Re: Buy your council house

The extraordinary amount - said to be nearly a million - of housing of all types, both council controlled and privately owned that are standing empty could surely be made to help a lot of the homeless.

Re: Buy your council house

That's quite true, although I'm not sure of the numbers. But there seems to be a distinct lack of will to make the resources available.

Re: Buy your council house

The millions of houses not occupied is surely up to the private owners to charge a reasonable rent to get them occupied.
The council houses that are not occupied probably need refurbishment and not habitable, but there is no money there for councils to do this with all these cutbacks anyway.

This might answer your question Energy efficiency regs.
Read Home energy labeling.

Re: Buy your council house

The total empty houses in 2011 was calculated to be something in the order of 930,000. Many of them have been abandoned for one reason or another. Most councils of varying hues have a strategy in place but are dealing with the problem much too slowly. They already have been given powers to take on some private dwellings.

A little commonsense, application and not a great deal of money spent wisely could save very many of them. In some cases far, far less money than is currently being spent on painting up houses to look like they are inhabited.

The terrible waste and general decline cannot simply be laid solely at the door of the coalition government - as much as it's critics would like - because the hard facts are that it has been going on for years.

As to the Home Energy Labelling you kindly directed me to,
When the white elephant otherwise known as Home Information Packs (HIP's) were introduced by the last government, the equally pointless Energy Performance Certificates (EPC's) were included.
The new administration saw a modicom of sense and scrapped the HIP's but sadly kept the EPC's, albeit as nothing more than a condition report only requirement.

They are notoriously innaccurate and have a low reliability for old buildings of the type I spoke of earlier.
They will however provide information on energy use and possible running costs and recommend ways to reduce energy use and save money but they are just a report and not a regulation of standards.

Re: Buy your council house

May I just add to this thread, I worked and I paid taxes then I became ill and ended up on a benefit.
I rented property as I could never quite get the deposit together for my own property. I am in a social housing property, which is fortunate as the private rental I was in immediately issued an eviction for not being able to work - they were concerned there would be an instant problem with the rent payment.
My option was to accept what the social housing offered or sleep out in the cold, I would not be able to purchase a council house now but I feel the offer would be welcome to some, it is rather a bother when you are ill to have to be moved about at the drop of a pin.

Also, I read recently that half the social housing in this country has to allot 50% of property to overseas people, I am not against anyone living here if they want to live in a friendly and sociable fashion but I do object to them coming here on a free ticket with social housing rental accommodation waiting for them.

Re: Buy your council house

Well put plantman. far too many live in 4 bedroom houses all alone when they could be downsized and that house then given to a family with 3/4 kids. It makes common sense.