questionmark Posted July 26, 2014 #1 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Multimillion pound housing developments in London are segregating less well-off tenants from wealthy homebuyers by forcing them to use separate entrances. A Guardian investigation has discovered a growing trend in the capital's upmarket apartment blocks – which are required to include affordable homes in order to win planning permission – for the poorer residents to be forced to use alternative access, a phenomenon being dubbed "poor doors". Even bicycle storage spaces, rubbish disposal facilities and postal deliveries are being separated. The Green party accused developers of showing "contempt for ordinary people" by enforcing such two-tier policies. Read more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithisco Posted July 26, 2014 #2 Share Posted July 26, 2014 I don't really see any problem with this. It keeps the cost down for the Housing Associations and for the Affordable Housing tenants. From the article: As the London housing market has boomed the expectations of some of the capital's wealthiest homebuyers have grown and many properties now have communal areas akin to those in some of the world's best hotels. Service charges to maintain these are high, and a separate entrance means housing associations and their tenants do not face these extra costs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefenceMinisterMishkin Posted July 26, 2014 #3 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Well i would use the posh door anyway just to annoy them, what they going to do? Throw a peacock at me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questionmark Posted July 26, 2014 Author #4 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Well i would use the posh door anyway just to annoy them, what they going to do? Throw a peacock at me? As being old enough to remember "poor doors" or "servant entrances" I can tell you that it does not help you much to use the main door to get there. It is not that there will be a door for the one and a door for the other and they end in the same lobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefenceMinisterMishkin Posted July 26, 2014 #5 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Well then i would take a big steamy **** in the posh lobby and see how they feel about that.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithisco Posted July 26, 2014 #6 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Nah... they are not allowed access to areas that they do not pay for. Quite right too. If you pay one tenth of the rent that regular payers have to hand over then why should you get the same benefits? Why would you even expect it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefenceMinisterMishkin Posted July 26, 2014 #7 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Because Chav's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithisco Posted July 26, 2014 #8 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Because Chav's You make a valid point.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skookum Posted July 27, 2014 #9 Share Posted July 27, 2014 (edited) As being old enough to remember "poor doors" or "servant entrances" I can tell you that it does not help you much to use the main door to get there. It is not that there will be a door for the one and a door for the other and they end in the same lobby. Totally agree. Britain is going backwards with housing. The 'renter' label and stigma is just ridiculous. For Pete's sake it isn't the dark ages with the wealthy landlord renting land to the peasants to work. I am personally sick of people banging on about houses and how much they are worth. A house is something to live in in my opinion. It is shame people put all this money into these tiny little boxes to make a fast buck rather than invest it in business that would help the economy. House price crashes happen time and time again in the UK and cripple the economy but people still can't seem to get it through their thick skulls. I owned a flat in a complex and was constantly hassled by the residence association to bully a young couple who had done nothing wrong. They were constantly sent letters telling them they couldn't park their car on the premises, use the communal facilities or even have visitors. There was no reason other than they rented the property. I was thoroughly ashamed of living there. They were a lovely couple who had done nothing wrong, just they didn't have the burden of a mortgage that was their crime. Renting is one bit of being a European I wish we would embrace, however there are too many people with vested interests putting the stigma on it. Edited July 27, 2014 by skookum 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan max2 Posted July 27, 2014 #10 Share Posted July 27, 2014 This dosent really seem different to me then a "gated community" or like the suburbs. Its pretty much the same concept so this isnt new. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithisco Posted July 27, 2014 #11 Share Posted July 27, 2014 (edited) This dosent really seem different to me then a "gated community" or like the suburbs. Its pretty much the same concept so this isnt new. Totally agree. I live in a gated community, I own my property and pay a monthly amount to maintain the communal areas. Unlike some other countries, if someone rents a villa in this community then they are required to pay the same maintenance charges. If you pay for this then you are less likely to trash it, and none have. The monthly rate is also very affordable, well within the reach of an average salary in Spain (which is not high in the first place), my community rates are just 120 euros a month, and that includes a daily rubbish collection, pool maintenance, communal lighting, security etc. To be fair though, if you wanted to rent in my community then it would cost 4 - 7 thousand euros a month. Edited July 27, 2014 by keithisco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skookum Posted July 27, 2014 #12 Share Posted July 27, 2014 (edited) Totally agree. I live in a gated community, I own my property and pay a monthly amount to maintain the communal areas. Unlike some other countries, if someone rents a villa in this community then they are required to pay the same maintenance charges. If you pay for this then you are less likely to trash it, and none have. The monthly rate is also very affordable, well within the reach of an average salary in Spain (which is not high in the first place), my community rates are just 120 euros a month, and that includes a daily rubbish collection, pool maintenance, communal lighting, security etc. To be fair though, if you wanted to rent in my community then it would cost 4 - 7 thousand euros a month. Bit lost with this. If someone owns a villa and rents it out are they not liable for the maintenance fees like the people who live their? If not that is madness, their again it happens in the UK with holiday homes. If they are then surely they have accounted for their tenants use of the facilities/amenities in the rent so they are entitled to use them during their stay. I must admit I don't really understand your situation. But it seems a case again of blame the renters not the landlord Edited July 27, 2014 by skookum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithisco Posted July 27, 2014 #13 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Bit lost with this. If someone owns a villa and rents it out are they not liable for the maintenance fees like the people who live their? If not that is madness, their again it happens in the UK with holiday homes. If they are then surely they have accounted for their tenants use of the facilities/amenities in the rent so they are entitled to use them during their stay. I must admit I don't really understand your situation. But it seems a case again of blame the renters not the landlord I could have been a bit clearer - thanks for the "heads up": There is a flat rate charge placed on all villas in the community, irrespective of value etc to maintain common areas. There is no subsidised housing here, and the renters pay the Market Rate. Some landlords will, as you rightly point out, include this community charge in the overall rent (some will also include water etc), whereas other landlords will not include it, but make it a condition in the rental Contract that the renter must pay this in addition. If you fail to pay the community charge then you will not lose access to the facilities, but you will lose your house. If you actually own the property, as in my case, and fail to pay the Community Charge regularly then the President of the Community (every Comm. has a Community Association Pres.) will be knocking on your door and ask why. Continued failure to pay will result (in short order) in a Civil Proceeding through the Courts where substantial fines in addition to the arrears will be levied. Worst case is that a Lien will be placed on your property which could lead to a forced sale of your home. I have never heard of it going that far either in my previous home in Madrid or in Benidorm. It should be pointed out however that whilst the Community charge is low (the most I have ever had to pay is 180 euros a month in Madrid), you normally get facilities in larger communities such as Swimming pool, restaurants, shops, large green areas, subsidised sports facilities etc. but I think this situation is somewhat different to the one that pertains in London, but it still comes down to "you pay for what you get". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finity Posted July 29, 2014 #14 Share Posted July 29, 2014 (edited) Lets be honest. No one who is buying their own house/flat wants to live next door to a bunch of scumbags or welfare scroungers living in benefit houses. From experience, I know I don't. A lot of the time they cause nothing but problems People are avoiding buying houses on new estates because welfare housing is mixed in with private homes and you might end up living next to the Slobs. That's part of why there are loads of empty new houses and prices are still going up. Edited July 29, 2014 by Finity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark_Grey Posted July 29, 2014 #15 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I wonder if entire cities will eventually become giant gated communities with low-income families being economically forced to the outskirts... Think cities like Dubai - exclusively for those that can afford to be there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrooma Posted July 29, 2014 #16 Share Posted July 29, 2014 "the Great british public, they don't understand. 'why should there be riots in this 'civilised' land?' why is this country being pulled to its knees? because Ignorance, is the british disease...." . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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