Dawlish Discussion

Please can you all let others know (especially those others who live in and around Dawlish who are looking to buy here but who cannot afford open market prices) that the following affordable shared housing is presently, or shortly will be, available on the Strongvox development at the top of Carhaix Way, Dawlish. 

2x 3 bedroom houses (5 have already been reserved subject to contract)

9 x 2 bedroom flats

You can buy a 40% share in either of the houses for between £70,000 & £71,000 and 40% in one of the flats for £54,000.

The market value of the houses is £175,000 (3 bed mid terrace) and £177,500 (3 bed end terrace). The market price of a two bed flat is £135,000. (all the two bed flats cost the same)

If you raise the money for the 40% share via a mortgage, you would then have a monthly mortgage repayment to make to your lender plus a monthly rent to pay to Sovereign Housing Association. The monthly rents are as follows.

For a two bed flat £185.63

For the three bed mid terrace house £240.63

For the three bed end of terrace house £244.06

For the flats there will also be a service charge (amount not yet known) and all the dwellings will have a monthly £4.53 buildings insurance charge.

For more info contact the Soverign Living sales team on 0845 602 1618 or email living@sovereign.org.uk The website is www.sovereignliving.org.uk  

You must also be registered with South West Homes who assess all applicants for Shared Ownership. Tel: 0300 100 0021 website www.southwesthomes.org.uk

Good luck!

I never thought I'd see the day that Lynne was promoting affordable housing! Hallelujah! ;-)

Seems you may have misunderstood my previous posts Nelson. 

Without the new housing developments that you've been so vehemently against, the opportunities that you are now promoting, would not exist. 

Glad to see you've stopped the use of quotes around "affordable" affectation though. ;-)

True it is planned that the new housing develoments should provide a % of housing that is not scheduled for the open market. But I do not see that as a reason for just accepting, without challenge, where these new developments should be located and how many dwellings should be built on each one.   

I would much prefer it if we didn't have to have the new housing developments in order that 'affordable' housing can be provided. ie I wish 'affordable' housing could be provided in some other way. And yes I've used the  inverted commas again as although such housing is more affordable than open market housing it is still not affordable to all - a point that I think I have made previously. So I'll call it lower cost/more accessible housing

To be pragmatic. Given that it seems that at the moment the only way we are able to have more lower cost/more accessible housing provided is via having new open market housing I believe that we should have as much lower cost/more accessible housing as possible whenever the go ahead is given for a new market housing estate to be built. 

Am I happy about all the new market housing developments due to take place? No. Do I accept that it will happen? Yes. 

So, given that it will happen and given that it is the only way we presently have of providing housing for some of those who cannot hope to meet open market prices I have no problems at all with telling as many as I can when lower cost/more accessible housing becomes available. After all, TDC told us time and time again that having all this new market housing was a (the?) way to address Dawlish's housing needs. In other words, the raison d'etre for the new market housing was/is to provide housing for those in Dawlish who can't afford open market prices. 

TDC is now suggesting that the 'affordable' % should be reduced from 30% to 25% and that even this amount should be negotiable.  And not for one moment do I think that % will be negotiated upwards of 25%.  So it will be interesing to see how much lower cost/more accessible housing all these new open market housing developments actually do produce over the coming years.

This affordable homes thing seems a nonsense, If i put my existing property into a Ltd company I could then buy one of these.

The property in Dawlish is being bought via a Ltd company already.

I 'll get other stuff swapped over then register ready for Shutterton.

Thanks Lynne

Think you have to be a preferred registered social landlord to be involved with 'affordable' housing.  You would best check with TDC. There is of course nothing to stop you or anyone else buying any of the open market housing and becoming buy to let private sector landlords.   

I'm a bit confused. (no change there then)

But is there not a difference between affordable, and social housing?

I thought social housing would be considered that made available by a social landlord, rent paid mainly by housing benefit.

I thought affordable housing would be available for local first time buyers, low income, possibly on a shared ownership basis?

As I understand it Philip 'affordable' (note the inverted commas Nel.) housing falls into two categories - housing for rent and housing that can be bought. A social landlord like Sovereign Housing would be involved with both.

The housing for rent - believe people get nominated for these properties via Devon Home Choice. Contact TDC Housing Department for more info. Think that rents for 'affordable' properties are now based on 80% of the local market private sector rental rate which means they are higher than they would have been in the past.  How local is defined for the purposes of setting this 'affordable' rent I don't know. Perhaps someone at TDC could give an answer. Anyhow as I understand it, the upshot of this 80% business is that new 'affordable' rents will be higher than old social rents (which I think were/are based on something like 50%/60%).   

The housing for shared ownership can be acquired as per my first posting on this thread.

Does that help?   

@ phillip,

Im a Social Tenant and can assure you I dont get HB always paid my rent from my earnings, dont be taken in by the myth that social housing rents is mainly paid by HB. I think you will find more HB is paid to private landlord tenants!!!

HB, or housing benefit no longer exists, it's a local housing allowance, LHA, it is a set amount based on your needs, irrelevant is the home you live in. It is paid direct to the claimant not the landlord.

Noting from NLA (national landlords association) private landlords whom accept tenants in receipt of benefits are experiencing a current arrears volume of 76%.

Doesn't look good for private landlords does it ??

Well whatever its called!!!

B'nut would I be right in thinking that whatever it's called is presently paid directly to social landlords? For example, those who rent from Teign Housing and who claim whatever it's called have the money paid directly to TH?

Cos if that's correct, and I think it is, then come the arrival of the universal benefit (next year some time I think that's due to start) then instead of the hb/lha money being paid directly to the social landlord it will be paid directly to those who are claiming it for them to pay to the landlord. 

I understand that social landlords are expecting a big increase in rent arrears once the universal benefit comes into effect.

Yes Lynne you are correct, I know of a few people who are unable to work through illness nothing gets paid to them, but direct to Teign Housing, backward step I think, puts temptation in peoples way, better if it was paid direct to every landlord

I completely agree, should be paid direct to landlord, for example who would house a drug addict knowing they will get the rent paid straight to them ??

Social landlords (they have charitable status, none profit organisations) have different rules than private landlords and they get their rent direct, I know nothing about next years rules.

Social landlords get the hb/lha paid directly to them at the moment but, as stated above, wef sometime during next year hb/lha payments will form part of the universal credit which will be paid to tenants directly. Tenants will then be expected to pass on the hb/lha element of their universal credit money to their landlord.

Sovereign Living is having a shared ownership homes open event at the Secmaton Rise/Swan's Rise site on Saturday 29th September between 10.30am - 2.00pm 

Three bedroom and two bedroom shared ownership homes available.

Shared ownership is accessible to first time buyers with a household income of less than £60,000 pa.

RSLs don't automatically get HB/LHA paid directly to them UNLESS the tenant opts for this to happen.  SP Allowance, for those entitled, is paid directly to the RSL by DCC.

As I understand it RSL's (Registered Social Landlords) usually have it built into the tenancy agreement that any HB/LHA should be paid directly to them (the RSL's). Come the advent of the Universal Credit it will be paid directly to the tenant for them to pay onto the the RSL's. 

From the House of Commons Library April 2012:

Council tenants receive their Housing Benefit as a rent rebate and their rent accounts are adjusted accordingly. Housing associations, the other main providers of social housing, invariably require tenants’ Housing Benefit entitlement be paid direct to them by the local authority.

When Universal Credit is phased in from October 2013 the Government intends that the housing component will be paid direct to tenants; although it is envisaged that vulnerable tenants and pensioners will continue to have their housing costs paid direct to the landlord. This will bring the social housing sector in line with the private rented sector where tenants, except in certain limited circumstances, have received their Local Housing Allowance direct since April 2008 (see Library note SN/SP/3211).

Direct payment of the housing element of Universal Credit to social housing tenants is controversial. Social landlords are concerned that it will result in increased rent arrears and impact on their revenue streams.

@HuwMatthews2

Re Supported Housing Allowance. This is from today's Inside Housing. Thought it might be of interest.

Universal credit to exclude supported housing costs

24 September 2012 | By Carl Brown