Is poverty a moral failing...

[Animavore]

That's because, like homophobes and those who support eugenics, they think it'll never happen to them or theirs.

[cronus]

Folks who are unwilling to steal large enough sums deserve all that they get.

[Brian Peacock]

Homeless denied social housing for being too poor, study says

Homeless people are being denied access to affordable housing because social landlords are routinely excluding prospective tenants who are deemed too poor or vulnerable to pay the rent, a study has revealed.

Research by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) found that “screening out” of homeless applicants nominated for newly available lets was widespread, as housing associations and local authorities increasingly ration their shrinking stocks of social homes.

In many cases nominees were refused a home because of the likelihood they would accrue major rent arrears after moving on to universal credit, because of the probability they would be hit by the bedroom tax or because the benefit cap had made them a financial risk.

Others were rejected after social landlords identified they had unmet mental health or addiction problems, often because of cuts to local NHS and housing support services. Individuals with unmet support needs were regarded as “too high a risk to tenancy sustainment”, the CIH said.

ome housing associations demanded that prospective tenants who would be moving on to universal credit pay a month’s rent up front, an impossible requirement for many homeless people. Landlords have been badly hit by rent arrears caused by tenants’ five-week wait for a first universal credit payment.

Homeless people were at risk of being caught in a “catch-22 scenario”, the CIH said, with some landlords’ letting practices creating a “perverse situation where the reasons why people may need access to social homes the most can often become barriers to accessing them”...

https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... study-says

[JimC]

This is an example of a systemic problem. A mirror image is how extreme wealth allows people to become even wealthier, via employing fancy tax lawyers, bribing politicians and ensuring that their offspring sail comfortably into extreme wealth themselves...

[pErvinalia]

Poor people just need to stop being poor.

[Rum]

When I was ‘in the field’ and dealing withe the great unwashed there was always a race at the poverty stricken ended of the housing market. The government would hike allowances so that homeless people could afford some sort of toe hold - often just bed and breakfast hostels, and the landlords would immediately hike their rents. Many openly declared ‘no benefits claimers’ and of course one couldn’t really blame them given how unreliable they often were.

I can’t imagine it’s got any better since my days in the field.

[Brian Peacock]

It's now illegal to advertise private lets with "No DHSS" (no benefit claimants) as used to be the case, but it hasn't stopped landlord from applying those conditions in other ways. When I moved into the Edinburgh flat those conditions were pretty explicit in the advertising as its the norm here to advertise flats and bedsits with the tag line, "prospective tenants must provide proof of an annual income over £14,000 per annum," and though 14k seems to be the cutoff the rate rises along with rental price of the property.

If you're earning the minimum wage in the UK that'll get you just over £15,000 pa before tax for a 36 hour week. You're taxed at 20% on anything over £11k which, unsurprisingly brings your income down to just over £14k. So when landlords advertise for tenants earning over £14k pa what they're really asking for are people with jobs - that is; no DHSS.

With the average price of an Edinburgh 1 bed flat or bedsit hovering around the £600 pm mark, then if you are on a minimum wage you're going to be spending about half you income on rent. With another £1700 pa or so going on local taxes, and another £1000 pa at least going on utilities, that could leave your disposable income at around £400 pm, or £100 pw, or £2.77 per hour. Food costs and transport costs etc come out of this bit left over. If you're working in Starbucks one cup of coffee is worth more than 1 hour of your time.

These are ball park figures of course, but the back-of-an-envelope maths was worked out on the minimum wage of £8.21 per hour. That's only available to people over 25. Young adults between 21-24 get £7.70 ph, and 18-21 year olds get £6.15 ph. You can see why so many young people are living with their parents - even if they are in full-time employment they still can't afford somewhere to live.

[laklak]

There are a lot of youngsters who move back in with their parents. That's why we live 8000 miles away from them.

More on point, I have no morals and I've been as poor ass as the next guy, so it can't be a moral failing.

[laklak]

... and the landlords would immediately hike their rents. Many openly declared ‘no benefits claimers’ and of course one couldn’t really blame them given how unreliable they often were.

Same happens at home. Minimum wage goes up, so do the rents. It's basic economics, particularly when rental units are in short supply. You've got a flat for $600 a month, bunch of people show up and one offers you $700, what you gonna do? Minimum wage rises and now somebody offers you $800. You'd be a fool not to take the money. It's a business, not a charity.

I'm glad we're out of the business, but probably will get back into it here. Despite my bitching about fixing the plumbing it's easy money, and like the man said, money makes the world go around.

I also understand the No DHS restriction. We rented to DHS people once, that's all it took. We got the money on time, because the gummint paid it directly, but they were scum. No other word for it, really. Trashed the place, all sort of complaints from the neighbors, cops called all the time, used needles tossed in the yard. Played hell getting them out of there, finally had to fucking PAY them $500 to move out of my own goddamn house. That was it for us, we left it vacant and sold it.

No problems like that here, the cops will just turf them out and likely give them a kicking. There are advantages to the 3rd World.

The only thing that more gummint regulation will do is reduce the number of available rental units as small investors realize it's a chump's game and invest in something else.

[Sean Hayden]

I've never met a happy landlord, fact.

[Rum]

When I retired I considered buying a couple of small properties with the lump sum I was due.

As it turned out Tigger and his dad ran a business doing that with (as I recall) eight or ten houses.

He was, as ever, helpful with advice, but basically warned me off. Too much hassle!

[Brian Peacock]

He was a wise oaf and that's for sure.

[rainbow]

There are a lot of youngsters who move back in with their parents. That's why we live 8000 miles away from them.

More on point, I have no morals and I've been as poor ass as the next guy, so it can't be a moral failing.

It doesn't follow. We in Africa live in mud huts and eat roots. Our morals are unquestionable.

[laklak]

I do like a good morel, though the cows usually get to them first. If you ever get this side of the border stop by the kraal for some buganu and Baptist biltong.

[rainbow]

I do like a good morel, though the cows usually get to them first. If you ever get this side of the border stop by the kraal for some buganu and Baptist biltong.