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1985 9:03 Thu Feb 25
Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

I no longer live up there so have no idea how difficult it is for people to get on the housing ladder in London. But I imagine that, unless you work on the Yen Desk, it must be pretty hard.

Just watched a Channel 4 report on Boris Johnson's apparent failings on his pledges to provide affordable housing, selling off public land for next to nothing to developers who didn't provide the amount of affordable housing that he pledged he would get them to build.

Tory MP who was interviewed said Boris has provided 100,000 affordable homes in London, which was more than Livingstone did.

Are you trying to buy your first gaff in London or are you having to look at moving out of London?

Hammer and Pickle 10:56 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

Rent to buy, me.

hub hub hub hub 10:44 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

Couldn't pay me enough to move back to London. Albeit i only live a half hours drive away, its quieter, its friendlier, my neighbours speak perfect english and only have 2 cars to the 1 house unlike the 4 the eastern europeans have and my local tesco doesn't look like I've walked in to a walmart in Detroit.

Hermit Road 5:24 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

Fifth. I haven't seen you argue the point that huge immigration has been the main factor in the housing shortage.

Hermit Road 5:21 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

I haven't blamed immigrants. I'm married to one. I have said that a massive increase in the population creates a massive demand for housing. That doesn't mean they're buying them, but they do have to live somewhere.

Fifth Column 5:18 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

"it's impossible to argue against"... except it is and I gave you close to half a dozen reasons. You haven't explained why your one reason collectively trumps all the other reasons stated.

The Kronic 5:15 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

Of course mass immigration doesn't help matters, but thanks to the selling off of council houses, with a pitiful number of replacements, it wouldn't matter if net immigration was zilch.

Hammer and Pickle 4:51 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

Hermit is explaining the shortage in lower-end housing in the affluent parts of England by looking at the demand side only and claiming foreign workers are above all responsible.

He is refusing to look at the supply side at all and neither is he ready to factor in these foreigners' feeble purchasing power as first-time owners. Remember, these are often people living up to twelve in a room in accommodation rented from buy to rent absentee landlords, and Hermit blaming them for the housing shortage is nothing short of perverse.

At best, he is basing his absurd claims on council housing handouts, and these, as has been established, have become negligible. He is clearly peddling yet another rationalisation for his catholic xenophobia and I really don't know why I'm bothering to address the miserable alter-boy's efforts at posts.

Hermit Road 4:19 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

I didn't say it was solely down to immigration. I said immigration is by far the biggest factor. By far. It's impossible to argue against. All other factors are so minor as to be rendered irrelevant.

paolo 2:34 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

Went from renting to buying recently and I could only afford to rent a one bed flat but can afford to buy a two bedroom property. Country Dogs etc.

Fifth Column 2:19 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

Hermit

Even at that time you had to wait to be housed in terms of Council housing. There was insufficient supply.

The population was also rising at the time. It was not static which is what you are implying.

And the population in the south has massively increased whilst some places up north have seen drops in population because economically London does so well.

This means London in particular has problems and Right To Buy caused more problems here than anywhere as a result.

So, for all the above reasons it's simply untrue to state that the shortage of housing is solely due to immigration.

Secondly, Right To Buy made private renting far more common, particularly in London. Many many people became landlords and property became a money making venture far more than it ever was before. As a result, rents that would have been high anyway due to shortages become even higher because landlords want to make an additional profit.

This means housing in London is even more expensive.

All of this started with Right To Buy and as I said has been ignored by the Labour government and the coalition government and now under current government will get much worse due to their regulations on building houses for sale as opposed to social renting.

The Kronic 1:36 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

Hermit Road 1:3

By definition, if you introduce right to buy and then don't build the equivalent number of replacement council homes, then it doesn't take a genius to work out the consequences.
Thatcher knew exactly what she was doing, the cunt.

Hermit Road 1:31 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

Fifth. By definition, the shortage can only exist with an increase in the population. Right to Buy didn't make that happen.

Annony 1:12 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

Darby_ 11:50 Fri Feb 26

Exactly, we all can't afford Kensington. Better to buy outside London and capitalise. Just what I read, but Dartford property is selling fastest at the moment as it is possible to buy something under £300k.

, 1:09 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

The solution would be for the London boroughs to build affordable housing. Central government will not let them do it.

Fifth Column 1:06 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

Hermit

Even without immigration, Right To Buy was a fucking disaster for the country. Individuals who bought did benefit of course, no denying that... but Thatcher was ideologically opposed to social housing. Councils by law were not allowed to reinvest sales in more housing. As a result we have a massive shortage of housing. It's not rocket science.

Hermit Road 1:04 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

It's not Thatchers fault. Right to Buy was a good idea when the population was moving from renting to ownership. If the population had been relatively stable, there would not have been the shortage of housing that had caused the situation we are in. The simple truth is that an extra 10 million people, a substantial amount of them poor, means that the squeeze on affordable housing has become intolerable.

It's obvious what the main pressure is.

tonka 12:04 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

Where I live in Wapping many of the flats are owned by foreign investors, half of them are empty which is sad for the local community, to think that this is Boris's fault however is pure folly, this has been going on for years as a proof point 2 of the flats near me have been chinese owned for nearly 20 years. It's not just about where the money comes from, it's about who is willing to take risks and get capital appreciation over the long term.

Fifth Column 12:01 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

ILOVEPAOLODICANIO wrote...
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?
Its funny that everyone is moaning but noone is going 'cheers thanks for making my home and net worth increase a couple hundred grand in the last few years.'


Paolo... like LondonE3 says, I'm OK, not long left on my mortgage and house has more than doubled in price in a decade... but how on earth are my kids going to be able to afford to live in London? Thatcher decimated council housing through Right To Buy and every single government since then, Tories and Labour, have just made the situation worse. A decade ago me and my Mrs could buy a family house in zone 2 on combined salary of just under 70K. Today what could you buy in London with that income? A bedsit in Dagenham?

I would have been happy with the prices staying as they were. I don't particularly need my house to double in price as long as it's not losing value compared to when it was bought - I'd just like my kids to either have access to council housing, like my family did as a kid, or to be able to buy a house in London. I can't see they will be able to do either.

There should be rules around foreign ownership of residential housing...it will cause riots in a decade.

goose 11:54 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

from my experience housing in london is either super expensive or given to you for free by the council.
no middle ground.

Darby_ 11:50 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

Working class people are being forced out of London and Boris and the Tories in general don't give a shit about it.

On the other hand, there's a lot of money being made in London property, and instead of whining about prices, you should be smart and try to join in on the money-making. Don't buy in London. Buy in an area outside London which has decent access to the centre of London. Those will probably be the next areas to take off.

Then either live there or rent it out and use the money to pay your rent in London.

Annony 2:13 Fri Feb 26
Re: Has Boris screwed Londoners over housing?

Buy to leave they call it, rich foreigners parking their money here. It's not just new builds, walk around many central streets and look up at the windows in the evening and there are few lights on. If you can afford to buy, chances are you have others and can afford to leave it empty.

A lot of the indigenous populous have cashed in and moved out as there is no longer a community in many places, it's soulless. So not the best place to live anyway.

As people move out the money does filter down, it's like uncontrolled immigration, there is no control.

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