sophiesofa

Wow a double rainbow - how wonderful! I have joy, but it's not really irrational. I resigned yesterday from a job I've been moaning about for 2 years 8 months and 3 days. YAY Anyone else experience joy recently?

> They only have a six month > window to do that and sometimes because they don't > have a property to offer (or too high a workload), > they miss the window. That could be looked at by > the government and extended maybe to a year (with > a limit on how many properties the tenant can > refuse before forfeitting their right to be > homed). that sounds sensible > I think your plasterer was a bit of a fantasist > tbh. He'd need to be constantly working for ten > years to be able to save enough to buy anything > outright. Again how did he come to have a three > bed flat to himself - another succeeded tenancy > maybe? Yes I think he definitely had a tendancy to extend the truth - I think his plan was to move out of london with his money to buy somewhere - but still would need to save for a very long time. I got the impression he did a lot of cash in hand work so that would speed things up a bit! No idea how he got a three bed but like you, assume it was via a family link. > Private sector rents are high because house prices > are high. That is not the fault of council > tenants, councils or the poor. Anger would be > better directed at the mortgage lenders that have > artificially inflated the private housing market > for three decades and the sucessive governments > who have been warned periodically and chosen to do > nothing to address it. I'm definitely not angry. I just want things to be fair for everyone, which unfortunately is probably impossible!

DJKillaQueen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > A very small majority simply do not need large > flats at cheap rents. > > I think your boyfriend is unusual. The vast > majority of council tenants have nothing like that > income or those savings. > > His council already has the power to have moved > him after his mother died (which they must do no > earlier than six months after death and no later > than a year after) under ground 16 of the Housing > Act 1997. So there is no need for legislation in > your boyfriends case to free up large properties > as it already exists. Some councils though do not > act on it. > > What he earns should neither be here nor there (he > could easily lose his job). Private Landlords > cannot evict a tenant because the property is too > big for them, nor can they evict someone because > they earn a certain salary. Plus it would be a bad > idea to reduce council areas to ghettos for the > unemployed and low waged. We've been there before. > > > I'm guessing the 100k may in part be inheritted > money which he may well choose to use to buy the > house. I'd argue that stopping the sale of coucil > homes would do more good than evicting the small > numbers most likely to affected by these proposals > (most of who would appeal and cost tax payers who > knows what in legal fees). > > The only benefit a council tenant has is the lower > rent. Trust me, the condition and size of many > council properties wouldn't get much higher rented > in the private sector anyway. It's a myth to think > that council tenants enjoy some kind of luxurious > housing for the price. > > There may something to look at as to why some > councils don't use existing legislation to free up > property on sucession by forcing the downsizing of > tenants but there really is no need to for change > in the law. That being said, changing the law is > exactly what Cameron would have to get through > parliament and the House of Lords if he wants to > do any of this (and it would apply to new tenants > only so most of the housing stock will continue to > remain as secure and succeeded tenancies). > > We need more affordable homes....along with use of > existing legislation. A change in the law in what > defines overcrowding (which hasn't been reformed > in more than 100 years) would also be welcome. > Landlord's, be they social or private, get away > with overcrowding because the law says that > children under a certain age can sleep in the > bathroom or Kitchen - so there's no legal > obligaton to rehouse a faily of five living in a > one or two bedroom flat. Those are the things > Cameron should be looking at - not ways to force > people out of their homes. I just want to clarify that it is my boyfriend's friend (as stated) not my boyfriend. The friend lives in Bermondsey (where I guess, only a guess though, housing in in high demand). He did not inherit the money he's just earnt it from working for the same council for the past 20 years or so. He simply is not interested in buying a flat even though if he saved up for a year or two he could probably afford to buy one mortgage free. There was an assessment after his mother died saying he could stay but that is what I have the problem with. Yes, it is his home but he does not need it and he admits that. I lived in a privately rented council flat in greenwhich for 2 years and there was a man who boasted about how he paid about a third of the rent we did for his 3 bed flat (just him, about 24 yrs old) than we did (4 people) for a 2 bed and he said (although I'm sure he grossly exaggerated) that he earnt a grand a week as a plasterer which he was saving up so he could buy a house with no mortgage. As I said though I believe these to be rare cases but neither of these men need council flats and if the new system helps with that but protects/helps those who do actually need them then great. Nothing is flawless though and I do take your points about the possible negatives.

I'm squishing your head Game on You want the moon on a stick

You will have a tummy with beef in it is my guess. Yum

I think it's a good idea to re-asses the need. A very small majority simply do not need large flats at cheap rents. My boyfriend's friend earns about 34k and has about 100k in the bank and lives in a 3 bed council house on his own. He's 40 something and had lived there with his mum and I appreciate that he grew up there etc but there are people who really need a 3 bed flat and a single man on a decent wage isn't one of them. I know this is only one example and it must be quite uncommon but if a new review system helps make room for people in genuine need then great. I don't know what the earnings threshold cut off would be but I'd like it to be high enough that as soon as people move out they then get into debt etc. as a result but can live comfortably. I don't know much about these things though so I probably am missing important factors out and therefore completely wrong!

Maybe a musical too

A day out to Brighton would be fun

I'll ask him

Sorry to disappoint HB but my Dad is an accountant called Mike!

Our 90 year old neighbour rolls out (well someone does it for her) her artificial grass for the Summer. It works really well for her so it does have a place, but not in my garden!

I love this thread! I'm taking it mean any old accident rather than just physical ones, that ok? I put a sample of a moisturiser from a magazine on my face just before I went to a club with UV lights. Who would have thought moisturiser would glow!

My friend was at a club and wearing tie at the side nickers that fell off as she was dancing. Another nicker story; my mum was at a village party at the vicars house when a pair of pants fell out of her jumper sleeve. She then tried to pretend someone else had dropped them.

I have a scar (although nearly invisible now) that's quite long on my arm and when asked had to explain that when camping I'd used a frisbee as a saucepan lid and carefully removed it so I wouldn't burn myself but then tucked it under my arm. Unsurprisingly melted frisbee became a part of my arm and a trip to the first aid tent was needed and it took a week for all the yellow bits to fall out. A few weeks ago I had an interview and straight afterwards left and was told by a lovely man in a van that my bum was out (the underlayer of my skirt was tucked up). Got the place though so might try it again one day.

Just filled it in, thanks PR

Congratulations Sally and husband to be

That's a wonderful post Madger. I'm going to write a letter of objection too. Thanks for highlighting the issue.

I've never been bought dinner on a first or early stages date :( Now I feel I've missed out - how silly of me! tallulah, don't worry about it and just offer to pay half and see what happens. Have a great time.

Me, sort of! I'm on an old o2 contract but have an iphone. It's rather complicated but I was given my old bosses iphone and my contract had come to an end so i rang o2. I thought I'd been switched to an iphone contract (what i asked for) but at ?20 per month plus the first 3 months free because i had the phone. But... it turned out i hadn't been changed to an iphone contract at all he'd just upped my data allowance or something. Think the cheeky sod must have got commission from keeping me on that contract or something, but he duped me. 2 or 3 times in the last year I've had to change the phone settings because i'm not on an official contract but it's quite easy to do. No idea what my data allowance is but i've never gone over it but it sounds the same as the bolt on you mention.

Ligaturiosity Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Well Keef I am glad that the rest of it is BS, but > I got two PMs from people alleging that is what > you did/do. I am glad that you have managed to set > the record straight. Then why did you call it a 'calculated guess'? I think this is all getting far too personal and it seems like you set keef up for that one. And no I've never met Keef.

Yes, but a whole bottle of vodka is still not comparable to witnessing one cigarette - do you agree?

That is very sad. There's a thread in this section called "East Dulwich Councillor can we help". Maybe post on there and James Barber may be able to help.

Seeing a woman down a bottle of vodka is very different to seeing one smoke one cigarette. I honestly don't know what I'd do if I saw a pregnant woman down a whole bottle of vodka, but I'd try and find help or help her in some way but certainly wouldn't publically chastise her.

what keef said

Smoking is bad Stressed pregnant ladies is not good Odd ciggy to reduce stress levels, not ideal, but understandable Having a go at someone at someone in the street is low and wrong.