General Chat

I looked to swapping to a smaller (council) house, but the rent was only a maximum of £5 a week cheaper, I didn't like the area, and none of them had open fires.

Diane, you saying about your son eventually moving out, both my children have, since leaving home, come back to live with me for a few years. If I hadn't had the room for her to stay, one daughter would eithr have become a great expense and burden to society or dead.
As it stands, she's now in a very responsible job and supporting herself.
In September my grand daughter will be going to secondary school near me. As she lives in the middle of nowhere, she wants to stay with me occasionally (after-school activities etc - saves her mum having to drive miles to pick her up,). If I wasn't working and was moved to a smaller place - she couldn't.

Obviously we plebs aren't entitled to an extended family :-P

Maggie at the moment I am using my spare bedroom as a dining room because my living room is to small to have a table in it, I can also use it for when one of my 12 grandchildren want to sleep over, but as you say those plebs don't think I should have the room for one of my family to stay over :-(
I have only recently stopped working and when I was for ( 12yrs ) I didn't get any housing benefits, but hey ho I'm just a single divorced person who hasn't any right to have a reasonable size home.

Diane - I'm in the same boat, but still (just about) working.
I too have a small living room and no dining room, so have a dinng table in the living room - I tend to sit at a table when i eat!!

How would people like my grand daughter's father fare?
Daughter left grand daughter's father when my grand daughter was 3 (she's nearly 11 now) He also has a 5 year old son from another (now broken down) relationship.
He has a 2 bedroom flat and has both children to stay at weekends. He sleeps on the sofa then.
If he lost his job, he'd have to downsize to a 1 bedroom, and wouldn't be able to have both children to stay - thereby denying the children access to each other - and they're half brother & sister, the same as my grand daughter is half sister to the two boys my daughter has since had

So much for keeping families together :-P

Maggie I think if you share custody of your children then it would not apply as the housing in the past have given single parents who share custody 2 bed accomadation so they can stay with the other parent when needed.

for people having children stay over
they are recomending that people buy a bed sofa for tempory use

why do people think they have a automatic right to social housing
if you were given a house that fit your needs
its common sense that one day the house may be to big for your needs
and you may be asked to move to give somebody in need
the same advantages that you once got from social housing
its not as if they are making you homeless

so pay the extra or move the choice is yours :-D

Joy I do not live in a house but a flat that until 6mths ago was right size until my son left home, I have lived here for over 10yrs and again until recently worked and payed full rent ( no benefit help ) why should I move to a 1 bedroom high rise flat 6 miles away. my income is £70 and when this new bedroom tax and also 20% council tax come into affect I will only have £37 a week to live on.

you could always take in a lodger or foster Diane
the income from foreign students is not to be sniffed at

but just think your spare bedroom may be used for a child to have a home
to live with their parent or parents just like your son did

and for one spare bedroom its only 15%

Oddly enough Joy , if a house has a gas fire in the living room I believe it is against the rules to sleep in the said room , so , in theory , if you put your kiddies up on a sofa bed , in your living room and it has a gas fire , then your breaking a law :-S ( I have a gas fire in my living room ) . My grand children sleep in the " spare room " when they stay over .

Regarding the " bed room tax " , it isn't actually just about finding more homes for needy families , it's about clawing back money from the people who have no money ..... ie the un-employed and people on very low wages , that need housing benefit . I think it is wrong :-(

Foster careers are being charged the " bedroom tax " as well :-(

if that was the case
it would be against the law to sleep in the same room where a boilers fitted to
and most houses here have boilers in one of the bedrooms
also gas fire were also fitted at one time in the main bedrooms
why cant grandkids sleep in there own homes
with granny sleeping over at theirs

its not social housings problem

So if not the bedroom tax then what do you think should be taxed instead...because it's clear something has to give......

http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/faqlandlord.htm

It does say information about boilers on the link above Joy . Mind you , I'm no plumber ..... lol So I don't understand the blurb :-S

but social servises will cover the 15% in that case
it will be included in the foster care allowences

all rented property has to be gas safty checked every year
and you canb buy co2 alarms
my son has 10 houses he rents out and ive seen the certs

I really don't know Muffy :-( " We are all in it together " apparently . But it just seems that " they " are starting from the bottom and threatening the most vulnerable people first .

I've lived in my home for 25 years . I spent a lot of my compensation money on having this council propety converted to my needs , now , I have a " spare room " and the goal posts have been uprooted and moved ........... it's a horrid feeling :-(

to be honest muffy
i would cap all housing benifits to £100 a week even in london
that would save a fortune much more than the bedroom tax
and stop the fat cat landlords in the cities making a killing

Fine if you are fit enough to have foster kids and I for one do not intend to take in total stranger's into my home, and why shouldn't I have my relatives over to stay.

thern pay the 15% is all ylou can do
but relations staying over is not the social hosings problem or choice

That sounds like a good idea to me Joy . The rent on my home is just under £80 a week ,
My son private rents a two bedroom flat , with his G/F and two daughters . £125 a week and that's a bargin in this day and age .

I could choose to give up my " spare room " and private rent a two bedroom place , the council would pay the full amount . I don't see how that saves anyone anything ?? :-S

Joy I can agree with capiing and they already have, my rent is no were near the cap amount in fact it is less than half but if I was to go into private renting for 1 bedroom the rent would be more and the housing would pay it in full, were is the sense in that.

all you can do is pay up moaning about it will get nobody nowhere
as you will still have to pay it in the end
please remember if you dont pay it
you risk make yourself homeless and social housing wont help then at all
if its your own fault

blame the labour government for getting this country in the mess its in today :-( :-(