Housing in Shetland

[Hollian]

There are some very interesting comments on this topic. The Housing Service's allocation policy is written using The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and homeless legisaltion. There is very strict legisaltion covering social rented housing (that is Hjaltland & SIC). The policy is then presented to SIC councillors and the Shetland Tenants forum for comment and agreement. The Allocation policy is available to the public, if anyone is interested, Housing should be able to provide a copy.

Unforuntunalty the Act is generic, in that it is written for the whole of Scotland, covering rural and urban areas.

Re people coming off the boat and getting a house, there are a number of people who are sent back south again that night, simply because they are not classed as homeless under homeless legisaltion. Everyone who presents to the Housing Service as homeless, has their homelessness investigated. If this takes longer than a day, (and in many cases it can) Housing offer that person somewhere to stay while their homelessness is being investigated. Likewise someone from Shetland can go anywhere in Scotland and present as homeless and the same process should happen there.

Social rented housing in Shetland is allocated to those in most need. When you are on that waiting lists, it is so frustrating, you see other people being allocated houses and you can't understand why they would getting a house. The reason someone is allocated is not always obvious.

 

Angel, hang in there, build up a good relationship with your Housing Officer, make sure you have all the points you are intitled to. Tell them as much info as you can.

[Smoorikin]

I must agreed totally with Hollian's last post.

And I know that HHA doesn't have the same obligation as the SIC to house homeless people, because they are not local authority.

So the idea of somebody coming off the boat and walking straight into a HHA house just doesn't happen.

It just feels that HHA is getting tarred with the same brush as the SIC.

[Willies_landy]

Hollian, From what you are saying the whole allocation system should be transparent. Would it therefor be possible to view particular alocations under the Freedom of Information Act. i.e could an aggrieved party establish how many points were given to a third party to secure a house that the third party was allocated.

[Hollian]

Putting a request for information in using The Freedom of Information Act is a fairly easy process. The request must be in a recordable format and I think there is a £10 charge. However some information can't be given out due to Data Protection. Eg it may identify the 3rd party, and here in Shetland there a good chance it does.

 

http://www.shetland.gov.uk/housing/documents/AllocationPolicy2.pdf

 

Just found the SIC allocation policy on the internet!

 

I'm sure there is info on allocations as well on the SIC website, but I don't have time this morning to have a good hunt! Might try later and see if I can find info for you, Willies_landy.

[BigMouth]

Putting a request for information in using The Freedom of Information Act is a fairly easy process. The request must be in a recordable format and I think there is a £10 charge./quote]

 

I just want to clear this up as an inaccuracy.

 

The only charge is for producing the information, and not gathering it. There is no fixed fee.

 

I have been involved in the asking for information and the providing information processes under the Act. No charge was made to me or by me. generally you are only charged if they are having to print off reams of information. I would be surprised if the vast majority of FOI requests were nt answered on a couple of sheets of A4

[BigMouth]

.... snip ... The other problem is the lack of affordable houses to buy. I've been in a council house far longer than I had ever hoped to be, but am stuck there because the price of houses has sky rocketed. People moving up from the mainland are certainly to problem with that situation. Selling a house on the mainland easily gives you large amounts of cash to buy a house in Shetland. This traps folk like me in council housing - Boooo!

 

This is certainly true and is a problem that is plagueing the whole country.

 

Sussex village houses were bought up by London commuters making prices beyond the reach of the locals. As the commuters were away all day, the village shops, butchers and post office closed and the locals had to move into town to be near the shops. Then they moved the supermarkets out of town so the locals had to buy cars and chog up the road system.

 

If you are a born and bred Shetlander and have your house on the market for £40,000 and some soothy comes along and offers you £60,000 for it, only you can decide whether there is a moral issue there and whether you should sell your property to a fellow Shetlander for £40,000 to make a stand against the rocketing house prices. To be honest I have not seen a lot of people making a stand.

[Fjool]

sell your property to a fellow Shetlander for £40,000 to make a stand against the rocketing house prices. To be honest I have not seen a lot of people making a stand.

 

All that would happen is that your 'fellow Shetlander' would sell the property on and make your profit their own. Or am I just being cynical...?

[BigMouth]

All that would happen is that your 'fellow Shetlander' would sell the property on and make your profit their own. Or am I just being cynical...?

 

8O So you mean that no-one cares enough to make sure that fellow Shetlanders are able to afford housing in the place of their birth 8O

 

Shocking

[Babsy]

Angel

recently got into a bit of a situation and found out I'm expecting,

 

So you had unprotected sex and got your self-pregnant.

 

Angel

The council and Hjaltland have both been informed of my situation,

 

I would have thought the Father would have been the best one to inform.

Angel

all I'm asking is for somewhere stable for my child to come into and grow up and I'm being met with no help.

 

You are responsible for your own actions get a mortgage, or live with your parents.

It’s the same old story get pregnant and the state will look after me.

 

 

Angel

I also feel you have no place to comment about 'The Father' you have no idea of my situation with him, so will ignore that comment.

 

Well we know of one situation you had with him and it seems that can’t be ignored.

[Fjool]

^^ And I thought I was an ass.

[JustMe]

That tirade from Babsy is not the sort of thing this lass needs to hear and anyway without knowing the whole story I think his/her comments are unfair.

[Sudden Stop]

If you are a born and bred Shetlander and have your house on the market for £40,000 and some soothy comes along and offers you £60,000 for it, only you can decide whether there is a moral issue there and whether you should sell your property to a fellow Shetlander for £40,000 to make a stand against the rocketing house prices. To be honest I have not seen a lot of people making a stand.

 

I know someone that recently sold a house up here, it was on the website for less than two hours before someone that had sold everything down south phoned and offered 20 grand over the asking price. I sure everybody will know of something similar, it's happening all the time.

 

The whole first time buyer thing, nation wide, is un-do-able at the moment as BigMouth rightly states. Shetland is probably in a worse situation because housing prices have been slightly behind the curve compared to the mainland, making them seem relatively cheap to incomers. That means that houses sell quickly and well over the going rate. First time buyers are stuffed.

 

Back to the housing topic, Sudden Stop says they've been in a council house too long and can't afford to buy somewhere else - in my opinion you are fortunate to get a council house and if you've been a tennant for a long time you are entitled to a huge discount to buy the house you live in. You can then buy it at a greatly reduced rate and then sell it (after 3 years I think) for a huge profit and use the money you've made to get a foot onto the property ladder (just like those pesky soothmoothers!)

 

Believe me i've thought about it but our particular cooncil hoose is a damp, drafty little hole which I worry that I wouldn't be able to sell on. It is a house however and provides accomodation, so I'm just going to leave it the council's capable hands someone will be glad of it some day (maybe)!

 

Babsy - Angel has told us her situation to provide a little background to her story not to have you pass judgement on her. Wise up.

[trout]

I absolutely agree with Fjool, JustMe and Sudden Stop.

 

Note Babsy that you come across as a very bitter individual with that post. Who are you to pass judgement on a Shetlink community member in such a manner, pray tell?

 

Perhaps if you used your "ability" to type constructively instead of passing whimsical judgements like so, you, and other community members, will have a more enjoyable experience! Or perhaps you would rather continue to further enlighten us all with your seer like portrayal of others lives?

[Styumpie]

House prices are high because interest rates have been very low over the past few years, that is the main reason why house prices have rocketed. More people have access to ever increasing amounts of cheap debt money, thus raising the prices.

 

House prices are over valued, I think the market will correct itself within the next year or so.

 

http://www.housepricecrash.co.uk/forum/

 

 

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[Pleepsie]

I think Babsy was right to say what she did. Its about time that absent Fathers are made to take responsibility for the baby they are bringing into this world and that means sorting out housing and paying for the childs upkeep. Its all to easy at the moment to leave others to pick up the bill for their children also there is no need for anyone to 'find' themselves pregnant in this day and age. I did not notice Babsy making any personal comments about Angel - unlike Trout ( a Moderator) who has made a very personal judgement about Babsy.