Government to begin paying older people to downsize

[Early Riser]

Other than not being able to get a bridging loan. If they don't need a bridging loan they can put their house on the open market like everybody else, then look around for whatever suits them.

Yes, but what is available to them? A 3 bed semi miles away and miles from anywhere that still needs adaptation? Not very appealing for most and certainly not future proofed re support needs. Best to stay put in a large but familiar house, even if unsuitable.

 

[RETIRED2017]

Yes, but what is available to them? A 3 bed semi miles away and miles from anywhere that still needs adaptation? Not very appealing for most and certainly not future proofed re support needs. Best to stay put in a large but familiar house, even if unsuitable.

My wife comes from a farming background, I always remember her years ago telling me about a old unmarried neighbour of hers ,who sold his land and started Enjoying spending some of the money ,he used to joke his Nephew and niece used to call him Uncle John before selling now the call him Jack,

Never say you know a man or Woman until you have divided an Inheritance with them,

 

[RETIRED2017]

Immediate action is required

·People living on their own should be told to find someone else in the same position and share with them.
If the 2,258 people living in 3 and 4 bed houses moved into the spare room in the 2 bed houses, then we would immediately have 2,064 three bed houses and 194 four bed houses immediately available to house people.

We should not build any more social housing in Dublin other than one bed units and gradually move everyone living on their own into these.

We should immediately stop the sale of any social housing at a discount

We should ban successor tenancies – where a child inherits their parent’s social housing.

Long term action

Housing needs should be reviewed every 5 years and people should be moved to more appropriate housing whether that is larger or smaller.

We are not able to collect rent or build a Hospital without costing several times what is should be ,
It is already out of control I suspect If the followed your advice they will finish up Bloated with Data,

 

[Laramie]

RETIRED2017. In several posts you keep writing "the" instead of "they". ?

 

[Delboy]

John Moran on Sean O'Rourke now discussing his recent comments on older people downsizing

 

[Delboy]

'It was the right thing to do' - former soldier gives up three-bedroom home to help young family
'I've downsized now and I'm very happy and happy to see they're happy'
https://www.independent.ie/breaking...droom-home-to-help-young-family-37860154.html

He moved out of the house he called home for 12 years in January and is now living in a one-bedroom maisonette, which he described as "damn comfortable."
Mr Phelan gave up his social housing home to Kieran Ritchie and fiancee Lauren, who were in a two-bedroom property where their ten-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter had to share a room.
The family were on the waiting list for a bigger house for seven years.

 

[Folsom]

This is fantastic, first he serves his country as a soldier then does a genuinely nice act like this.
I don't think it should be limited to people in social housing however to lead by example. People who own their own homes should also consider downsizing, by selling up or renting out their properties that are now too big for them.
This would go along way to resolving the housing crisis, and all done willingly.

 

[PGF2016]

This is fantastic, first he serves his country as a soldier then does a genuinely nice act like this.
I don't think it should be limited to people in social housing however to lead by example. People who own their own homes should also consider downsizing, by selling up or renting out their properties that are now too big for them.
This would go along way to resolving the housing crisis, and all done willingly.

There are many owners who have already downsized. As has already been stated in this thread a lack of suitable properties to downsize to is a big impediment to others considering this.

 

[Saavy99]

This would go along way to resolving the housing crisis, and all done willingly.

Sorry Folsom, it's not the job of existing homeowners to solve the housing crisis. Go canvass your elective representative for that or consider saving a little longer to purchase the large home of your dreams as we all had to do in the past.

 

[Folsom]

I dont disagree with the above. Lack of suitable properties is a problem and neither is the job of homeowners (or tenants for that matter) to solve the housing crisis.

But I never said otherwise.

I merely applauded the example of the soldier in what he did. If more people did the same then this would be great. Notably, he informs us, that his one bed house is suitable for his needs. This is the key, suitable alternative accommodation.

 

[Peanuts20]

My elderly mother lives in a 3 bedroom house (she owns it, not rented) and would be the logical type of person to move into a one-bed apartement somewhere to free up the house for use by a bigger family. However

• Neither me or my only sister live close by and one of us is normally staying over 2-3 nights a week to take her from everything like mass to the hairdressers to a medical appointment
• It is far easier for grand-children to stay over with their granny then for granny to come and visit us
• She is surrounded by good neighbours who keep an eye out for each other. That won't happen in an annoymous apartment block

So the idea of moving to a downsized property makes no sense what so ever. If she was forced to do that, then the only option would be a nursing home which would cost the state €40-€50k pa in the fair deal scheme. And if the state wants us to stay in a hotel when we are down taking her to a doctor- fine, pay for it.

This report is unlikely to ever come into being. It's purely action for the sake of action, a way for TD's in the run in to an election to pretend they are doing something when the simple reality is what is needed in Ireland is more council housing, owned by the state/council with the private sector landlords taken out of the loop but unfortunately, that does not tie in with Leo's thinking

 

[Firefly]

'It was the right thing to do' - former soldier gives up three-bedroom home to help young family
'I've downsized now and I'm very happy and happy to see they're happy'
https://www.independent.ie/breaking...droom-home-to-help-young-family-37860154.html

Fair play to him, it's a nice story.

However, this sentence from the article stands out for me:

The unpublished report says older people living in social housing will be offered financial incentives before the end of the year, ahead of extending the scheme to private homeowners.

So someone gets essentially free housing courtesy of their fellow taxpayers for life and now they are to get even more money to move somewhere else. Some country!!!

 

[Folsom]

I don't think it is fair to say social housing is free. There are rents to be paid on it and also the people living in social pay taxes too - like our soldier friend.

 

[elcato]

I agree that it was a great gesture by the man but this bit slightly bothers me. He's angling for a payout in good old Oirish style I believe.

"The amount of stuff and clutter I had to get rid of when moving though... When you have too many rooms you're cluttering up all the time and I had a fair amount of decluttering to do and there's a bit of a cost to it too. I didn't have any Christmas... but I'm happy to see that they're happy."

 

[Firefly]

I don't think it is fair to say social housing is free. There are rents to be paid on it and also the people living in social pay taxes too - like our soldier friend.

I said essentially free. Which it is when you compare it too what one would pay on the open market

 

[Folsom]

I said essentially free. Which it is when you compare it too what one would pay on the open market

That is debatable. A search on Daft.ie for 1 bed properties in Co Laois returns a high price of €125,000 reducing to as low as €45,000 - but that is todays prices. Looking at our soldier outside his one bed in Abbeyleix, im guessing it was built pre-1990's? It would have cost less than equivalent €25,000 (estimate) back then.
Depending obviously on how much a person earned, but over 40yrs from 1979 to 2019 an elderly person could have easily contributed far more in taxes than the cost to build the property.

 

[Delboy]

Your new here Folsom but if you use the search function you'll see plenty of debates on the rents paid by those in social housing. They are negligible v's market rents even when the residents in the social house are working.
And then there's the issue of LA rent arrears- that'll make your eyes water.

Depending obviously on how much a person earned, but over 40yrs from 1979 to 2019 an elderly person could have easily contributed far more in taxes than the cost to build the property.

A nothing point really. Everyone working pays taxes, whether in social housing or private. Bringing that into the discussion on LA rents doesn't wash

 

[Delboy]

Fair play to him, it's a nice story.

However, this sentence from the article stands out for me:

The unpublished report says older people living in social housing will be offered financial incentives before the end of the year, ahead of extending the scheme to private homeowners.

So someone gets essentially free housing courtesy of their fellow taxpayers for life and now they are to get even more money to move somewhere else. Some country!!!

I had missed that point earlier ....it's stunning to actually think someone in a Govt Dept dreamt that up and brought it this far .
Surely it cannot be part of any final proposals!

 

[RETIRED2017]

I had missed that point earlier ....it's stunning to actually think someone in a Govt Dept dreamt that up and brought it this far .
Surely it cannot be part of any final proposals!

Glad to see people are beginning to cop on TDs who claim to be right-wing tricking voters who are uninformed the don't realise the far-left would not get away with bringing in these kind of changes,
Time to start letting them know they are the far-left dressed up in right-wing clothes,

 

[Saavy99]

Fair play to him, it's a nice story.

However, this sentence from the article stands out for me:

The unpublished report says older people living in social housing will be offered financial incentives before the end of the year, ahead of extending the scheme to private homeowners.

So someone gets essentially free housing courtesy of their fellow taxpayers for life and now they are to get even more money to move somewhere else. Some country!!!

Well spotted!

Only in Ireland