Mortgages , high interest , and crocodile tears.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
We are registered for home help, had a woman around to organize the cleaning but later realized that she came from some private Co that had logged onto the system, scrubbed her, still do all the cleaning every week myself, the wife reckons I work to hard, but she wasn't at sea.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

A bit like the NDIS Des, just about any one can set themselves up as a provider.
Then they can take up to 25% of that persons money in administration fees.
A mate of mine has very bad MS, spends his life in a wheel chair.
Goes to the local community health center to have his toe nails cut.
Paya $9 for that, but the community center then take $120 out of his annual allowance to cover their costs.

[j.sabourn]

In my time paying mortgages in the UK you had to prove to the building society viz the bank, that you could afford to pay back the instalments . You were only allowed a loan of 2.5 x your annual salary. My first house in 1963 was 2,450 pounds and had to put a deposit of 240 pounds (10%) my earnings per month was just under 100 pounds a month. Interest rates were never lower than 8% during my time except when I transferred my loan to JIJacobs where got it at 4% , but had to revert it back a year later when they flew the coop.
JS

[James Curry]

The lack of social housing here in the UK pushed house prices up. But more to blame was the banks relaxing the amounts one could borrow. Up went the amounts and up went house prices sky high in some so called desireable areas.Also the housing supply was dropping as building new homes did not seem to be a priority, Shortage increases prices. As does an increase in population.

[happy daze john in oz]

The question of social housing, just where does that come from?
I can find no evidence in any legislation that any gov should provide you with a home, that is your responsibility.
Similar to employment, your responsibility.

Here in Victoria the gov is making it very hard for people to gain access to private rentals.
Continuous increases in charges aimed at land lords, who pass the cost on, make rentals as expensive as a mortgage.

[j.sabourn]

It is the governments job to look after the welfare of its citizens otherwise why have a government. All any government has to do as said before to attempt to ease the stress is what the likes of the UK did when we were younger. In Australia a taxpayer homeowner gets no concessions on his property , an investor does , reverse the roles would ease the situation. However this would dry up the investment business for buying rental properties and cause the government to be investors and supply for the needy with rents more appropriately to the value of the house. Not every citizen is in a position to buy expensive property and this is not always his own fault. Various governments have worn blinkers over the years. After the war my father was demobbed in 1946 and had to wait 3 years for a council house ,during those 3 years thousands of alien waifs and strays were housed before UK citizens were. Cheers JS

[James Curry]

#25 there used to be a reasonable social housing stock in the UK. Then along came the Right to buy your council house at a discounted rate.
Nothing wrong with that idea. Were it failed was that money recieved by councils should have been re invested into creating more social housing homes, not wasted the way it was.

[happy daze john in oz]

My mum an dad were able to buy their council house for GBP7,000 as they were long term tenants.
But they both passed in time, dad first.
My younger sister stayed at home with mum until she passed.
About a year before that she married a bloody crook, a guy from Malasia..000.

Just after mum passed without telling the family he put the house on the market, sold very quickly at GBP
He trousered the money and with my sister took off to live in Spain.
Just hope he never in UK again when I am there.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

The full cause of the housing crisis in the UK at least is that That wonderful woman Margaret Thatcher made the councils sell all their housing stock, so that the only way someone affter that could get a house was to buy it, WITH WHAT? Borrow the money from us said the Bankers.
Des

[j.sabourn]

My younger brother who lived at home wanted to buy it . But as the old man’s name was on the rent book he wouldn’t let him. Probably scared he might throw him out.? The old man although a builder himself would never buy a house just said you are buying someone else’s problems , also that a council house was the better build as went through proper surveys and not Gerry built. Plus he never wanted to be in debt. He built a whole new extension on the back of my house in stone also a stone fireplace going the full length of the room, only cost me a few pints , on the condition I laboured to him. Nearly killed me as was a hard taskmaster but it was worth it. JS