Let’S Rename Housing Benefit More Fairly As “Landlord Bonus”.

[malk]

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/

Somewhat fringe blogger but good to see that someone else is taking up against the horror of housing benefit. From the left no less.

[janch]

I added a comment on his blog referring his readers to this site

[TheCountOfNowhere]

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/

Somewhat fringe blogger but good to see that someone else is taking up against the horror of housing benefit. From the left no less.

Wait ahead of them

[MattW]

Sounds like an interesting idea. If HB was ever to be introduced then I would probably be happily renting a reasonable sized house with no need of being on my local council's housing register.

I am of the opinion that private rents should not be any more than 10% greater than the equivilent sized council home.

[knock out johnny]

I am of the opinion that private rents should not be any more than 10% greater than the equivilent sized council home.

Why?

[MattW]

^

It's just a ball park figure I came up with that I thought was fair, that's all.

[billybong]

Would "Guaranteed Landlord Bonus" be even more precise.

[Motor_Blade]

Why not just landlord benefit??

[iamnumerate]

I am not 100% sure it is just for landlords. Often tenants get more than they would get if they had to pay for it out of their own pocket.

This is particularly true in London where people live in a lot more expensive area than they could afford otherwise.

[durhamborn]

Housing Associations and similar are the worst.People seem to think social housing is better than private,but its the biggest gravy train going.My local one has staff all on huge salaries.All large holidays.Full flexi time.Full 6 months sick pay, most use at least some of that.Final salary pension.Their houses were paid for decades ago,yet they charge large rents that until this year went up above RPI.In affect they are getting 80%+ of their income from housing benefit,so taxpayers,on houses paid for decades ago,to hand to their staff to be in shangri la.

HAs and other ALMOs arent there to provide affordable housing for local residents,they are there to suck as much as they can out of the taxpayer so their staff can be in clover.

[TheCountOfNowhere]

I am not 100% sure it is just for landlords. Often tenants get more than they would get if they had to pay for it out of their own pocket.

This is particularly true in London where people live in a lot more expensive area than they could afford otherwise.

....if it werent for housing benefit the tennats might be able to afford to rent regardless.

The immigrants wouldnt be here

The BTL brigade wouldn't exist

There would be no housing crisis.

Edited September 1, 2016 by TheCountOfNowhere

[iamnumerate]

....if it werent for housing benefit the tennats might be able to afford to rent regardless.

The immigrants wouldnt be here

The BTL brigade wouldn't exist

There would be no housing crisis.

Some tenants would be able to afford the rent without housing benefit making it more expensive, but Heather Frost for one example

http://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/look-inside-mum-11-heather-frost-s-500k-council/story-19464870-detail/story.html

Probably would not get such a nice home if not for the benefits system.

[TheCountOfNowhere]

Some tenants would be able to afford the rent without housing benefit making it more expensive, but Heather Frost for one example

http://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/look-inside-mum-11-heather-frost-s-500k-council/story-19464870-detail/story.html

Probably would not get such a nice home if not for the benefits system.

Or as I said...rents would collapse, immigrants would leave, there's be no housing shortage and she could afford to rent at an affordable price.

Housing Benefit is a con, by the rich man, for the rich man.

As the original poster says...it's a landlord benefit nowt else.

[iamnumerate]

Or as I said...rents would collapse, immigrants would leave, there's be no housing shortage and she could afford to rent at an affordable price.

Housing Benefit is a con, by the rich man, for the rich man.

As the original poster says...it's a landlord benefit nowt else.

Without housing benefit a semi literate baby machine would not be able to afford anything, even if rents were to collapse to 5% of current levels. (Also cheaper rents would draw immigrants who want to work to the UK).

[malk]

Housing Associations and similar are the worst.People seem to think social housing is better than private,but its the biggest gravy train going.My local one has staff all on huge salaries.All large holidays.Full flexi time.Full 6 months sick pay, most use at least some of that.Final salary pension.Their houses were paid for decades ago,yet they charge large rents that until this year went up above RPI.In affect they are getting 80%+ of their income from housing benefit,so taxpayers,on houses paid for decades ago,to hand to their staff to be in shangri la.

HAs and other ALMOs arent there to provide affordable housing for local residents,they are there to suck as much as they can out of the taxpayer so their staff can be in clover.

From the post:

"For the sake of clarity of argument, I do not regard “Housing Associations” as anything but part of the landlord class, especially given the high salaries they pay their executives."

Housing Associations aren't social housing, they're former social housing given to to pseudo private sector (corporate benefit recipient) operators because apparently the public sector is inherently bad and inefficient.

Personally I don't have a problem with workers getting great benefits and decent salaries (I'm not sure how you'd define huge?) but I do have a massive issue at pointlessly inflated "executive" salaries at the top of public/semi-public sector employers. Council Chief Execs, Vice Chancellors, that kind of thing. I haven't looked into at what point salaries stop being spent in the national real economy but I'd guess the vast majority of their rank and file staff aren't above it.

[MattW]

Personally I don't have a problem with workers getting great benefits and decent salaries (I'm not sure how you'd define huge?) but I do have a massive issue at pointlessly inflated "executive" salaries at the top of public/semi-public sector employers. Council Chief Execs, Vice Chancellors, that kind of thing. I haven't looked into at what point salaries stop being spent in the national real economy but I'd guess the vast majority of their rank and file staff aren't above it.

Agreed.

Some Housing Associations charge rents that almost match private rents in an area. I wonder what proportion of it goes toward the Chief Exec's salary compared to reinvesting in building new homes?

[billybong]

Housing Associations and similar are the worst.People seem to think social housing is better than private,but its the biggest gravy train going.My local one has staff all on huge salaries.All large holidays.Full flexi time.Full 6 months sick pay, most use at least some of that.Final salary pension.Their houses were paid for decades ago,yet they charge large rents that until this year went up above RPI.In affect they are getting 80%+ of their income from housing benefit,so taxpayers,on houses paid for decades ago,to hand to their staff to be in shangri la.

HAs and other ALMOs arent there to provide affordable housing for local residents,they are there to suck as much as they can out of the taxpayer so their staff can be in clover.

Any taxes they currently pay effectively goes back to them as housing benefit -> their own wages.

A bit like the public sector.

So much of the economy seems to be designed around stifling opposition to tax increases. So many on the tax/benefit gravy train.

Then typically their wages based on housing need sets the bar so high for wages elsewhere that it makes the general economy uncompetitive and yet even more reliant on selling houses to each other etc and ever more entrants to the housing market resulting in overcrowding and congestion as well as more competition for home ownership and increasing debt.

Edited September 3, 2016 by billybong