Summary: <p>Another long question sent in by listener Alan, from Northway, Oxford, England and your co hosts Stuart and William delve into the still huge stigma attached to being a council tenant in the UK.</p> <p>The council has flaws, but tenants issues are often sorted quickly. Social housing in other countries isn't always called that, it can be just another housing option. </p> <p>There are some cultures in the world that don’t have words for home or land ownership. The majority of people in the world don’t even have ownership on their radar. </p> <p>Do any of us really own anything? Aren’t we just afraid of our own mortality and enslaved by the housing ladder?</p> <p>“Council tenants thought they were going into a wonderland when they purchased their homes. That faded into tomorrow for some when the mortgage payments went from 3% to 15%, so they were strangled by repayments. I’m seeing some housing stock sold off by Oxford City Council under the Right To Buy Scheme, now being purchased back by the same council from the same tenants that purchased the properties under the scheme. In some instances I guess these properties sold for 33k and purchased back for over 250k. Is this a good use of public funds? Is it time to scrap the scheme, leaving housing within social housing stock? Not selling it off for a quick buck, that isn’t invested back into new housing? </p> <p>Those purchasing under this scheme might say it's the council's fault for not investing back in housing, not theirs for buying, but in some instances they knew this probably wouldn’t be the case yet passed the ethical buck to the council. Is it time to put aside the Right To Buy if you are a long term renter, on the simple grounds of wider ethics? Is the fact the modern day council are now purchasing the same housing back, for as much as 200k more than they sold it for, an example of the council of yesteryear getting it wrong? Perhaps not, as the current council still operates the Right To Buy even now? </p> <p>It seems a quick money spinner, a con for many purchasing their council homes, as being on the housing ladder isn’t always better than not being on it in my view. I’ve seen people purchase their council home, unable to progress up the ladder as they don’t earn enough as the gap to the next rung is too big. Some of those same people had their homes repossessed, as they couldn’t keep up the repair or mortgage costs. These people then had to take a lower standard council house or B&B’s when they lost their homes, and couldn’t afford private rented. What a mess! I know Housing Associations have a policy of selling older houses to fund modern ones, but the story often ends the same. Housing Associations aren’t the holy grail as social landlords, as their rent is extortionately high compared with the council in many instances. </p> <p>I love my council home, and ethically have no desire to purchase it even though I’ve lived here 40 years, and I’d much prefer to have the council as my landlord, not a housing association. I worked for a housing association and know the inner workings. I know people who own their homes say they get repairs done quicker but I always have good repair service from the council my neighbors do too. I also know homeowners enjoy feeling the home is theirs, but that’s an illusion, it can be taken away, none of us own anything. </p> <p>We’re largely born free, but many get caught up in the treadmill of the housing ladder which enslaves us, all because we want to avoid throwing money down the drain by renting. Most money we spend is going down the drain so whats so wrong with renting, or living as a community in a shared set up? I hope Oxford City Council never sells their stock to an association. That could be the final straw for us tenants in some instances. We’re living in a modern day work house, a modern slave trade. Just my view of course”.</p> --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message
