Housing woes ‘worse than in the 1960s’

THE problems for people looking for housing are worse than they were 40 years ago. Sarnia Housing Association chairman Martin Le Boutillier is calling on the States to find a solution to the difficulties caused by high rents and the price of property.

‘The States needs to look into the desperate state of some people and try to ascertain the scale of the problem,’ he said. The charity was born out of a similar situation to the one which exists today.

‘The difference is now it affects everyone,’ he said. ‘Most of us in this island benefit from the high standard of living we have created, but sadly this has placed a section of our community in an impossible position when finding suitable living accommodation on the island.’

Speaking at the charity’s 40th anniversary celebration, Mr Le Boutillier said it was especially difficult for those wanting to get on the property ladder.

‘People have steady jobs, even in the banking industry, and they still can’t afford a home,’ he said. Mr Le Boutillier said the States should examine how to alleviate the problem. (from thisisguernsey)

Well I am sure that the way States are cutting down the amount of States Housing is not helping...

If I was the states housing department, I would only give states housing to those too old to do anything about their situation & the physically disabled (too disabled to work that is)

There is no unemployment issues here in Guernsey, you don't need qualifications / experience to get a job either! Even if it means getting more than 1 job.

Give all tenants a year to move out, that gives them a year to save like mad!

Get the states to start up a central to the island free Childcare facility for children under the age of school age & banish states hand outs!

If you want children, you have to be able to afford them off your own back. If you want to live in such a beautiful safe Island then I think you should have to pay to do so.

Get all of guernsey's society out working for a living. If it means full time & more then so be it. People will then strive to do better as they will then want more for themselves and their families.

Lets get back to basics here! Mobile phones, holidays, cars, motorbikes, labelled clothing / shoes, sky tv, smoking, drinking etc are all luxuries! You have to earn them, they are the things you treat yourself with when & if you have enough money left after paying the mortgage, the bills, the food, etc yet how many states tenants have these luxuries!!

If you are too old to get a mortgage then rent. If it means the children have to share bedrooms then so be it, if it means that you no longer have a parking space or a garden then again, so be it.

It took my younger sister (whilst renting in the private sector) and who has a young child 2 years of real grafting, working a full time job, overtime at that job, a part time job she does at home, another part time job she did at weekends and 2 nights a week at college to get her house 5 months ago.

If you really want something, strive to get it for yourself. Don't rely on anyone else!

I was bought up with values that I now install into my children. We might not have much but we have our family, our house and our self respect.

Yet we still have to pay for the likes of some of you to be housed!! It's a joke! We have our own young families to support, feed and clothe.

The housing department should get their acts together and stop wasting money!

.excuse me but as a states tenant i pay full rent for my house and ask the states for nothing.my husband works in a full ltime job and we care for our grown up daughter who has learning disabilities.by the way caring for her at home saves the states of guernsey over £60,000 a yearin costs for residential care..whilst i agree there are peeps out there who take advantage of the system there are lots of hard working people living in states houses who are possibly working two jobs to keep their heads above water.maybe you could tell us when you bought your house was it before the massive increase which has priced most ordinary working people out of buying their own home.we have our rented house,our family and our self respect as well.
i dont smoke,i have an occasional drink .i have a very old car which i need to get daughter out and about in.oh shame on me i also have sky television and a mob ile phone.for goodness sake do you want us all to live in rags and beg for help from the property owning people of guernsey.get off your high horse and get a life.

by the way i agree about childcare and yes if jobs are to be had peeps should be made to accept them or lose their money.

Workaholic... Who the hell are you to dictate to us States Tenants??

For your information, I work full time. Always have. Wifes given up work to birth our 4th child. She will return when she can. We've always paid into the system. We aint scroungers and never have been. Our kids are well looked after, (no expensive labels here) yes we have a car and i run a scooter to work and back to cut back on costs.

Yes we have states housing. We cant afford fook all else! and if its the choice between staying in our house cuz we cant realisticly afford anything else, or leave the island, fook it. WERE STAYING!!!

My Ex has a states house and she claims for EVERYTHING!!! Her first son and (our) second son is at school now. How about cut the crap, and force people like HER into work??? Hell No!! She's comfortable on sup, dragging me through the courts for maintainenec etc.... MORE TAX PAYERS MONEY WASTED!

End of day, I work, Wife Worked (and will work again) so wheres your problem??? with people like me, who try our best to make ends meet, or scoungers???

Think we both know where this argument is going!

I must amend my comment on the Housing Association because I admit I have made an error.They are a reputable organisation who provide social housing and the only organisation for the past 25 years who have built social homes.

Pete Burtenshaw wrote:
Workaholic, I must confess I am a bit confused by your posts. You say you live in a States house and you are happy to live in one but if you had your way then only the elderly or disabled would receive housing. Are your posts so anti local because your ex is allegedly milking a system which is there for milking by the way?
We do have unemployment and for many reasons. Most are out of work are not lazy. Look at today’s press, 30 jobs gone some of them will join the ever increasing ranks of the unemployed so are they tarnished with the same local brush of ignorance???

Actually Pete, Workaholic does not say he/she lives in a States house or have an ex at all. You're confused because you're mixing up 2 posters, Workaholic and Barney Gumble, who seem to me to have very differing views

it looks that way jan.......I must have posted that post wilst I was asleep........

That was a very strong post Workaholic but I don't think it will win you many friends. I think perhaps you should have altered it in some way to reflect that you are (I hope) only getting at the people who are scrounging off and making the most of the system.

Barney and Thistle I am sure would agree that there are a lot of people in the States Housing system who abuse that system and give others a bad name but perhaps we should not tar everyone with the same brush and we have to accept that what suits some as a lifestyle does not suit others.

plimmerton811, so right.

Dave, "never intended to be from the cradle to the grave" it sometimes appears that some people have a good amount of money, live in states houses and run companies from those houses and could afford to rent/own in the private sector but are not moved out. For them it is C to G

plimmerton maybe you should discuss this with the relevant department

I used to work with a guy at Guernsey Gas (nearly 20 years ago) who took as much overtime as he could (more power to him) what I objected to was his attitude to his States House! He used to openly brag that he and his wife worked (no dependent children) and he had a States House and no he would not move - why should he - as when his father died he would inherit his house......I found that logic quite nauseating!!!!

things have changed karma.tenancy reviews are being carried out on a regular basis.

That's good, if a little overdue!!!

Thistle wrote:plimmerton maybe you should discuss this with the relevant department

Why, this is a small community the relevant department owns the houses and administers the tenancy agreements. If it has a will then it can determine who is and who isn't using the system, it is not rocket science it just means getting out and doing some work.

Tenants are required to furnish the HD with details of their income in order that we can set rents and apply a rebate if necessary. If any tenant is hiding income and is making a false declaration on the form they return to us then they are committing a criminal offence.

Thistle is quite right, if you have any information then you should contact the tenancy section of the Housing Department


Dave Jones

I have no current info' but I take your point and would report if necessary.

Thistle is absolutly right, If someone is decieving the department by not declaring all their income then that is an offence and woafully unfair to all the other hardworking tenants who pay their way.

Dave Jones