[Castle Farm]

I fully agree with this policy, but fail to understand why our goverment fail to buy up all the empty properties in the country. Employ all our job seekers doing them up and then renting them out to people that need housing.

[deepinthewoods]

you would tho wouldnt you... 

[bloomer]

so you agree that my friend who lives in a specially customized property for her wheelchair that when she was given had her daughter living there as well so has 2 bedrooms, under the current rules she has to find several hundred pounds a year from her benefits...


or move to a 1 bedroom place that isn't modified for her needs...

[deepinthewoods]

or a parent who shares half custrody of their child with their estranged partner cant now have a bedroom for their kids to sleep in?

or a disabled person cant have a carer stay over anymore.

unless your involved in this castle farm. i would strongly suggest you acytually DO SOME RESEARCH.

one of my friends has fybromyalgia, she is in a wheelchair. as of this week shes £30/ week worse off. nothing to you im sure. but thats 30% of her total income.
what is shes supposed to cut? she already has nothing. cant afford to heat her house.

this is not some lefty tagline. she CANNOT KEEP WARM

this is britain in 2013. 150000 people use foodbanks EACH WEEK. people are starving and cold. and the worst thing about it is


alot of those people are WORKING.

[deepinthewoods]

oh and while im at it.most of those 'empty properties' are actually held as investments by the rich.

there are 600000 of these properties. just sat there, accumulating value. cant be used as housing, owned by rich and left to rot. while my working friends live and bring up their kids cold and damp in sheds chalets, benders and caravans.

come and spend some time with me mr castle farm. you need your eyes opening.

[Herdygirl]

I am wondering where all the one bedroom properties are for people who are forced to downsize?  Yet again another Tory policy that hasn't been thought through...bit like the local council.

But Castle Farm has a point, empty properties should be CPO'd and put to better use.

[JMB]

Tricky one this.
There are people who need extra rooms.
There are people who don't and should downsize.
There are people on a waiting list who need a home and will benefit from people downsizing.
I didn't vote this government in, but it can't be easy to please everyone.
J xxxx.

[deepinthewoods]

in principle. yes.

there are a few who are overoccupying. but in reality, this is going to affect the disabled much much more than them

there is not the stock of housing to cope with a sudden surge of people reloctaing to one bedroom properties. they just dont exist. the building trend was for 2 or 3 bedroom houses.
there are 22000 registered on the housing waiting list, lots with families in tow. just in cornwall alone.

so if these people have nowhere to be moved to, they have no choice other than to stay in their 2 bed properties and pay the tax.

ive been helping my friend search for 1 bed properties and there are none. even in the private sector.

i should say that in cornwall property rentals are high priced, housing benefit will not cover the total cost anyway.

what are these people supposed to do??

[Backinwellies]

At risk of being shot down I'll ask the following question .... what is stopping anyone with a 'spare' room  renting it out to somone and making more income rather than 'paying' to keep it empty?  Obviously some people would have no subletting clauses ...

[deepinthewoods]

not allowed if your in a housing association or council house.

[Backinwellies]

I do understand that some people are seriously  disadvantaged by this move  deepin the woods  ... however ....

Looking at it from my daughters point of view .... family of 4 living in 2 bedroom housing association property  .... whilst the four bedroom houses behind hers have 2 adults living in them cos children have left home.  The 3 bed that came vacant was put on the market.  So she remains in 2 bed house with rapidly growing children.

 Those of us who buy houses usually 'downsize '  when children leave because we can't afford to keep the bigger house but those in supported housing can continue in their large houses.

[deepinthewoods]

yep fair enough. my only issue is with that this is affecting the disabled and ill disproportionately.

if it had been done whereby those who are able to move were given somewhere practical, affordable and within their life structure, ie support structures like mental health teams, occ therapists, doctors etc then fine. that would be realistic.

however. its not been done like that. which is why its so unfair.  its just been 'stop the money' no other options offered.

[smiley bucket]

well i have the misfortune to live in a horrible modern house which is classed as a three bedroom, so i will be having to stump up but im not sure how much yet.  what annoys me about it is the fact that the third bedroom is so small its only used as a cupboard but technically you can fit a single bed in it so it's definitely a bedroom say the damn council.  Try opening the door when the beds in there !!

[deepinthewoods]

there is a 60 sq ft rule. i think.

BLOOMER knows more on that than me.


castle farm, are u gonna stand your corner, or are you doing your usual trick.

[Castle Farm]

There is always going to be disabled and ill affected by whatever the new rules are and their needs should be taken into account. BUT there are families living in crowded houses having to share rooms that are in urgent need of larger houses.

With 3 bedroomed houses only having 1 person living in them is unsustanable.
Please don't attack me DITW for posting this. I have 3 properties and they have 9 bedrooms, but I own them and rent 2 out to people that need a home.

And I got those after been born and bred in a council house and working my arse off for 50 years to buy them.

And you live where again...