A modern guide to applying for social housing.

[amno]

Exactly shetlandpeat theres a few people on these boards that are too quick to jump to conclusions and this feeling that people from outwith shetland are all here for there pound of flesh and to take as much out of here as they can? I realy don't think this is true in all but a few cases, it says alot about a place that it attracts people from all over and you could take a less cynical view of this IMO.

 

least you forget when the shoes been on the other foot shetlanders have disapered south in there thousands.

[mucklejo]

I just dont understand why anyone would want to do this every council in the uk has the same procedures and emergency housing, to come all the way up here for the sole purpose of getting a council house it makes no sense.

 

Last year, I met an elderly lady, at her wits end because they could not take her two hens, and her dog into the emergency accommodation that had been found for her Mother, and herself.

 

I understood exactly why they arrived in Shetland with nothing when I read the words "her mother" . I think you will find that the elderly lady's mother will have a much easier time getting into a free care home in Shetland than she would 'down south'.

 

Is there such a thing as a free care home? I thought they had to pay.

[amno]

My mother works for a council on the mainland and its her job to determain who pays what for care it works a bit like this,

 

The cost of care is a fixed rate per week say for example £900,

if the elderly person has alot of savings, a private pension and a house with no outstanding mortgage then the council will basicaly take these assets (including the forced sale of the house) and if theres any left over said elderly keeps the rest to themselves or there family

 

or

 

The elderly person lives in a council house has only basic state pension and no savings then the council takes what little income they have and have to pay the cost of care themselves leaving the old dears with an allowance of 22 pounds a week or something

 

anywhere between scenario 1 or 2 depends wheather the council pays the care or the person pays the care and a mix of both

 

obviously this creates a situation where it DOES NOT PAY TO HAVE MONEY anybody with deteriorating health may be wiser to sell there house and move in with there children or get rid of some of there assets, the rules on this are set to tighten up but as you can see youre better to end up with nothing because the council pays youre care regardless

[Kavi Ugl]

my son and his girlfiend who both work are lookin for a place of their own. they had an appointment with council and the person interviewing asked the following questions

 

are you drug users

are you alcoholics

do you have bairns

are you pregnant

do you live with your parents

 

now in my simple mind if they had answered any of the questions as yes they might now be living and payin their way in a house of their own. they are thoroughly demoralised at applyin for every single house hjaltland advertise. at present they live between the two family homes and a solution is allowing them part of our house to live in which understandably they do not want and yes i do know loads of people who have "conned the system" to obtain social housing. but what can i or they do about this answer: nothing ( i did phone hjaltland when i had info which they ignored )

 

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at those questions......

 

The whole corrupt system is enough to make an honest and hard working person cry.

 

That info in a previous post about using every last penny to get their car on the boat is unbelievable and shows the truth of what's happening no matter how hard the SIC Housing Dept try to deny it in some padded out report..

 

Did anybody else see that guy sleeping rough last week and then wandering around the street?. Wonder where the SIC housed him....?.

 

Now, tell me this. If you're supposed to be living in a cardboard box on the streets of some big south city and living hand to mouth how on earth do you manage to find out about Shetland and then find your way to Aberdeen and then have the money to get yourself booked on an overnight ferry to Shetland?.

[amno]

Now, tell me this. If you're supposed to be living in a cardboard box on the streets of some big south city and living hand to mouth how on earth do you manage to find out about Shetland and then find your way to Aberdeen and then have the money to get yourself booked on an overnight ferry to Shetland?.

_________________

 

 

 

Answer, you dont. does anyone even know where that guys from? is there an army of people just like him coming to rip shetland off? of coarse not its more like people see them as an easy target of there frustration and ive read a few of youre posts and its obvious you have an axe to grind.

[Kavi Ugl]

Now, tell me this. If you're supposed to be living in a cardboard box on the streets of some big south city and living hand to mouth how on earth do you manage to find out about Shetland and then find your way to Aberdeen and then have the money to get yourself booked on an overnight ferry to Shetland?.

_________________

 

 

 

Answer, you dont. does anyone even know where that guys from? is there an army of people just like him coming to rip shetland off? of coarse not its more like people see them as an easy target of there frustration and ive read a few of youre posts and its obvious you have an axe to grind.

 

No axe to grind at all. I'm just not prepared to tow the politically correct line, say nothing and pretend that everything is hunky-dory.

[amno]

Well then how would you rather it worked keep in mind that unemployed and or drug users exist in every society yet none but the worst countries on earth simply leave them to their fate.

If you want to see Shetlanders given prioroty on the housing list you need to do something to change Shetlands status as is youre democratic right but right now shetland is only a county within the uk and the uk is in the EU meaning some 350 million have exactly the same rights as 22 thousand in Shetland.

[Urabug]

One thing that would help the houseing situation,would be if those fortunate enough to get permanent or temporary accomadation would respect it & keep it clean & tidy.

 

Many have animals which are allowed to climb ,sh**,& pi** all over carpets & furniture provided by the council which of course has to dumped & replaced when these mindless morons move somewhere else

 

I've seen the mess some folk live in ,fine if its one own property but not if it belongs someone else .

 

The council should have regular checks & if someone is messing up there property & living like a pig ,then give them a "sty" to live in.

 

Mabe houseing should be graded & allocated to suit the type of client !!

[shetlandpeat]

Well then how would you rather it worked keep in mind that unemployed and or drug users exist in every society yet none but the worst countries on earth simply leave them to their fate.

 

Are they the places that have gang cultures, ghettos, no go areas, children being born into poverty, shootings, drug wars on a far far worse level than we have had in the UK?

 

It seems anyone who has a problem should be outcasted as a deviant, while the outcasters, thrash themselves with paddles and whips while choking themselves and sniffing poppers at climax for gratification for instance.

 

Really, many who do complain have never really experienced it, here many tales are others tales. Persecuting folk will not solve anything, too many folk have been persecuted in our history because someone else thought of them as abnormal, wrong or of a lower class.

[amno]

Exaclty places like brazil and mexico spring to mind there worlds apart from even the worst parts of the uk.

 

There are many who advocate the hardline approach maybe on the thinking that "well the softly softly approach doesnt work therefor the only option is its polar opposite" not the case as i've pointed out numerous time you need only look at the USA for an example of how a much more agressive justice system produces a much more agressive population

 

for example a person caught with a small quanity of cannabis which they are unlikely to even be prosecuted for in the uk may well go to jail in the US not for long maybe say a fortnight. benefit - zero! to anyone! with the chance of a low risk dope smoker coming out of jail a whole lot rougher and tougher, not likely to get a job after doing time inside and nothing to lose therefor more crime,

 

Its not that im a bleeding heart or anything i dont like junkies etc as much as the next person but theres no point in doing something that doesnt work.

 

Back to the point, Example a kniown drug users applys for social housing and is refused any assistance because the authorities know of there addiction and criminal record. so.. private letting?- landlords will take one look at them and outright refuse or ask for character references or something. no let. stay with family or friends? - untill theyv had anough and throw them out- homeless. no money and completely unemployable (would you hire them?) they go hungry there addiction controls them they break and enter to steal they steal from people they violently rob in the streets. etc etc crime goes through the roof.

 

So as much as it does p1ss everyone off that these people are givin social housing ahead of working people it has been thought about, the pros verus the cons and decided its better than the alternative.

 

One last thing the junkies are not all from sooth at least none of the ones living close to me are there all local!

 

From a soothmoother working full time in the private sector who pays his own way .

[Siccar]

I always thought social housing was for those on low/or no incomes, People who for whatever reason have trouble looking after themselves. Many (usually prefaced by hardworking decent) Shetlanders seem to believe that this means when its time to leave home the council should give them subsidised hoose.

I have a job, its not greatly paid but live privately. And I have no problem with social housing providers fulfilling their statutory duties. Which is what the council does.

[BigMouth]

I would happily give up my 1 bed council place to live back in the private rented sector. All I need to find is a reasonable house that could be rented on a very long term let, not one of these winter only lets where you get kicked out to make way for tourists in the summer months. If it was by a landlord who was motivated by having a steady income from a reliable tenant rather than by the far more common greed then that would be great.

 

Of course if I was paying for a place I would be able to have some of the things that I don't have now such as an extra bedroom so that friends and family from south could come and have a holiday with me, putting some more money into the economy and normalising my life a little more. I would probably go for somewhere that had a garage so I could protect my car against the elements or off road parking so I could work on my car. I could have a push bike too, or even the long yearned for trike if I had a shed. I might even be able to get a loch or sea view, and be able to choose to live closer to work than the current 40 mile round trip every day. Some sort of instant on heating would be nice rather than lugging bags of coal and wood through the house to get the house warm enough in an evening to be comfortable just before I go to bed. Then of course there is a shower; how cool would that be if I could just have one of those? Not having to have a bath in the morning; quick and cheaper. If I was really lucky there might be room for a freezer so I could stock up on food instead of shopping 2 or 3 times a week, or room for a tumble dryer instead of having to wait until days off and drying weather coincide.

 

I consider myself to be very lucky to have been allocated social housing, which I got through genuine homelessness, despite the condition that the ex-tenant, (junkie), left the property in. Social housing is not the Nirvana that many imagine though; what you consider essential I consider a luxury at the moment. What I do have though are quiet neighbours and a secure roof over my head, so I can consider myself fortunate compared to many. I would move out tomorrow though if I just could find some of my wish list above.

[Mattie]

I was amazed to learn that Hjatland tenants that sub- let their properties for up to a year can make a substantial profit on the home they don't own!

My friend viewed a Hjaltland 2 bedroom flat in Scalloway. Tenants going back to England for a year.

Rent approximately £300 per month to Hjatland.

Tenant wanting £600 per month?

Plus a deposit?

Two other flats in the same area were up for rent for ridiculous rents.

Owned by Hjatland..

I think Hjatland need to address their policy on sub-letting?

And the waiting list for housing in Shetland..

[alchemy]

^^^^^^

that is just plain wrong!

[shetlandpeat]

I would be very suprised if sub-letting is ok.

Many contracts forbid it. Try reporting it and see what happens.