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Rehousing issue for Grenfell Towers survivors

(597 Posts)
Christinefrance Wed 05-Jul-17 13:00:13

I don't understand why many of the families are refusing the temporary housing they are being offered. One family was on TV saying how unhappy they were in their hotel but had turned down the offer of a flat. Of course they are still shocked and coming to terms with things but I would have thought it would be easier to move on in a place of your own rather than a hotel.

paddyann Thu 03-Aug-17 19:12:22

then those landlords should be penalised ,like everything else London is a different issue where housing is concerned.The Scottish government has built more social housing in the past 10 years than the whole of the rest of the UK and they continue to try to find answers to homeless problems .Maybe you need to take YOUR government to task ...EVEL ...its up to english folk to deal with it

durhamjen Thu 03-Aug-17 13:32:34

Perhaps the Grenfell fire would not have happened if the landlord dealt with problems as they arose.

durhamjen Thu 03-Aug-17 13:31:25

Unfortunately many landlords do not deal with them.
Did you see that series about the landlord coming to stay?

Tenants told their landlords about problems, but didn't like to bother them too much in case the rent was put up or they lost their homes.

paddyann Thu 03-Aug-17 13:21:16

yes maybe, but there aren't maintenance bills to be paid ,even plumbing or electrical can cost a fortune and the landlord will deal with them .Have you ever counted exactly how much you've paid to a mortgage company? Its a shocking amount of money

durhamjen Thu 03-Aug-17 12:19:03

But quite often the rent is greater than the mortgage would be these days.

paddyann Thu 03-Aug-17 12:16:50

young people have always rented here ,its nothing new.We rented a local authority house for 8 years when me got married at first ,gave us time to build our business and get a deposit for our first flat.Nothing wrong with that.Nothing WRONG with renting full stop.Lots of people bought their concil homes when Thatcher introduced the right to buy,they soon realised that buying was just the beginning..there were maintenance billls ..often LARGE maintenance bills,so some sold and went back to renting..others lost their homes because they couldn't afford the upkeep.Makes sense for young folk to rent,a mortgage can be a millstone round their necks

devongirl Thu 03-Aug-17 11:58:11

It would be great if we could go back to property being to live in.

Obviously some rental property is needed, but it would be helpful to end buy-to-let mortgages for individuals; in my experience, these people buy properties at the bottom end of the price range - that is, the properties wanted by people starting out as home owners - thereby reducing the properties available and pushing these prices up.

In addition, rented properties tend not to re-appear on the market but instead simply change tenants.

The argument is always that more rental properties are needed, but that is largely because the purchase of these properties has forced young people into renting.

Anniebach Thu 03-Aug-17 11:20:17

People buy property either to live in or to make money from

durhamjen Thu 03-Aug-17 11:16:09

www.24housing.co.uk/news/london-mayor-to-seek-new-powers-over-housing/

I hope Sadiq Khan is given the powers he needs.

durhamjen Wed 02-Aug-17 22:17:52

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grenfell-tower-fire-survivors-emergency-accommodation-temporary-homes-kensington-chelsea-council-a7873556.html

durhamjen Wed 02-Aug-17 10:40:59

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/02/kensington-empty-homes-ownership-transparent

I agree with the idea of transparency in home ownership.
If that were to happen, perhaps these houses and blocks of flats would not be bought up by foreign conglomerates wanting to just make money out of them. They might even become homes again.

durhamjen Tue 01-Aug-17 20:19:29

An up-to-date list, mostlyharmless. I like the sort of people who are allowed to own these empty properties.

"In another case, plans to develop a property had been delayed. A lawyer for Firtash confirmed he had bought a £53m property in the area in May 2014, which he intended to develop into multiple flats. But the work had been unable to proceed because the oligarch was detained in Vienna on a US extradition warrant. The lawyer said his client intended to proceed with the development once he was free and able to travel to the UK."

Still only 12 families rehoused.

mostlyharmless Tue 01-Aug-17 19:04:56

Has anyone seen this list of "empty home owners" in Kensington and Chelsea? Apparently sent out by mistake to the press???
I don't think these homes would help the Grenfell survivors - it would all take too long - but it is interesting reading!

www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/01/names-of-wealthy-empty-home-owners-in-grenfell-borough-revealed?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

rosesarered Tue 01-Aug-17 14:37:16

All those new flats for the survivors are low rise and sound very nice.smile
Hope they will be happy there.

durhamjen Tue 01-Aug-17 11:39:44

justice4grenfell.org/press-release/justice-4-grenfell-campaign-response-to-police-announcement-re-corporate-manslaughter/

durhamjen Tue 01-Aug-17 11:38:51

justice4grenfell.org/press-release/council-still-no-internal-investigation-into-grenfel/

Primrose65 Tue 01-Aug-17 11:22:12

I'm hoping that's the idea too. I'm pleased they are low rise as well. I don't have a problem with different options being available, for some people, a smaller community in a 'new' area but close by might be their choice.

mostlyharmless Tue 01-Aug-17 10:52:42

The block at Hortensia Road has 31 flats and all 31 have been bought by RBKC for Grenfell homeless. So hopefully it would be a community of Grenfell survivors for support.

durhamjen Tue 01-Aug-17 10:43:34

3 miles away, or 46 minutes by public transport.
I was reading about a man who walks with crutches, has three children and a wife recovering from cancer, who is living in two hotel rooms.

I suppose that if lots of others from Grenfell move into the same block, there will be support for all of them in that location. The house they were offered was nowhere near anything, not buses or tube, shops, etc.
I hope these flats all together are useful to the tenants.

mostlyharmless Tue 01-Aug-17 10:30:05

More homes purchased for Grenfell survivors.

"On 19th July RBKC decided to acquire a long leasehold interest in 4 Hortensia Road SW10 to provide 31 flats as affordable housing for survivors of the fire at Grenfell Tower."

See link: chelseasociety.org.uk/grenfell-tower/

This is in addition to the 60 plus flats at Kensington Row which are now about to be allocated to the survivors, according to RBKC.

They all seem to be nice modern flats, even if Hortensia Road is quite a way from North Kensington, so staying at the same school might be a problem.

I doubt that these flats would have been available to people on the council waiting list if it hadn't been for the terrible fire.

durhamjen Mon 31-Jul-17 22:22:02

Just shows that nothing has been learnt about vulnerable people in Kensington.

FarNorth Mon 31-Jul-17 22:20:16

It's horrifying that people were made to stay in that building, dj. Also the callous way they were treated.

durhamjen Mon 31-Jul-17 21:55:17

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/31/grenfell-vulnerable-people-women-domestic-violence-refuge

rosesarered Mon 31-Jul-17 21:28:49

Exactly, Elegran

Elegran Mon 31-Jul-17 21:25:34

What exactly do people think is being covered up when it is said that no-one knows for sure how many people died? For each death and each individual who lost family or friends it is equally horrific and that adds up, but that it happened at all is no more blameworthy if the real toll is say another 10% on top of the high number that has been ascertained. The blame is for the sins of omission and commission that led up to the uncontrollable fire. Those sins are equally heinous whatever the numbers involved, and cannot be covered up.