaving lots of 2/3/4 bed houses living in council stock,if they had followed there surveys and built stock needed ,we wouldnt be in this position and more social housing would of been available,so the blame lies with SCC and the goverment and i feel really sorry for the homeless that have ended in this position,the housing stock money,from sales should of been re-invested,so the blame lies due to many factors of decisions and its so sad to those it effects,i have sat at meetings and many folk would move tommorrow for a bungalow if given a chance,so sad

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3 hours ago, bassett one said:

trouble started when SCC /housing decided to lower council housing stock in the 80s /90s

My recollection of the 80s/90s is that the Tory government allowed people to buy their own council houses at a knock down price, then effectively forbade councils from building any more council housing to replace them. Whatever social housing was to be built from then onwards could only be built by housing associations.

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2 hours ago, dave_the_m said:

My recollection of the 80s/90s is that the Tory government allowed people to buy their own council houses at a knock down price, then effectively forbade councils from building any more council housing to replace them. Whatever social housing was to be built from then onwards could only be built by housing associations.

As someone whose relatives bought their council houses for a fraction of the price people were buying for privately back in the 80's, and a former worker for a housing association in the 90's I would say your recollection is 100% accurate.

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10 hours ago, bassett one said:

trouble started when SCC /housing decided to lower council housing stock in the 80s /90s saying there was a trend to own and not rent,at the same time it was surveyed by many that bungalows ,would be needed in the future as council tennents got older,but didnt want a flat ,due to never knowing who would be in the block,one bad apple comes to mind,so theres lots of OAPS living in housing stock that would move,but want bungalows not flats,thus leaving lots of 2/3/4 bed houses living in council stock,if they had followed there surveys and built stock needed ,we wouldnt be in this position and more social housing would of been available,so the blame lies with SCC and the goverment and i feel really sorry for the homeless that have ended in this position,the housing stock money,from sales should of been re-invested,so the blame lies due to many factors of decisions and its so sad to those it effects,i have sat at meetings and many folk would move tommorrow for a bungalow if given a chance,so sad

I couldn't agree more, but I believe it wasThatcher's Conservative government who advocated the sell off of housing stock, then legislated that the money raised could not be used to build more council houses. 

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On 03/10/2020 at 20:21, nightrider said:

Well have noticed a lot of properties coming on the market for sale in recent weeks, others being reduced in price. As far as I know in general house sales season ends around now, so I wonder if the flux is people trying to sell before they lose their jobs?

Mostly due to people being unable to sell in lockdown for one thing, With the new regulations in place it seems estate agents have a backlog of houses to sell/value so the housing market is rather busy right now.

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On 05/10/2020 at 02:53, Anna B said:

I couldn't agree more, but I believe it wasThatcher's Conservative government who advocated the sell off of housing stock, then legislated that the money raised could not be used to build more council houses. 

It was, and as a housing worker at the time of Tony Blair being PM, I remember there was some expectation that Right to Buy (RTB) would be withdrawn.   Big discounts were too much of a vote catcher even from  most staunch Labour supporters, so it wasn't.  Scotland and Wales have both withdrawn it in recent years, but it is still available in England.  

 

Basset one mentions bungalows, the preferred dwellings of many older people who want to downsize.   I worked for Rotherham housing dept, and they didn't sell off their bungalows, under a rule that said any housing meant for people with specific needs, such as people with disabilities, or even old age,  did not have to be included in the RTB.   Sheffield appeared to ignore that option, hence a lot of the bungalows here, especially in desirable areas, are lost to older people who want/need to rent at an affordable cost.   That of course means fewer family houses become vacant.  

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Mass unemployment = mass homelessness, thanks to Tory manipulation to tighten up Universal Credit, to stop 'skivers' and 'workshy' etc etc claiming benefits. These were always a minute proportion of the unemployed.

 

Unfortunately most of the unemployed are unemployed through no fault of their own, and desperately want to work if only they can find it. With 200+ for every vacancy this is not going to be easy, and they may well find that UC rules now stop them from claiming. If they do fit the criteria they will find it a seriously harsh, soul destroying system. 

 

The Internet is awash with people's grievances who are in this mess. Many of them unemployed for the first time after a lifetime of paying into the system, who now find the government won't pay them a penny to help.

 

I'm hoping Boris and co will change the rules to fit the times, but I'm not holding my breath. And Rishi has to claw back money from somewhere, and as always the poor are (and were always) an easy target.

 

Sad times ahead.

 

 

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yes lets hope ,he agrees to build some social housing,mixed with a deal to buy shares,may be a good idea as well

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I like the way builders and the government interpret 'affordable housing.'

Affordable to whom?

Certainly not to anyone who is unable to get a mortgage or save for the deposit, of which there are many.

 

The truth of it is that in the current climate there will always be some people who cannot afford to buy and therefore will need to rent, and at the moment that means having to depend on private landlords. Landlords obviously want reliable tenants who are going to be reliably paying their rent on time every month, and in the current climate who can say if they will still have a job this time next month or next year? People on Universal credit are often turned away, and those tenants becoming unemployed can be waiting 2 months before receiving their first payment. Landlords are not always willing to wait.

And rents, even for very modest dwellings, can go up and up and be more expensive than mortgages. IMO we need rent control legislation.

 

Builders build for profit. They can build cheaper houses or more expensive ones. Guess which they choose?

Bigger profits are to be made on more expensive houses, so that's what they will build. Same with bungalows; why would they build one storey when it's almost as cheap to build two, and the profit margins are higher. 

 

All this needs government regulation to level the playing field, but this government is unwilling to interfere in what is private enterprise. So we need a government who sees the need for a stock of council houses and is willing to build them. And while we're at it, can they be environmentally standardised with things like built in grey water systems, solar panels, and state of the art heating and insulation and anything else that will help the planet.

 

 

 

Edited by Anna B

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