• Baggins@beehaw.org
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    3 months ago

    If they can afford to give people 50k, could they just not build some more houses and rent them out?

    I don’t know how much it costs to build from scratch but it’ll be considerably less than what they sell for.

    • kip@piefed.zip
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      3 months ago

      The calculation here is probably that it’s worth the 50k to retain an existing house, if they built another one they would still be obliged to sell it at a discount

      • Korhaka@sopuli.xyz
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        3 months ago

        Which is why right to buy is so terrible, it’s selling off public assets at a discount to what often becomes private landlords.

        • kip@piefed.zip
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          3 months ago

          Yep. And particularly galling when the newly minted landlord rents their house back to the council to use as temporary accommodation

    • NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone
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      3 months ago

      Which would also stimulate the local economy by creating employment for builders and tradespeople (but maybe not tax returns lol).

      • NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone
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        3 months ago

        brw it absolutely amazes much how much in England we’ll complain about there never being good tradesmen available and how they all live in McMansions, and yet apparently young people would rather die in a call centre than get on this supposed gravy train.

        • Korhaka@sopuli.xyz
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          3 months ago

          Isn’t it only the business owners that are making a decent amount out of it?

          Meanwhile my office job has far fewer expenses. I don’t need a work van and tools. Certainly saves me a good 4 figure sum a year at least.

          • NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone
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            3 months ago

            Having a van full of tools is the dream though, isn’t it? Like being the Punisher but for flooring.

            That said my brother-in-law’s white van broke down and he couldn’t afford to replace it.

                • NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone
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                  3 months ago

                  Tradies in Oz mostly have utes with these locked strongboxes on the flatbed. Dunno how secure that actually is though versus just not keeping anything in there overnight.