Surrendering Council house

Bally8

I have been living in a council house for the last 7 years. I have decided to move and will be giving my house back to the council. I came across something on the net before about getting a staggered payment of about €9,000 for doing this. Cant find it now. Dont want to ring council and ask yet- not moving for a while but just curious to see if anyone else knows about this surrendering payment or did I just dream it some night?

connundrum

Really? They pay you to move out of their house?

Madness.

K_P

I'm struggling to remember what it's called but there is some kind of payment available to people surrendering council accommodation and who will be taking on a mortgage.

To the last poster, it might initially sound like madness, but it's an incentive to people in council accommodation who can afford to live in private housing to make the move, thereby freeing up the council house for someone in greater need.

OP, I'd advise you to contact your main city or county council office. I used to work in a DCC area office with a very busy housing section. Even then, I only came across this payment once... hence the struggle to remember what it's called. Anyway, staff in your main City Hall or County Hall office would probably have more info on it. Even if you're not moving for a while, it's not harm in enquiring about it. Best to have all the information to hand as soon as you can.

adam.number2

K_P wrote: »

To the last poster, it might initially sound like madness, but it's an incentive to people in council accommodation who can afford to live in private housing to make the move, thereby freeing up the council house for someone in greater need.

Sounds like money for old rope to me! I feel slightly ill.

Phaetonman

Homelessness should be used as an incentive for people to pay for their own lodging if thats the case.

astrofool

Sounds like an intelligently derived and useful scheme, for once.

You can ignore Phaetonman's put down, he's just pissy that his namesake was an unashamed commercial disaster

connundrum

astrofool wrote: »

Sounds like an intelligently derived and useful scheme, for once.

Not wishing to sound harsh or uneducated as to the reasons for people to be in a council house, but it sounds like a lazy idea derived in order to save hassle for the council. Throw money at them and they'll go away.

If its a council house, then the person living there is already paying reduced rent. Why give them a lump sum to move out of a house which they don't own in the first place? It just seems like a silly approach to a problem that doesn't need to exist.

Forgive me if I don't fully understand the issue i.e. does the person need to be there 10+ years, or do they need to be a part owner or something?

astrofool

connundrum wrote: »

Not wishing to sound harsh or uneducated as to the reasons for people to be in a council house, but it sounds like a lazy idea derived in order to save hassle for the council. Throw money at them and they'll go away.

If its a council house, then the person living there is already paying reduced rent. Why give them a lump sum to move out of a house which they don't own in the first place? It just seems like a silly approach to a problem that doesn't need to exist.

Forgive me if I don't fully understand the issue i.e. does the person need to be there 10+ years, or do they need to be a part owner or something?

If there is no incentive to move from a council house, why should they? The money the individual receives will be paid back many times over by the council not having to build another residence for someone else.

It also stops one more person from being on the subsidy of reduced rent, which is also probably a larger cost per year than the pay off.

It's a carrot on a stick approach, rather than beat them with a stick approach.

Westwood

So in essence the county council give you a deposit for your new home, OMG what type of country are we living in? why didn’t I get a council house first. I could have saved myself 10 Grand.

Bally8

Thanks K_P and astrofool for the helpful comments. You are right about the help towards the mortgage. I just found the information in my tenant's handbook which I got a few years ago when I moved in. It says that if I surrender my house to the council they will assist me in buying me a private dwelling. They give a subsidy towards mortgage payments over the first five years of the mortgage. The level at June 2000 was £9,000.

astrofool

Westwood wrote: »

why didn’t I get a council house first. I could have saved myself 10 Grand.

a) You didn't do the necessary research when making the biggest purchase of your life and missed out on that huge saving.

b) You didn't want to spend years on a waiting list for a house or weren't earning a low enough wage for a council house, and then live in a council area for a few years, and then finally earn enough to afford your own house in a private estate.

You could also be missing out on single parent benefit, home carer benefit, medical benefits, third level benefits and more, quick go and save yourself all that money, more information here: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/money-and-tax/tax/income-tax-credits-and-reliefs

K_P

Westwood wrote: »

So in essence the county council give you a deposit for your new home, OMG what type of country are we living in? why didn’t I get a council house first. I could have saved myself 10 Grand.

In all honesty you'd quite possibly still be waiting. The length of the lists are appalling.

By the way, do tell me where €9k will get me a deposit on a house! I realise this does seem like a mad idea, but no matter how many Celtic Tigers we have, there will always be a need for social housing. Despite decades of government policy promoting home ownership, there will always be people for whom that is not possible. If someone in social housing, no longer has a huge need for it and wants to move on, it's far better for the council to give that person an incentive to do so rather than paying a fortune to buy further housing.

OTK

Bally8 wrote: »

I have been living in a council house for the last 7 years. I have decided to move and will be giving my house back to the council.

It's not your house.

foxy06

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/housing/buying-a-home/help-with-buying-a-home/mortgage_allowance_scheme

Its called Mortgage allowance.

adam.number2

K_P wrote: »

it's far better for the council to give that person an incentive to do so rather than paying a fortune to buy further housing.

How about giving the rest of us an incentive for not sponging off the state, for working hard, getting up every morning, putting in the hard slog... why should anyone bother, just kick back and have it all provided for you.

Phaetonman

but no matter how many Celtic Tigers we have, there will always be a need for social housing

Dead right, there will always be dole scum no matter how many good jobs are out there.

Bally8

OTK wrote: »

It's not your house.

I have a life long tenancy so maybe sentimentally I see it as my house. I can live here forever if I choose.

Dont want to get involved in these arguments which are just the usual sweeping generalizations I have heard for years. Its easy to tar everyone with the same brush.

foxy06

I'm with you there Bally. People who make these sort of comments have never been unfortunate enough to be stuck in a situation where you have no other option than to turn to the state for help and I hope they never are in that situation because they wouldn't be able to cope.

Phaetonman

foxy06 wrote: »

I'm with you there Bally. People who make these sort of comments have never been unfortunate enough to be stuck in a situation where you have no other option than to turn to the state for help and I hope they never are in that situation because they wouldn't be able to cope.

Cry me a river.

What about all those people who just earn the industrial average. Struggling with huge mortgages, living costs and doing it all on their own steam. And then you have others who get paid to leave to their free house.

mikemac

Out of interest, how much does a council house cost in rent?
Like for example if a 3 bed Terenure rents for €1600-€1800 per month or so for example how much would I pay for a similar 3 bed house in nearby Crumlin rented off the council?

I've no idea, does it depend on your income and what you can afford?

Using Dublin examples, but I'd imagine there a difference everywhere

K_P

adam.number2 wrote: »

How about giving the rest of us an incentive for not sponging off the state, for working hard, getting up every morning, putting in the hard slog... why should anyone bother, just kick back and have it all provided for you.

There's not a single thing in the world stopping you from doing that. Off you go to your nearest council estate and see what a delightful quality of life "sponging off the state" gets you.

I can't be bothered getting any further involved in this. It's sad though that the second someone mentions council housing the "dole scum" and "spongers" labels are trotted out. I've seen it on other threads here too. I'm by no means a bleeding heart liberal, but I at least can recognise that there are some people out there who will need state assistance at some stage in their lives. I'd rather live in a society that recognises that and taxes me accordingly than the kind of place where you fend for yourself or die.

And finally, best of luck with the move OP.

seahorse

Bally8 wrote: »

I have a life long tenancy so maybe sentimentally I see it as my house. I can live here forever if I choose.

You can indeed Bally8, and good luck to you. It is more your house than some of those in private housing who think they're a better breed of people on the back of it and, with the way the country's going, are in for a shock when they have theirs repossessed in the next few years.

adam.number2

K_P wrote: »

There's not a single thing in the world stopping you from doing that. Off you go to your nearest council estate and see what a delightful quality of life "sponging off the state" gets you.

I live in a council estate, Crumlin to be precise. I'll be paying it back for the next 27 years and it makes me sick to see these 'poor people' living all around me, jetting off for foreign holidays, sitting at home all day claiming benefits, when they're perfectly able to work; driving cars, while I struggle to keep my bicycle on the road! I haven't been on a holiday since I bought the house. My 'disabled' next door neighbours complain about the council not fixing doors for them, not coming to collect their rubbish... as if it's their right! They have been for 4 holidays since I moved in here 3 years ago. Both perfectly well able, not a thing wrong with either of them.... and you're going to say, well "report them then"... and I'll tell you our cul de sac is full of them, our neighbours aren't even the worst.

They're laughing at us; why would they work. They know how to work the system....

Been paid money to move out of a state provided benefit, it makes me sick. What I see the OP on here to do, is work the system, how do I claim my moving out allowance. He/she's already made the decision to move out, its not that they _need_ the allowance, its just its their 'entitlement', so they want to know how to go about claiming it. Well someone pays for that 'entitlement' and it's probably the person who actually needs the benefit. Someone who is truely disabled, old or infirm, or is truely in need of housing help.

BTW, I have no problem with bone fida social welfare claimants, but they are pretty few and far between. I live amongst them, I see the fraud of it, every day.

seahorse

adam.number2 wrote: »

BTW, I have no problem with bone fida social welfare claimants, but they are pretty few and far between. I live amongst them, I see the fraud of it, every day.

Well I can understand why you would be pissed off if you're looking at fraud left and right adam.number2; what I dont understand is how you know that's what you're looking at? What I mean is, surely you've got to know a good deal about a persons business before you know whether or not they're a welfare fraudster? How can you know the private business of the majority of residents on a whole street?

And of those you do know for certain to be breaking the law, why havent you reported them?

Victor

adam.number2 wrote: »

I live in a council estate, Crumlin to be precise. I'll be paying it back for the next 27 years and it makes me sick to see these 'poor people' living all around me, jetting off for foreign holidays, sitting at home all day claiming benefits, when they're perfectly able to work; driving cars, while I struggle to keep my bicycle on the road! I haven't been on a holiday since I bought the house. My 'disabled' next door neighbours complain about the council not fixing doors for them, not coming to collect their rubbish... as if it's their right! They have been for 4 holidays since I moved in here 3 years ago. Both perfectly well able, not a thing wrong with either of them.... and you're going to say, well "report them then"... and I'll tell you our cul de sac is full of them, our neighbours aren't even the worst.

This is Accommodation & Property, go have your rant elsewhere.

Not every disability is visible.

If you encourage every working, able-bodied person out of social housing, you end up with ghettoes. We know how that worked in the 1980s, don't we?

Many 'council' estates have mixed ownership models - council rental, hosuing association rental / ownership, shared-ownership, owner-occupied, private rental ....

Peopkle are entitled to ask their lanlord to fix somethign that isn't working. Sure, perhaps that model isn't working ideally, but you never made that point.

Banned & infracted.