Bargain Flats (Apartments)?

[Binky Bainbridge]

Fancy a new 2-bedroom luxury flat (apartment) with a sea view, in a most desirable location on the south coast of England, for only $150 a week?

The flats are in a very desirable area, Poole, in Dorset, on the south coast of England. Poole has some of the most expensive properties in England, outside of London.

Any new-build development over 15 units MUST, by law, have an element of social housing for those on low incomes, its a form of social engineering introduced by our New Labour government. Its designed to break down rich ghetto's/poor ghetto's and create a more balanced community.

I suppose the real question is, would you pay $1m to buy one of the flats if your next door neighbour was a council tenant paying $150pw rent?

Pictured: The most luxurious council flats in Britain that are rented out to tenants for just £75 | Mail Online

[wordsmythe]

Flats are what strawberries come in.

[Bubba]

What are "council tenants?"

[Binky Bainbridge]

Flats are what you in the US call apartments.

"Council tenants" are low paid people who cannot afford to buy a house or flat of their own, nor can they afford to rent in the private sector. Local councils in England provide low cost housing for such people, hence the term, "council tenants".

As I mentioned the law now says that for every new housing development over 15 units, the builder must provide a number of units for social housing for low paid council tenants.

[dodgehighforeve]

Sounds like a section 8 type thing.

[Binky Bainbridge]

Originally Posted by dodgehighforeve

Sounds like a section 8 type thing.

I don't know what section 8 is but our system means that a person spending $1m on a luxury flat could have a council tenant living next door.

[Army_Strong]

$150.00 a week seems a little high for me. I am currently living in a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, single car garage and had around 2800 square feet of living space. I am only paying $600.00 a month. Now my wife makes me watch House Hunters and all that other girly crap. Last night they were in Europe somewhere, but I am not sure where. Houses and apartments or flats are tiny about a 1/4 of what I have now. The price may be right, but I will stay here in the US and have closets and lawn instead of cupboards and gardens. I told my wife last night because I would never live in one of the bread boxes across the pond that they refer to as houses or flats.

[Binky Bainbridge]

Originally Posted by Army_Strong

$150.00 a week seems a little high for me. I am currently living in a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, single car garage and had around 2800 square feet of living space. I am only paying $600.00 a month. Now my wife makes me watch House Hunters and all that other girly crap. Last night they were in Europe somewhere, but I am not sure where. Houses and apartments or flats are tiny about a 1/4 of what I have now. The price may be right, but I will stay here in the US and have closets and lawn instead of cupboards and gardens. I told my wife last night because I would never live in one of the bread boxes across the pond that they refer to as houses or flats.

By British standards you've got a bargain AS, you'd be paying at least $3000 pm here for probably a smaller house.
Our housing is smaller in internal size than yours in the US but costs much much more. On top of the rent you'd have to pay council tax of something like $300 pm which goes to the local council to pay for street cleaning, bin collection, etc. Some of it goes to the County Council and helps pay for the Police, schools, etc.
My daughter lives near Boulder, Colorado, and her place is massive for the small rent she pays - but there again most things are much cheaper in the US. We're paying $12 a gallon for diesel here today!

[Detector]

Thats messed up!

[aft_lizard01]

Originally Posted by Army_Strong

$150.00 a week seems a little high for me. I am currently living in a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, single car garage and had around 2800 square feet of living space. I am only paying $600.00 a month. Now my wife makes me watch House Hunters and all that other girly crap. Last night they were in Europe somewhere, but I am not sure where. Houses and apartments or flats are tiny about a 1/4 of what I have now. The price may be right, but I will stay here in the US and have closets and lawn instead of cupboards and gardens. I told my wife last night because I would never live in one of the bread boxes across the pond that they refer to as houses or flats.

Actually AoO they are offering them a sweet deal, very sweet. WHile it isn't as cheap as section 8, the location is off the chart. It would be like a poor family in the US getting a luxury seaside apartment in the Hampton's or one in Miami that is equivalent to a 500k+ condo, regardless of house or apartment sized disparities between the states and the UK. Just another example of a nanny state gone amok, instead of it being a last resort and stop gap it looks to be a reward for being down on your luck. Who would want to actually try to achieve a higher standing in life when that higher standing is prepackaged for you by the state?