Breaking News: People want free houses. Can I have one too?

10000maniacs

Just watching the RTE news. An emotive report of new houses boarded up, and various couples declaring an interest in obtaining them. One irritated woman was livid that one was boarded up and she is living in an apartment without a bath with her boyfriend and child.
I paid €250,000 for my house. If I had have known there were free houses going a begging, I would have saved all that dough.

The_Conductor

10000maniacs wrote: »

Just watching the RTE news. An emotive report of new houses boarded up, and various couples declaring an interest in obtaining them. One irritated woman was livid that one was boarded up and she is living in an apartment without a bath with her boyfriend and child.
I paid €250,000 for my house. If I had have known there were free houses going a begging, I would have saved all that dough.

I live in an apartment- with my two young children- am I stupid for continuing to pay my mortgage? I just don't understand why people seem to believe they deserve to be handed things on a plate........

carrolls

From an early age in life I made choices.
No to playing hooky or crime.
No to stealing or fighting.
No drugs. Did college.
Saved all the money I could to get my first house deposit.
I live a boring mundane life , day in day out, year in year out.
I work hard at my job for just about enough to pay the mortgage, bills and put food on the table.
I pay my insurance, utility bills, property tax month in month out.
Am starting to feel very overstretched these days.
I think that covers 80% of home owners in similar scenarios in Ireland.

Why should some folks who do all the opposites be entitled to a free house?

Todd Toddington III

carrolls wrote: »

From an early age in life I made choices.
No to playing hooky or crime.
No to stealing or fighting.
No drugs. Did college.
Saved all the money I could to get my first house deposit.
I live a boring mundane life , day in day out, year in year out.
I work hard at my job for just about enough to pay the mortgage, bills and put food on the table.
I pay my insurance, utility bills, property tax month in month out.
Am starting to feel very overstretched these days.
I think that covers 80% of home owners in similar scenarios in Ireland.

Why should some folks who do all the opposites be entitled to a house.

Its ingrained though. There parents probably have social housing. Their friends parents the same. Dont forget the councils created vaste estates of social housing once upon a time. Its hard to change peoples mindsets. Plus some people are just poor and could never afford a morgage. Others are poor because they HAVE a morgage. Everyone is fooked really

carrolls

Todd Toddington III wrote: »

Its ingrained though. There parents probably have social housing. Their friends parents the same. Dont forget the councils created vaste estates of social housing once upon a time. Its hard to change peoples mindsets. Plus some people are just poor and could never afford a morgage. Others are poor because they HAVE a morgage. Everyone is fooked really

I would rather be fooked with a free house than a 25 year mortgage to be honest.

bigroad

The free house deal sounds good.If you dont like the first one they offer you,you can refuse till you get that nice 3 bet semi.When NAMA hand over more of their stock you might even get a 4 bed detatched in a well to do area.

Todd Toddington III

carrolls wrote: »

I would rather be fooked with a free house than a 25 year mortgage to be honest.

Oh I agree. The dutch model is interesting, most people rent, and rent costs are regulated. would solve lots of problems. Never work here though, land is ingrained in the psyche. Everyone wants a house, free preferably but lots are willing to get large morgages too

Biffo The Bare

bigroad wrote: »

The free house deal sounds good.If you dont like the first one they offer you,you can refuse till you get that nice 3 bet semi.When NAMA hand over more of their stock you might even get a 4 bed detatched in a well to do area.

How about this plan. Instead of "RIGHT TO A HOUSE", how about "RIGHT TO A JOB". So that they could work for their mortgage and house keys. Otherwise a trailer park out in Fota Island or somewhere.

Boombastic

bigroad wrote: »

The free house deal sounds good.If you dont like the first one they offer you,you can refuse till you get that nice 3 bet semi.When NAMA hand over more of their stock you might even get a 4 bed detatched in a well to do area.

will there be room for a trampoline?

bigroad

Yes some of the council houses come fully equipted with solar water heating .That enables the occupants to direct their extra cash to the sky sports bill.In some cases there can be a free bin service or skip service layed on aswell.
Its a win win ,anyone that does not have their name on the list ,they should do so as quick as possible.

Santa Cruz

Boombastic wrote: »

will there be room for a trampoline?

Of course. Just stick it in between the bouncy castle and the Rottweilers kennel. It will block the view of the 1995 Micra on concrete blocks

jmayo

Todd Toddington III wrote: »

Its ingrained though. There parents probably have social housing. Their friends parents the same. Dont forget the councils created vaste estates of social housing once upon a time. Its hard to change peoples mindsets. Plus some people are just poor and could never afford a morgage. Others are poor because they HAVE a morgage. Everyone is fooked really

I don't think some people get it.
Council or corporation housing was not just for those who were lazy leeching feckers who never worked a day in their lives, but also for people who worked low paying jobs.

Of course the image now of state provided housing is that of free housing for the leeching feckers who never worked nor never will work and have their hand out for everything and anything.

The problem is that nowadays there are some people who are working, or at least one partner is, and they can't afford a mortgage because they can't save enough and besides they could never make the repayments.
That is fair enough, some can't afford to buy.

They can rent, but renting private rented accommodation where they can be realistically turfed out at any time (e.g landlord is repossessed, sells, etc) is not the answer for these families where a bit of security is needed.
They will probably be renting for the rest of their lives and feck it might want to be part of the same community during that time.
They need some long term stability and council/corpo housing was a way to give them this.

And as was evident the other day on the radio where one lady was interviewed saying they could no longer afford the rent in Dublin, some of these people now can't even afford the rent.

What are these low paying workers meant to do ?
It is sad to say, but they would be better off on the dole.

That is where this state is trully fooked up.

gaius c

Very disappointing report from RTE. The background is that the daft report indicated that rents are going up in urban areas by amounts well in excess of the rate of inflation and to add some "colour", they go talk to folk who were (putting it politely) at the lower end of the socioeconomic scale.

If they wanted to plant the idea that "renters=doleys", they couldn't have been any more hamfisted.
They had a real chance to do a decent report on the varied nature of the rental market and all the middle-class wannabe FTB's who are trapped renting in an insane market but no, they decide to focus in on a bunch of "that house, give it to me for free" jokers.

Biffo The Bare

carrolls wrote: »

From an early age in life I made choices.
No to playing hooky or crime.
No to stealing or fighting.
No drugs. Did college.
Saved all the money I could to get my first house deposit.
I live a boring mundane life , day in day out, year in year out.
I work hard at my job for just about enough to pay the mortgage, bills and put food on the table.
I pay my insurance, utility bills, property tax month in month out.
Am starting to feel very overstretched these days.
I think that covers 80% of home owners in similar scenarios in Ireland.

Why should some folks who do all the opposites be entitled to a free house?

Really great way of putting it. Hats off.

spoke2cun

bigroad wrote: »

The free house deal sounds good.If you dont like the first one they offer you,you can refuse till you get that nice 3 bet semi.When NAMA hand over more of their stock you might even get a 4 bed detatched in a well to do area.

AFAIK when the council offer you a house, You don't get to view it until you've already signed the 5 year tenancy contract! They are also trying to squeeze families of 5 and 6 into 2 bedroom + box room houses, called 3 bed semis! If families refuse this twice in a 12 month period, they are removed from the housing list for 12 months.

Gatling

Love how people are claiming these social houses are free ,

Unfortunately there not free or anything like it

Rory28

carrolls wrote: »

From an early age in life I made choices.
No to playing hooky or crime.
No to stealing or fighting.
No drugs. Did college.
Saved all the money I could to get my first house deposit.
I live a boring mundane life , day in day out, year in year out.
I work hard at my job for just about enough to pay the mortgage, bills and put food on the table.
I pay my insurance, utility bills, property tax month in month out.
Am starting to feel very overstretched these days.
I think that covers 80% of home owners in similar scenarios in Ireland.

Why should some folks who do all the opposites be entitled to a free house?

because its their fault you're miserable.

10000maniacs

Rory28 wrote: »

because its their fault you're miserable.

Hurry back, you might be missing something on Sky Sports.
Was Jeremy Kyle good this morning?

No Pants

spoke2cun wrote: »

They are also trying to squeeze families of 5 and 6 into 2 bedroom + box room houses, called 3 bed semis!

Surely not.

10000maniacs

No Pants wrote: »

Surely not.

The old free house not being big enough conundrum.:pac:

BailMeOut

Are council houses 'free'? I always thought the occupier still pays the council to live and eventually own one. How does it work?

No Pants

10000maniacs wrote: »

The old free house not being big enough conundrum.:pac:

I can't understand why more than three bedrooms would be needed and many families could get away with two. If the family continues to grow, the council could always quote Twink; "Zip up your mickey."

Lenin Skynard

BailMeOut wrote: »

Are council houses 'free'? I always thought the occupier still pays the council to live and eventually own one. How does it work?

You pay rent on it and the council retains ownership on it. Doesn't quite fit in with the sensationalist tone of the thread but sure let's not let the truth get in the way of a good whinge.

Biffo The Bare

10000maniacs wrote: »

Hurry back, you might be missing something on Sky Sports.
Was Jeremy Kyle good this morning?

:pac::pac::pac:

10000maniacs

10000maniacs wrote: »

Just watching the RTE news. An emotive report of new houses boarded up, and various couples declaring an interest in obtaining them. One irritated woman was livid that one was boarded up and she is living in an apartment without a bath with her boyfriend and child.
I paid €250,000 for my house. If I had have known there were free houses going a begging, I would have saved all that dough.

I didn't read/see the report.

But surely the question has to be, "What is the point in boarding houses up when we have such a crisis?"

It costs money to leave a house vacant. There's also work to be done when "unboarding" the house again. Damp, mould, possibility of rats, dead animals/birds etc.

Why not rent out these houses at bottom rung prices and get something for them instead of letting them waste away?

Calhoun

I would also like one of these free houses, but it has to be in D4 because my kids go to school there. Will it help if i make myself homeless and go on the news?

Or invite a couple of roaming junkies to squat in my current free house, after i go on holidays for "2 weeks". Dont be giving me any crap because like the Loreal add i am worth it.

On a serious note, i don't think people really think these people are getting something for truely free but there is a real disconnect from people who are being supported by the state on what they should actually be entitled to.

The term he who pays the piper decides the tune seems quite meaningless if you were to go on some of these news reports, it looks like most folk want to be housed where they want and at quite a large size to accomodate poor family planning.

When you have to pay for it, you run a similar risk in terms of renting, you have to do things like move to an area thats affordable and even limit your family size.

So yah i say some folk do have a hard time understanding the situation of folk looking for accomodation.

I always think of this quote when I'm reading these Mortgaged Housing Vs Social Housing threads:

“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—
and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

We've all been f*cked by the way the country has been run. I'm very sorry for people who bought houses between 2002 and 2006. I have friends who bought tiny sh*tbox apartments in Meath and now want to have a family but can't because they can't move out.

BUT we have got a social housing crisis in Ireland. There is many people who can't afford to pay rent anymore. We have landlords exercising blatant economic discrimination by refusing rent allowance point blank.

There are so many boarded up buildings that are going to waste when a family could use them. Why not charge them a meager rent in return for being responsible for the house?

As for the, "If you can't afford to live there, move to the wilderness" argument. What if they have kids in school? What if they have a support unit of family there to help babysitting? Community has and is very important within Ireland historically but we are erasing that by making people move away from their families farther and father afield.

This bickering and arguing between Social Housing and Mortgage Payers is precisely what the Government want. They should be the focus of our ire, and not each other.

Calhoun

Deleted User wrote: »

As for the, "If you can't afford to live there, move to the wilderness" argument. What if they have kids in school? What if they have a support unit of family there to help babysitting? Community has and is very important within Ireland historically but we are erasing that by making people move away from their families farther and father afield.

I agree if we have the houses they should be used but i feel we should follow the housing list, i would hope that we dont reward folk for courting the media and its done in a fair way.

On the quoted portion i don't see why folk who are paying their way should have to move either but most do as they have to. Why should it be any different for folks in social housing?

RobbingBandit

OP did you pay €250,000 for your house or did the bank pay €250,000 or even part there of? I have been homeless more than 6 months now, I am staying in a room with no toliet or cooking facilities that is costing me €600+ a month of which I am paying for from my disability allowance, I am left with just €34 a week to live off, to pay for food and what ever else. Don't bitch and moan about people wanting free houses, nothing in life is free, nothing.

Magicmatilda

Pappa Dolla - you have managed to put my thoughts into words perfectly.

Eric Cartman

Ireland has a social housing crisis , in the form of it being missapropriated.

Im all for social housing for the truly needy (disabled, elderly with no family, workers below the income threshold ) but all I seem to see around me is so called 'social housing' and RA properties handed to the dregs of our society , people who seem to be determined to have kids yet are incapable of raising them, who work hard at getting a tan , smoking their lungs out and keeping up with the soaps but not much else, people whos career decision was made at the age of 16-17 when they decided to let 'anto' throw it into them so she could get a free house off the back of a crying brat .

Ireland has a social housing problem because there is no social housing, we only have anti-social housing , functioning as some sort of halfway house for people between being a normal member of society and a resident of mountjoy.