>How can a one-bedroom flat in a retirement complex coming back on to the market alleviate any perceived housing shortage?
Well, right now sir you own that flat and your current property, whereas if you sold it the new owners might actually live in it and sell their own property…
If that flat goes up for sale, a retired couple who want to downsize will buy it. They then sell their “empty nest” detached family home allowing a couple in their early 30s to buy it.
With the extra space, the couple in their 30s might then be able to have a second or third child – easing the impending population crisis which might otherwise require severe cuts to pensioner benefits.
So this person owns two properties – but only lives in one?
This is definitely the sort of entitled and selfish behaviour I’ve got little sympathy for.
The sense of boomer entitlement in this letter could not be stronger.
The local paper version of this story; [https://archive.is/r8J6P](https://archive.is/r8J6P) ; has a great quote.
>”The only party showing any common sense in this whole matter is the Scottish Conservatives, who say that they are steadfastly opposed to the introduction of increasing the council tax on second homes, **as it will do nothing to free up stock for local people as they have claimed it will** and it will unnecessarily punish those who have saved and invested throughout their lives.”
“*This won’t make people sell, says man selling because of this”*
Knowing a few people who have been left those retirement properties in wills, it’s going to be a bugger to shift, and they will most likely take a hit on what they paid for it. The least expensive option might be to sell their current home and move into the retirement flat. If they did that it would mean one more property on the market available for purchase. Alternatively, they sell the retirement flat and whoever buys it sells their current home which means another property available on the housing market. At the moment that retirement property is just sitting empty which seems a pity.
6 comments
>How can a one-bedroom flat in a retirement complex coming back on to the market alleviate any perceived housing shortage?
Well, right now sir you own that flat and your current property, whereas if you sold it the new owners might actually live in it and sell their own property…
If that flat goes up for sale, a retired couple who want to downsize will buy it. They then sell their “empty nest” detached family home allowing a couple in their early 30s to buy it.
With the extra space, the couple in their 30s might then be able to have a second or third child – easing the impending population crisis which might otherwise require severe cuts to pensioner benefits.
So this person owns two properties – but only lives in one?
This is definitely the sort of entitled and selfish behaviour I’ve got little sympathy for.
The sense of boomer entitlement in this letter could not be stronger.
The local paper version of this story; [https://archive.is/r8J6P](https://archive.is/r8J6P) ; has a great quote.
>”The only party showing any common sense in this whole matter is the Scottish Conservatives, who say that they are steadfastly opposed to the introduction of increasing the council tax on second homes, **as it will do nothing to free up stock for local people as they have claimed it will** and it will unnecessarily punish those who have saved and invested throughout their lives.”
“*This won’t make people sell, says man selling because of this”*
Knowing a few people who have been left those retirement properties in wills, it’s going to be a bugger to shift, and they will most likely take a hit on what they paid for it. The least expensive option might be to sell their current home and move into the retirement flat. If they did that it would mean one more property on the market available for purchase. Alternatively, they sell the retirement flat and whoever buys it sells their current home which means another property available on the housing market. At the moment that retirement property is just sitting empty which seems a pity.