Families Moving Out Of The Se (E. Berks)

[FedupTeddiBear]

One of the mums I am friendly with at my child's school has told me that they can no longer afford to rent a house in the area sufficiently large for their needs and buying is not even a consideration. In this area rents were about £800 pcm for a 3-bed house in a mediocre area about 3 years ago. Now there is nothing the same size in the area available for under £1000 pcm, (but hundreds available to let for £1300 plus - struggling to find tenants? )

They have decided to move away to an area where housing costs are lower. They both work (he is a full-time care worker and she is a very part time teaching assistant) but although they get some tax credits, it is not enough to pay the rent, feed the family (3 children - the youngest is a baby) and pay for transport to and from work. They do not want to give up working to support their family, are now looking for work in towns in the Midlands and North and hope to leave within the next few months.

This story highlights everything that is so wrong with the housing market in the SE. I hope more people start having the courage to do the same. If more care workers, cleaners and other low-paid essential workers leave, London and the SE will be left in a mess with no-one left to care for the oldies rattling round in their squillion-pound properties and the BTL spivs will have some lovely voids. The only problem is the lack of jobs elsewhere.

[MattW]

Great anecdotal. Hope all goes to plan for them.

An exodus of lower end service workers from the SE northwards isn't good.

[TheCountOfNowhere]

Can you tell them..where ever they move to.pay the local price and not the stupid s.e. One. The idiots from down that way moving up this way are crippling locals.

[macbeth79]

This is the same thing that is starting to happen in North London, slowly the rents have risen too such a level that people are starting to think the same.

[winkie]

This is the same thing that is starting to happen in North London, slowly the rents have risen too such a level that people are starting to think the same.

.....Employers can no longer afford to pay London high house and rent prices......also finding middle aged home owners are cashing in their chips and taking their winnings elsewhere, that can only spread spending power to other places, meaning more people spending and helping small businesses in different local communities.

[TheCountOfNowhere]

.....Employers can no longer afford to pay London high house and rent prices......also finding middle aged home owners are cashing in their chips and taking their winnings elsewhere, that can only spread spending power to other places, meaning more people spending and helping small businesses in different local communities.

B.s....they are just throwing their money at over priced houses elsewhere and will loose half regardless.all the decent houses round here are priced for London buyers...not locals.

[winkie]

B.s....they are just throwing their money at over priced houses elsewhere and will loose half regardless.all the decent houses round here are priced for London buyers...not locals.

So what do you suggest is the answer?....to emigrate? build more houses where land is cheaper, where there is more space? why would they price out a local necessarily...they would either buy a place a local would never buy or they would buy something smaller to allow them access to high London house price capital that would be spent locally, if retired their pension would be spent locally..... often they will start new businesses or move their business that creates jobs locally......a place that festers and stays the same will eventually die....new blood brings new prosperity and opportunities would you not say?

Edited May 17, 2014 by winkie

[GloomMonger]

This is the same thing that is starting to happen in North London, slowly the rents have risen too such a level that people are starting to think the same.

we have just been given 2 months notice and trying to find a decent 3 bed house in ok area for less than £1700 per month in north london is proving very difficult. A suitable house came on yesterday at £1750 we viewed and made an offer of £1685 today. Told it had gone for asking price. Madness.

[Venger]

Similarities in the US. Younger people not able to afford housing costs, so moving away to areas where there is less opportunity, but cheaper housing.

And then companies who need their skills in the high-housing cost areas, even trying to tease old workers out of retirement, who bought their houses cheap years ago.

“Nobody moves to that state anymore. It offers too much economic opportunity.” It doesn’t make any sense, but that’s life in our present post-migration era. For all his historic foresight, Greeley could never have imagined an outcome so undemocratic and economically perverse.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/november_december_2013/features/stay_put_young_man047332.php?page=all

[FedupTeddiBear]

Can you tell them..where ever they move to.pay the local price and not the stupid s.e. One. The idiots from down that way moving up this way are crippling locals.

The point of them moving is that they can't afford the stupid SE prices so very unlikely that they will be able to pay that.

[iamnumerate]

So what do you suggest is the answer?....to emigrate? build more houses where land is cheaper, where there is more space? why would they price out a local necessarily...they would either buy a place a local would never buy or they would buy something smaller to allow them access to high London house price capital that would be spent locally, if retired their pension would be spent locally..... often they will start new businesses or move their business that creates jobs locally......a place that festers and stays the same will eventually die....new blood brings new prosperity and opportunities would you not say?

Make pro single parents share. I know some in North London they have no problems paying the rent (which we pay for them). If they all shared then there would be 300,000 empty homes in the UK - that would help a lot.

BTW I am not sexist I don't care if they are single mums or dads.

[bankstersparadise]

One of the mums I am friendly with at my child's school has told me that they can no longer afford to rent a house in the area sufficiently large for their needs and buying is not even a consideration. In this area rents were about £800 pcm for a 3-bed house in a mediocre area about 3 years ago. Now there is nothing the same size in the area available for under £1000 pcm, (but hundreds available to let for £1300 plus - struggling to find tenants? )

They have decided to move away to an area where housing costs are lower. They both work (he is a full-time care worker and she is a very part time teaching assistant) but although they get some tax credits, it is not enough to pay the rent, feed the family (3 children - the youngest is a baby) and pay for transport to and from work. They do not want to give up working to support their family, are now looking for work in towns in the Midlands and North and hope to leave within the next few months.

This story highlights everything that is so wrong with the housing market in the SE. I hope more people start having the courage to do the same. If more care workers, cleaners and other low-paid essential workers leave, London and the SE will be left in a mess with no-one left to care for the oldies rattling round in their squillion-pound properties and the BTL spivs will have some lovely voids. The only problem is the lack of jobs elsewhere.

This is more of the same no? When was the last time you got served a coffee or a sandwich in London from someone with an English accent? I can't comment on other more important services as I'm an out of towner. The corresponding wage response from this scarcity won't come through because there are heaps of folks in the austerity stricken parts of Europe who will happily fill the void.