You're absolutely right.................... ...but when someone replies......... with a load of old bollocks... .........then I feel obliged to reply...... with a load more old bollocks.....:biggrin:......... ........I just couldn't help it............................ .........so bollocks...........:tongue:
The only sensible way to tip the balance of demand for houses away from those that control a limited supply is to alter that relationship. Its not a difficult concept and there's no mystery to it. I mean a huge country wide social and private housing programme. Huge mind you, not a few overpriced apartments in Dublin.That one failure is not a reason not to do this. In Britain we continue to buy the smallest properties in europe on average and about half the size of an average house built between the wars. There is an answer to this and it can be done. Why its not happening is a mystery to me and i dont have the answers. My ignorance of the way forward does not make me wrong on the end goal.
i think the major difference with the BB and the current generation is that for the BB it got better and better. Perhaps starting from a lower base, but i got better. This generation has a very strong feeling that it will pnly get worse, harder and less will be possible... and do not forget : with everyone getting older, they will have to take care of more and more people... in 75 there was 1,2 under 20 for every over 60... in 2025 it will be : 0,56 under 20 for every over 60... everbody knows that this will pose real problems but there seems nu urgency to solve this... again, for the BB there was hope and aspiration. for this generation, mainly worries...
Demographics are like signposts to the future. The future may be uncertain but some things are well known. Is any heed paid to what will be needed in the future and plans put in place? No. "Let's spend trillions on a nuclear bomb we'll never use" instead of "let's spend trillions on pension planning that we'll know we'll have to use."
The ratio of young to old in the future is only a problem if you apply the same conditions as we have now and that does not make sense. The average life expectancy will probably go up as already described and therefore the number of able bodied older people will go up in a similar ratio. So, we raise the retirement age and the younger generation do not have such a heavy burden on their shoulders. Funnily enough thats exactly what the government is doing, do you think perhaps they have someone doing some forward planning ?
As I say, raising the retirement age is fine, if employers are happy to employ older people. But they aren't. They don't seem to be falling over themselves to employ young people either.
So you are saying theres no age bias then. Glid: Same mistake, dont expect todays policies to necessarily translate to the future.
If you really wanted to scupper the buy-to-let landlords and help current tenants, you could re-introduce protected tenancies where the sitting tenant has security of tenure (as in the pre-1989 era). The capital value of properties with sitting tenants would drop, but leaving owner-occupiers unaffected. The tenant would be able to demand a cash sum from the landlord for giving up the tenancy, which would form a deposit to buy a home. The downside is that in a few years rental property would dry up, so the next generation of tenants would be unable to find a place to rent. And the buy-to-let brigade would vote against it, because they would be the principal losers.
I think you forgot that the widows got a pension when the old man died. Mine went too early at 54 - my mum got a widows pension.
Great idea, your last two sentences. France, Germany, Poland and few other countries have long term let, with protected tenants. A contract is signed for X years and for that time it is almost like owner of property is dropping all rights to it. New tenant takes over. It works without much crying from landlords.
The demographic facts and figures are what they are, but what do you mean by "solve this"? The increasing number of old people can only by solved by increasing the death rate - unlikely to become government policy any time soon. The lack of younger people can only be tackled by encouraging immigration. It's been tried but has other major drawbacks.
This is the most verbose thread I have ever seen! I will read in detail tomorrow and then post a load of bollocks as usual!
There is quite a lot of debate to be had on the subject, so it's hard to put it all down in Twitter terms.
Massively increasing the supply of rentable property is the way to scupper landlords that ask too much. The current situation only works because there are too few for the less well off to choose from. Increase the supply and market forces, with a little legislation of course to control it, will dictate the level of rent. Loads of people get employment building these new properties and currys get to sell a load of TV's and fridges to put in them.
