Originally Posted by
ninianclark
I beg to differ a little, Sludge if I may, it is cheaper to use private Landlords (if you can find them) to house people rather than build the property yourself, and maintain it ie white goods, maintenance etc
Merthyr council I think were offering a deal to private landlords - if you had a 1 bed flat, they would pay the Landlord £500 a month, guarantee the rent full occupancy for 5 years and they would also do the maintenance themselves. I had a mate who had a 2 x 1 bed flats - he had murder with tennants not paying, smashing the place up etc. He bit their hand off when they offered it to him - guaranteed hassle free / maintenance free rent - it worked out cheaper for the council than having to buy land , build a houses / flats etc.
I would argue that this is the best of both worlds - private sector carries the cost build / purchase, public sector guarantees the rent and conditions of the property. It didnt extend to maintenance of roofs etc though or rewires - just general stuff